If Sotheby were to auction off Mijo’s cartridge, it would fairly be termed "pre-owned, original", in my opinion. In the fine print, they would mention the bit about the defect and that it was repaired. But as long as it still has its OEM cantilever, stylus, coils, etc, etc, it’s not a Frankenstein.
As to cost, it is difficult to generalize about comparative prices (US vs Japan or elsewhere in Asia) of audio gear, as some equipment is not much different in cost, here vs there, and some other equipment is a little different, and yet some other equipment is very different in cost, usually cheaper in Japan vs the US. Much depends upon the US distributor and US dealer mark-up. The big Japanese store where I usually shop only because they have such a vast variety of audio gear on display, on demo, and ready to buy off the shelf, I think had MSL cartridges before the pandemic but not during our recent trip to Tokyo in May. Moreover, in general, there was a dearth of what we would call "high end" stuff on sale off the shelf of even fancy emporiums in Tokyo, compared to pre-pandemic, i.e., 4 years ago. I fear that the Japanese market is now entering a phase that we entered 5-10 years ago, where young buyers are simply not interested in the good stuff. Rather, they are interested in the cheap and portable, and internet connectable. So, high end stores were fewer and farther between. For one example, the store that sold me my Koetsu Urushi in 2009 and which was still in business in 2019, is now kaput. I've mentioned this before, but I have never seen a Lyra cartridge on open display for sale in Tokyo or anywhere else in the orient. Possibly you have to ask, just as I had to ask about the Koetsu when I bought it. Also, if you buy in person, in Japan, the seller will honor the manufacturer's warranty just as surely as if you bought it in the USA. Promptly and courteously and even apologetically.