Thank you for submitting your item for appraisal. This appears to be a chinese reproduction sword of recent production. As far as I could find out Chen Chaobo started his business in Dalian, China in 1991. The sword in your possession was made in 2006. The inscription reads 中國大連 陳朝波丙成 作 . At last there is an explanation for the weird handwriting, which is most likely an order or production number. The estimate is based on current retail prices for similars.