Out for delivery!

[Shoreguy]

Hakumin,

You and every ardent follower of this section of the Board knows that I would never question the authority of your postings and it’s possible I would never have been drawn to the Board had it not been for you.

However, I can think of another variety that in many ways mimics most everything you said about Kinbotan except its extreme popularity and associated costs, and that of course is Nishidemiyako, a low cost variety.

Maybe fewer named mutations but is that enough to justify the disparity between how they are judged? Let’s face it, $5,000 or so is serious money for a single growth.

[Hakumin]

Originally Posted by Shoreguy

Maybe fewer named mutations but is that enough to justify the disparity between how they are judged?

Among the collectors in Japan and Korea, who drive the price of Neos, yes, it is.

In all seriousness though, that's where the appearance of the variety also comes into play. A well grown good quality kinbotan is considered that much more beautiful and desirable than Nishidemiyako or it's mutations. Also, the visible characteristics of a good well grown nishidemiyako is similar at first glance to dozens of other neo varieties. The visible charactersitics of a good well grown Kinbotan is not found in any other variety.

Beyond that there could be some hype in play too. Don't forget that any collector's market is driven by forces that can't always be explained by logic.

In any case, regardless of what the reason for the cost is, the indisputable fact is that Kinbotan is simply not rare, and isn't an exceptionally slow grower.

Originally Posted by Shoreguy

Let’s face it, $5,000 or so is serious money for a single growth.

Multiply that by 6 or 7 or even 10, and that's the price range you get for certain truly rare and coveted varieties—the kind of varieties that are hard to find even if you had endless amounts of money.

[Shoreguy]

Originally Posted by Hakumin

A well grown good quality kinbotan is considered that much more beautiful and desirable than Nishidemiyako. Beyond that there could be some history and hype in play too.

I am sure the Kinbotan pictures that I have seen are not of the highly prized ones. As a matter of fact, none appealed to me in the least and I feel I am pretty discerning wrt neos. Maybe I’m not, but if that is the case, I am benefiting greatly financially from not being discerning.

[Hakumin]

Originally Posted by Shoreguy

I am sure the Kinbotan pictures that I have seen are not of the highly prized ones. As a matter of fact, none appealed to me in the least and I feel I am pretty discerning wrt neos. Maybe I’m not, but if that is the case, I am benefiting greatly financially from not being discerning.

Again, personal taste. Some people might not like Kinbotan as much as the growers that drive the price do. Doesn't mean that it's not considered extraordinarily beautiful by those that do.

Similarly, there are people like diamonds, and there are some that don't and think they're overpriced. Just because some people don't like them doesn't mean that there aren't enough people who do to drive the price.

[Shoreguy]

Great discussion. If anything, it has livened up the Board for an hour or two.