What's my Bonsai Worth?

whidn

Can anyone out there tell me how to put a dollar amount on a Bonsai.
Amongst my research I've seen trees for $3,000, trees for $40.00, and some for $100 that look as good as the really high priced ones.
Is there some kind of guideline for placing a value on a tree, or
Do you just wait for the "Bonsai road show" to come around and have it appraised....lol....

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bonsaial1

Now you done it!!! You have opened Pandora's box. This will be war.

I was the second post and said the war thing first. Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah!

I'm not even going to sign it. Someone might try to blow my house up.

whidn

Ok al you got me stumped.
If this is a touchy question I will not ask it again.
I dont want to start any contreversy.

TreeBay

Why do you want to put a price on it?

a) Are you selling?

b) Insurance reasons?

c) Want to impress a girlfriend?

d) Just curious?


The commercial value of a tree (not always, but often) reflects, in no particular order:

Artistic quality (refinement, character and age),
Health
Scarcity (a function of supply & demand, species and style)
Provenance of the artist that created it
Historical significance
Reputation of the seller
General economy (what part of the world you're selling in and how the market is)

There is no equation you can use to price a tree based on any measurable factor other than what you think someone is willing to pay. Some trees will be drastically overpriced and some will be bargains, and much of it is in the mind of the buyer and seller.

Regards,

Matt

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Carl_Bergstrom

c) Want to impress a girlfriend?

Trees impress girlfriends?

I got me the wrong girlfriends!



Er....not that I have any girlfriends, what with being married to Old Missus Crow and all...

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juliet-of-oz

A bonsai tree is worth the exact sum of what someone else is willing to pay for it and the sum of which you are willing to part with it.

As is everything else

Juliet

groan

post us a pic! we'll tell you what it's worth...

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ripsgreentree

And each of us will have a diffrent opinion of the trees value. I have several trees that I would concider to be valuable trees that were actually throw aways. The person who started the tree said "get this tree out of my collection" becaus he thought it would never be any good. Here is a photo of one thrown away. So what one person feels has value another is willing to part with.Here is another thing about value. What you will spend mony on this year you will pass up five years from now, this is because as we grow in the art and care of bonsai our perspective of what is good bonsai changes and this changes our values.

Attached Images

fifteen year old shimpaku.jpg (19.0 KB, 285 views)

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ripsgreentree

It requires an open hand to give and to recieve.

splinter

Well said, Juliet!

There are some people who wouldn't think my trees are worth anything at all. We all have our own opinions of beauty, value, etc. (singing: you say toe-may-toe and I say toe-mah-toe...)