WWII JAPANESE TYPE 99 ARISAKA RIFLE W/ MUM-MATCHING DUSTCOVER-MONOPOD-AA-CLEANING ROD
38 bids — Sold for $1,985.00
Described:
Good condition WWII Japanese Type 99 Arisaka rifle in 7.7mm caliber that has a full untouched mum on the receiver and was manufactured as part of the 31st Series by Toyo Kogyo. Rifle is NOT import marked and has all matching serial numbers including receiver, bolt body, extractor, safety, and firing pin. Gun is complete with original cleaning rod, anti-aircraft rear sight wings, monopod, and matching numbered dustcover. Metal finish is original blue showing some normal wear. Bore is bright and excellent with strong rifling. Stock has been sanded and refinished and has nice mellow finish. A classic T-99, hard to find with all matching numbers including dustcover.
Did some identify the ownership marks of Musashi Miyamoto on this thing somewhere? There used to be barrel-fulls of these for sale in Antique Stores for $15 a piece. Why would anybody pay that price for an Arisaka (especially one with a sanded stock?)
Rich
It’s the full, undefaced chrysanthemum on the stock. (Plus the usual “original this-n-that” that bumps it up.)
The ones that came back by the barrel generally had a defaced chrysanthemum. This imprint (the “mum”) was the mark that this was a weapon belonging to the emperor and was issued to one of his warriors. Before they were to be confiscated or turned over, the mum was supposed to be defaced or removed because it would be shameful to deliver the emperor’s weapons to the enemy.
Most of them that came back or were surrendered were properly defaced by the military before they were turned over. So one with an intact mum is worth a lot more. Especially with all of the original nonsense on it. The caliber and manufacture series may help, too, but I’d say the big difference is the mum. That’s worth about $700-800 by itself.
I’ve got one my wife’s great-uncle brought back with a defaced mum and it’s worth pretty much squat.
Steven Schaefer
Total Crap!A mum does not add $700-800 to the value of a Japanese rifle,not even close.The auction in questions high price is from a potential crooked seller and possible shill bidding or two guys with way more money than sense that know little if anything at all about Japanese rifles and don’t know how to shop around.
Value on Japanese rifles is determined by how rare they are and condition.Not by a Mum stamp.A mum on a rifle used to bring an extra $25-50 but in today’s market it seems to bring an extra $100-200 not $700-800. Poorly informed people with way to much disposable income are having an adverse effect on Gun prices.
Hammond Aikes
Bidding war between two idiots.
The mum isn’t really a factor. I had an early ’20s Koishikawa Type 38 with the mum and an unsanded stock—beautiful rifle–but I had to nearly break a guy’s arm to get $400 for it.
Homer2
This seller is has grey blanket magic. His auctions always draw higher than market prices, and often feature very questionable items. Many on gun forums discuss this guy and many believe he sells humped (deliberately altered to appear correct) items and hides or does not disclose flaws and problems. This is a rifle with refinished stock which is realistically a $500 gun at best, according to collectors. Fool and his money, but these bidding wars by low feedback gunbroker users also result in resisting due to non payment. Possibly shill bidders being the reason some believe.
John
Homer2, what does this sentence mean?
“This seller is has grey blanket magic.”
I honestly have no idea.
Hammond Aikes
John, the seller always uses a grey blanket as a background for his auction photos.
When idiots on a gun forum want to bash the guy, they call him “Grey Blanket”…which could explain the is/has formation.
John
Thanks, Hammond!
florida scuba
I don’t commonly comment but I gotta tell thanks
for the post on this amazing one :D.
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