Most Expensive?

[Pelepel]

I was curious if anyone knows what the most expensive orchid ever sold was? I've read it was a Neofinetia falcata, but can't find information any longer on it. Others say it is a Paphiopedilum Rothschildianu "Gold of Kinabalu" at $5,000 a stem. I'm not sure if they are referring to the flowers only and not the plant itself.

Would love to hear what it really is.

[Wjs2nd]

I know orchids limited has the Phrag besseae they use for breeding for sale, $15,000.00 USA. He also has a few other things in the 3-5,000 dollar range.

[Pelepel]

Wow! It's a really lovely phrag. Let me just go get a hammer to the ole' piggy bank......

[Carl Austin]

I doubt anyone will buy the $15,000 and $3,000 to $5,000 ones you mention. As a rule, his plants are over priced. The ones you mention are ridiculous.

I know Terry Root has sold some plants at a pretty good premium but I only know the numbers by rumour so I won't mention them.

Carl

[Pelepel]

Is he the same person mentioned in the book Orchid Fever? (VERY good read!) He runs OZ?

[Carl Austin]

I haven't read the book but it seems likely that they would be the same person. It's not a common name.

Carl

[Sirius]

Someone from Japan might buy those plants.
They pay ridiculous amounts of money for certain succulents. Especially variegated plants.

[tucker85]

I don't see it discussed very often but, just like a litter of puppies, orchid plants can be the pick of the litter or the runt of the litter. When breeders discover a hybrid that has some qualities that make it very desirable as a parent for breeding, then exceptional individual plants of that hybrid (the pick of the litter) become valuble to those breeders. There are certain individual plants that a breeder may not be willing to part with for any price because it's so valuble to him or her as a breeding plant. Those are the plants that you sometimes hear of selling for thousands of dollars.

[Ray]

In the early-to mid-80's (if I recall correctly), a single blue Phal violacea was collected in Indonesia and offered for sale for $30,000 (over $80,000 in current dollar value). It is the only blue one ever found, and is the ancestor of every coerulea phal out there today.

I don't know if that was the price paid, but even so, it was one helluva investment!

[Angurek]

I'm surprise nobody mentioned Phrag. kovachii. I've seen it and its hybrids go for ridiculous amounts of money (orchids limited is the main culprit here, with plants in the $1,000+ range).