How Expensive can Paphs get, and what drives the price up?

[shade131]

The most I have seen online currently is around $1,000usd. If there are buyers willing to pay that based on photos, I have to imagine they’re willing to pay much more in person.

So what is the current ceiling on what a Paph can cost? What are the primary factors? I’m guessing some combination of quality, size and rarity? Are they roth hybrids? Complex?.... A 40 year old clump of choice hangianum? I know prices were much higher in some cases a few decades ago, and in Victorian England it was beyond absurd...

I’d be really curious what growers and long time collectors have to say.

Thanks,

Brandon

 

[NYEric]

Size and quality of plant and blooms. Another factor could be rarity. If someone had roth hybrid like Woluwense or Delrosi with 6 spikes it would be worth quite a bit, or a rare albino plant, and lets not talk about CITES restricted plants.

 

[Hien]

well I don't know how expensive is the highest priced paph,
but I certainly know how high a phal can be , a cool 700 Washingtons

https://www.ebay.com/itm/phalaenops...h=item4b5af9f925:g:334AAOSwqMRa7I1t:rk:2:pf:0

and while you are still in a state of shocking delirious of the rarity of this Sogo Grape "FireBall" , I will cure what ills you with the same plant but with a better price, 24.99, how does that sound to you :drool:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/phalaenops...h=item4b5b114a82:g:A0oAAOSwcWpbgxg0:rk:1:pf:0

 

[Ozpaph]

Pieces of the best Japanese roths go for in excess of $10k.

 

[Ray]

To-date, the most expensive plant I even saw was a jungle-collected, blue Phalaenopsis violacea. When it was collected, the entire natural population was gone. It is the source of ALL blue genes in phalaenopsis, so the $36,000 price might not have been a bad investment back in the early '80s.

 

[troy]

At the end of the day what drives a price is what somebody is willing to pay

 

[Paphluvr]

At the end of the day what drives a price is what somebody is willing to pay

Totally agree. How many times have you seen a listing on E-Bay for a **RARE** Paphiopedilum sukhakulii (insert any common species name) listed for hundreds of dollars. If someone is willing or gullible enough to buy it at that price than can you really say that that species is now worth xxx$?

 

[shade131]

Thanks for the responses! 10k for a Roth division. Just....Wow. And paying 36k for a phal. in the 80’s is crazy, but the “this is the only one on earth” part of it certainly explains why.

I used to work in the art world, so I guess it shouldn’t come as that much of a shock to me, since a “bad” da Vinci just broke the record for the most expensive painting ever at $450 million.....that’s a lot of Roth’s!

 

[ehanes7612]

check out sam's division list

http://www.orchidinnusa.com/divisions.jsp

roths are highly coveted and can fetch some hefty prices for FCC awarded clones but the proliferation in breeding has brought down the prices for seedlings and even flasks by quite a bit. In 1992 , the first sale of flasks of FCC awarded roths that I am aware of (the infamous Rex x Mont Milais) went for a thousand dollars a flask. I had the actual catalogue that Orchid Zone printed for a long time. In 1995 four inch seedlings of this cross were going for no less than 200 dollars. In the late 90's it was difficult to find large sanderianum primary hybrids and one that you could find were going for 200 NBS. By 1996 you could find flasks of primary sandy hybrids fairly cheap. Sandy hybrids are fairly cheap now, although we seem to be going through a lull in availability. Sanderianum species didn't really hit the market (if you dont include the OZ debacle with their sanderianum cross that turned out to be PEOY) until the early 2000's when Sam started selling flasks for 300 -400 a piece. I know someone in the US who paid 15 grand for Lady Isabel 'Crystelle' FCC division not too long ago. And there's that urban legend story of the guy who flew across the world to buy a 30,000 dollar (maybe more) album brachy division, holding it in his hands the entire trip back. Don't know if that story is true or not. The most I have paid for a single paph was a division of stonei 'Birchwood" for 500 in 1995/6 from Fox Valley. Lost that plant during the divorce (sold my entire collection actually for much less than its value..before EbaY). The most I have paid for a flask was charlesworthii FCC album cross for 400..they all died. Your next question could be 'How much money have you lost to orchids? " For me??? Enough to buy a couple prime Japanese roth divisions

 

[shade131]

Very interesting, thanks...... I shudder to think how much money I’ve burned on plants that either died or that I just gave up on after years of failing to thrive. I keep everything I can until I run out of space then I start to cull....That’s why I, for the most part, only go after paphs, and plants in general, that aren’t difficult to grow and bloom.

 

[valenzino]

Ther most expensive plants on earth are Cymbidiums mutations in China...i cannot find now the listings I obtains about 10 years ago....but some plants were priced over 1.000.000 rmb's!!!!So over 100.000$!!!!
If i find the listing(and very long listing with many plants over 10.000$ and some over 50.000$)...i'll post it....

 

[emydura]

This division of Paph rothschildianum 'New Horizon' FCC/AOS is on sale for $10,000.

http://www.zephyrusorchids.com/divisions.html

Ther most expensive plants on earth are Cymbidiums mutations in China...i cannot find now the listings I obtains about 10 years ago....but some plants were priced over 1.000.000 rmb's!!!!So over 100.000$!!!!
If i find the listing(and very long listing with many plants over 10.000$ and some over 50.000$)...i'll post it....

So what did you get?

 

[valenzino]

So what did you get?

The listing!...and a heart stroke!!!:rollhappy::rollhappy::rollhappy:

 

[NYEric]

I forgot about this thread. I think I had saved Lien's offer for a division of the Phrag. St. Ouen 'White' for $1,500!!!

 

[TyroneGenade]

I think the basic fundamental driving orchid prices is the insanity of orchid growers. Without a wife to keep me under control I would rather buy orchids than food.

We can talk about the economic sense of a $36k phal to drive orchid breeding for decades but without people crazy enough to pay $100+ per plant $36k for a phal is a dumb investment. The insanity of orchid growers is the fundamental driver of orchid price.

Love is madness.

I am now going to go off and seek a clone of Sogo Grape Fireball.

P.S. Ah... jackpot: https://efgorchids.com/products/phal-sogo-grape-fireball

 

[Justin]

May not be remembering correctly, but I think a couple years ago Tokyo Orchid Nursery was selling a division of roths 'Tarantula' for around $20k.

 

[richgarrison]

This division of Paph rothschildianum 'New Horizon' FCC/AOS is on sale for $10,000.

http://www.zephyrusorchids.com/divisions.html






So what did you get?

i had forgotten all about these guys and i hate that you reminded me....

their besseae divisions are to die for....

i guess it's just get a nice Jersey and pretend it's besseae!

 

[Ozpaph]

The purchase of 'tarantula' would generate twice that in flask sales....................

 

[richgarrison]

The purchase of 'tarantula' would generate twice that in flask sales....................

ssssshhhhhhhhh..... someone may be listening.....

 

[Ozpaph]

TON flasks are already around $Aus500...............................