Most Expensive?
 

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. :twocents::twocents::twocents:

Would love to hear what it really is. :biggrin:

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.

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

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

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

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

Carl

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

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.

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!

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).