Bonsai article in The Age 14th March 2012

[Scott Martin]

Here's the link - http://www.theage.com.au/money/investin ... 1uwxm.html

There's a nice slip up, see if you can guess what it is.....

[Jow]

Here's the link - http://www.theage.com.au/money/investin ... 1uwxm.html

There's a nice slip up, see if you can guess what it is.....

The tree in the pic is a juniper. the text says black pine...... hahah... and there is then is the fact it says its worth $10,000.... If only you could get that sort of cash for that sort of material.....

[daiviet_nguyen]

Is that really a black pine? It looks more like a juniper?

...
As well as running the gallery in Woollahra he is completing a PhD on the fine art of bonsai at the Australian National University in Canberra. He thinks he may be the first Australian to do a doctorate on this subject.
...

It would be very interesting to read his thesis or his published papers. It is interesting to know who would actually evaluate his thesis and his papers? Being the first, I do not think then neither of his primary or secondary supervisors is an expert on the subject of bonsai?

Thank you for the post Scott.

[Scott Roxburgh]

It would be very interesting to read his thesis or his published papers. It is interesting to know who would actually evaluate his thesis and his papers? Being the first, I do not think then neither of his primary or secondary supervisors is an expert on the subject of bonsai?

Definitely Juniper, looks like procumbens.

I think Thor's paper is based on the art/historical/cultural aspects...there are plenty of those experts at the ANU...

[daiviet_nguyen]

Hi Scott,

Definitely Juniper, looks like procumbens.

I think Thor's paper is based on the art/historical/cultural aspects...there are plenty of those experts at the ANU...

"Art/historical/cultural aspects" would make more sense; as bonsai alone is too restrictive to be a doctoral thesis.

Best regards.

[Scott Martin]

Yep, just wait another 50 years and we'll all be rich riding the Bonsai Investments train to success!

My favorite quote is "In monetary terms a bonsai can be a good investment"!

Must remember to tell my wife that one....

[cre8ivbonsai]

Yep, just wait another 50 years and we'll all be rich riding the Bonsai Investments train to success!

My favorite quote is "In monetary terms a bonsai can be a good investment"!

Must remember to tell my wife that one....

that's a good one

... so boys and girls grab a few starters, whack 'em in some $250 Japanese pots and in 50 years cha ching at least the pots will have nice patina

makes you wonder how accurate any of their articles are

[dark1]

This is obviously a stock photo from some archive to show Joe Public what a BONSAI is! As you say it is not a Black Pine and certainly not that old and nowhere near that sort of value but hey a very nice little juniper, well styled and potted and obviously in excellent health. Somebody has a very nice tree there, enjoy!

[Anth]

They used the picture of the juniper because there is no current photo of the tree the article refers to, there is a thread on bonsai bark website about it where bill valavanis posted a photo of the tree taken in 2009.
In regards to the tree and the value of bonsai I think it's a stupid article . I don't think bonsai is something you can put a value on, no different to art ( it's only worth what someone is willing to pay). If we all sat there to work out a value of a tree you would have to take into consideration age, hours spent working on it, soil used, food used, wire and the list goes on. Now when you take the tree in the article for example , based on it's age alone at $1.2 million it's works out to be $11.68 per day . By the time you work out time you spend working on a tree it becomes reality that it is no investment . The value of the tree in the article is 10 times the amount it sold for but someone was willing to pay $1.2 million for it and it was sold.

[Waltron]

A rediculous article concearned for and glorifying only the possible monetary value of a bonsai; the typical kind of garbage found in any mainstream media's money section. I can see the dollar sign lighting up in peoples eyes. Lets see if it leads to a spate af thefts.

[harry]

A rediculous article concearned for and glorifying only the possible monetary value of a bonsai; the typical kind of garbage found in any mainstream media's money section. I can see the dollar sign lighting up in peoples eyes. Lets see if it leads to a spate af thefts.

Those large ones on the front porches wont last long EH!!

Harry

[grim the elder]

Who is this guy? Anybody been to his nursery? With a name like Thor Beowulf and the prices he is getting it must be in the Middle Earth somewhere.

[PaulC]

Hi members Of AusBonsai,


Watron, Harry, for what its worth I am submitting a section of an email sent to me in regards to a theft of bonsai from Thor`s nursery.






Subject:Stolen Bonsai

Hi everyone,

On Sunday (31st July) morning, around 4am, thieves broke into our nursery at 23 Queen Street, Woollahra in Sydney, and stole three valuable bonsai (see attached). The most valuable was a swamp cypress in a large Pat kennedy pot, which was broken during the robbery. The pot was approximately 41cm x 31cm rectangular and will obviously need to be replaced. The tree was approximately one metre tall, with excellent buttressed nebari. The photo of the gallery was only taken last week and, as you can see, the swamp cypress had spectacular autumn folliage. The theives left a trail of the copper-coloured leaves all the way to the end of the street.

The other two bonsai photos are similar to the trees stolen. Both were in the type of Pat Kennedy pots shown. The Port Jackson fig is about 48cm tall - Thor made it to celebrate one of our son's birth 24 years ago. The Chinese juniper was slightly larger than the one shown and was around 60cm high.

The local police and detectives have been in attendance and are following some leads. Any help would be most welcome and if you think you may be able to help the police, they can be contacted on: Rose Bay Police - 9362 6399 Paddington - 8356 8299

Regards,
Thor and Melissa,
Bonsai Exotique
9362 5583




Images of the trees were supplied with the email. (July 2011)


I have visited the nursery and gallery on occasions, and can only speak highly of those I met and spoke to there.



Paul C.

[Scott Martin]

Serious about the theft issue...

Funny article though....

[daiviet_nguyen]

It is a worry that such major newspaper as They Age published such article. The writer clearly knows very little about bonsai, let alone advocating bonsai as an investment commodity.

But we all know that free advices are often the most expensive advices.

I think we could take some conform that people who read money/investment are not the sort of people who would go around and steal stuff?