Xas, thanks for adding these thoughts. There is actually a fourth method that has recently been brought to my attention by another forum member who happens to be an archeologist. This involves carbon dating of the carbon contained within the steel. I believe it involves determining the ratio of C14/C12 content. Unfortunately, this is a destructive analytic method, although only a few grams of metal are required. The obvious place to take a sample would be the tang (if one can get to it).
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