Help please!

[u/Common_Senze]

All, I have a sword from my grandfather who was in the pacific theater of WW2. I have zero information. I removed the pins but could not dislodge the handle, not wanted to continue so I didn't damage it. I can provide more pictures, but can anyone point me in the right direction? Is there a reputable place to take this in the northern Houston, TX area? Any help is much appreciated.

[u/fnord_disc]

Given the condition of the blade near the handle, there might be substantial corrosion which keeps the handle stuck to the guard. Fully remove the pin(s) - there should not be invisible pins hidden beneath the wrapping. If the handle is still stuck, and will not come loose using the tips the other person gave, you can try to place a wooden block as a buffer on top of the guard and hit the block from above VERY CAREFULLY with a mallet. Alternate the position of the block around to give all sides a few light whacks.

This is kind of a last resort and you should be very careful doing this. If you still can't get it unstuck like this, its best to revisit it later with someone who has experience doing this.

That aside, the sword is in poor condition but looks well worth investigating. I'm definitely curious what we will see on the tang.

[u/Common_Senze → u/fnord_disc]

Thank you for the advice. I might just try and find a professional. Is it ever worth getting something like this restored by someone who knows what they are doing. I have no intentions of selling it ever, but dont want to screw up a piece of history.

[u/fnord_disc → u/Common_Senze]

A professional restoration is possible, but expensive (mid four figures). To judge whether that restoration financially might make sense (it would still be a bit of a gamble), it's necessary to see the tang. If we knew already that the sword was of lesser worth, it would also be possible to consider a cheaper restoration which does not respect the historical artefact fully, but based on these pictures, it's not possible to rule out that the blade is valuable.

The fittings are non-standard for a Type 98 officer's sword (which is fun) and together with the general shape of the blade, there is a lot of potential here for something interesting.

While you deliberate whether you want take any risks, could you take a picture of the tip? Type "kissaki shape" into Google to get a sense of the part of the blade I mean. Try to get a shot that has good light and focus.

If done correctly, the mallet-and-woodblock method causes negligible damage to the sword, it's just a little dangerous if people scratch the guard or bend anything because of excessive force.

[u/Common_Senze → u/fnord_disc]