Japanese Militaria at Castle-Thunder.com

[ssjtristan]

I picked this up at a garage sale about a week ago. I've done some research on it but can't find the top character under the mum. I have posted two pictures on Photobucket. All the number match. I blurred out the last digit of the serial number. I think it's a nice find.

http://s796.photobucket.com/user/ssjtristan1/library/

[gwsiii]

Welcome to the forum, Very nice, Nagoya 0 series, SEI marked. Be sure to fill out a Type 38 Long Rifle Datasheet for Frank Allan! From the start up at Nagoya arsenal, very desirable. Trey
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I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!

[ssjtristan]

Thanks! Do you know what the character(s) under the mum is? It's driving me nuts! I want to find out.

[gwsiii]

It is SEI (for Seinen I think it means 'youth'). Frank can fill you in on the details. Nagoya was just starting production so not all rifles would pass inspection, rather than waste them, they were marked and overstamped to denote that they were for use by youth organizations for training purposes. Some rifles from the 20th series at Kokura have the SEI mark below an overstamped (Kokura logo) mum.
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I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!

[seinen]

Yes, a Type 38 rifle designated for youth training purposes. Not many of these around.

C/

[gwsiii]

Thanks Chip!
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I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!

[ssjtristan]

Would anybody know the value of this rifle? I have decided I would like to sell it but I have no idea where to start. It's in good shape. All the number match but the bottom plate. Thanks!

[gwsiii]

Can you post some more pictures? If All matching, I'd say in the $400-$600 range. I'd be interested when you come up with a price.
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Fill out a Japanese Rifle Datasheet.
I didn't pay to much for that old Arisaka, I just bought it a little bit too soon!

[DEFUC]

Nice example.... If its all matching, then Trey's $400-$600 ESTIMATE is about right on .Its an umcommon varient but they dont command much of a premium over any other T38 on the maket . The over stamp on the mum and Sei are nice and clear, and it is from a less common series group , the thing that hurts them marketwise is while theyre special to a very small niche of collectors, most of those guys already one or more, and to the rest of the collecting world,its just another T38 ,with a cancelled mum and over stamped reciever,so they dont get the premium they deserve,theres several smaller groups in the same boat (nagoya 29th rifles & 6th series carbine,30th jinsens 2 million range Koishikawas,W-3 mukdens etc.) uncommon but not in any super higher demand by most people . I think its beautiful, one of my favorite varients.

[ssjtristan]

Thanks for the replies. That was some good info. Sorry it took me forever to write back. Life got in the way and I forgot about this for a while. If people are still interested I'm going to sell it. As of right now it's not on gunbroker.com but within the week I think I will post it. Message me if interested. Thanks.

[ssjtristan]

http://s1076.photobucket.com/user/ssjtristan/library/

[Francis C. Allan]

Sorry that I am a little late jumping in here as I was tied up last weekend with a gun show and catching up on my honey-do list yesterday.

I see that others have provided the basic info on this rifle. They are indeed difficult to find. The overstamp of the mum is the logo of the Nagoya Army Arsenal and was done simply to indicate that the rifle was not for the IJA. The character immediately below is 青 - SEI, meaning youth. This was the first partial series of rifles manufactured at the then new Nagoya arsenal. This first "No Series" of rifles was only for approximately 6,500 rifles, which I believe were manufactured slowly between July 1932 and March 1936. It is my belief that most of these rifles went right from the arsenal to schools. Being a new production line, it is my belief that the arsenal used the series as a "debugging" and training exercise. Only after quality assurance was achieved was the next series at Nagoya begun (26th series).

Great well-marked example and a wonderful find. Please do fill out a data sheet on this rifle so that I can enter it in my data base.

Frank
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Francis C. Allan
20Courtney Place
Palm Coast, FL 32137

(386) 445-4225