$200 or $2000 Chris Zhou Musashi. What do I have?

by Steve
(Ohio)

QUESTION: First of all I would like to say hello and thank you for all the information provided within these pages. I was at a renaissance festival recently and stopped by the most reputable sword shop there. They mainly deal with Windlass and movie licensed swords (UC-LOTR, Eragon) but do have barrel of junk swords and knock-offs and a few functional katana. I asked the owner of the shop about the one on the wall, was told it was good, but that if I wanted to get something a little higher end (above $300) that he had a Chris Zhou sword that he was selling for a friend.

Important background info; the shop owner said that he was the original owner of the blade, sold it to his friend, and was now selling it for his friend with full confidence of its legitimacy due to the fact that he was the original buyer.

The sword is supposed to be one of the $2000+ models but my hamon does not look like the one in your Yasha review. However, it doesn't really look like the one on the Wind Katana either. The case the sword came in only had with a cleaning kit and certificate of authenticity, and not any of the extra pieces that you show with your Yasha model. How do I know if I've been fleeced? Is there a way to tell if this is the high or low end sword based on some of the symbols on the certificate? If not, how am I supposed to tell? I don't have access to a scanner at the moment, but can get access if you being able to see the certificate or blade would help determine the true value of this sword. I have not attempted to cut anything with the sword at this time. Thank you very much for your time.

V/R
Steve

ANSWER: Hi Steve,

Hmmm - it is kind of hard to tell without pics. And even with pics, it's still hard to say - mostly because pics can't reveal the whole story - much depends on first hand knowledge and being able to examine the sword closely and for some time - especially with the Musashi line, as the fittings give no real clue.

Much also depends on the reputation of the seller, which is why I generally recommend only to buy from reputable sellers as listed in the sword buyers directory.

I think I will need to see the certificate. But in the meantime, I can only recommend visiting various places that stock the swords to see if you stumble upon the same model.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help at this juncture.

- Paul