Ever watch the Antiques Roadshow? Ever see one of those scenarios where they say: "But this isn't the original condition...it's been refinished. As it is, it's worth five bucks...had it not been refinished, it'd be worth a million dollars."

How much of an antique is it? You may be better off putting it aside and maybe having a replica mad for everyday use...I'd consider that the cost of having the thing taken apart and the blade replaced might not be that much less than having an entire copy made and the original preserved...a practice followed by a lot of museums. I guess that this would depend on value, whether historical or personal.

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AA