Vintage Cattleya sources

[loneroc]

Howdy all,

Can you recommend sources, commercial or private, for vintage, original division cattleyas? There's the Chadwicks, of course, and Waldor, but there must be others. I'm leary of scams on ebay since the seller could be long gone before I'd know I was sold an imposter. These plants are too expensive for me to risk good money on bad people. I'm specifically looking for species plants originally collected in the wild, but I could be tempted by certain classic hybrids, or species the have lived their entire lives in captivity.

I suspect that many hybridizers have divisions of their breeding stock loitering in chained off areas of their greenhouse(s). But I live in Wisconsin, far from most commercial establishments. Random phone calls don't seem to be the way to go. And I've contacted several growers who just ask what I'm looking for. Really? Not helpful. There are thousands of plants that I might consider buying, and you want me to give you three or four possibilities?

Thanks in advance for your recommendations.
Steve H. SW WI USA USDA zone 3