I share my thoughts and a brief story on how this madness began.
BTW, I asked some friends to buy all the pots at cost so I could recover my investment, but in the end, what started as a hobby and a collection might end up as a small business.
I find it very hard to part with these pots. Like every single pot on this site, they were not purchased with the intention of being sold. I bought them because I like them for my trees.
A bit of history: I was introduced to Japanese pots by Jeff from GoT. He sold me my first Nakano for £995. But at one point, he did not have either the size or what I was looking for.
I realised that I was limited to the choices of traders and what they thought would sell in the UK market, rather than the way I buy my stuff - with passion, or shall I say, "compulsive buying with passion"
At one point, I had 318 bonsai trees, so I decided to purchase Japanese-signed pots, at whatever the price, and shipped my best pots via DHL, rather than by sea; therefore, some of my pots are expensive even though I am selling at cost. I couldn't wait three months to see if it arrived in one piece!
I embarked on bidding for every single pot I love, whether it was the maker, the pot, the seal, or even the signature! And this is how I started my collection...
I was surprised that hand-signed pots by Gyouzan are highly sought after. In any size, but particularly in very large sizes, they tend to sell for significantly more. It was mind-blowing for me to be bidding on these kinds of pots. For you to understand, I had set in my head a limit for these pots (My birthday reflected in Yen, but in reverse (¥196311.05) which equals £983.00-1k max)
At one point, I was thinking, when are these guys going to stop? But instead of walking away and looking for something else, I was intrigued by how the bidding continued, and I was no longer part of it!!! As my mother used to say, “If you are going to ask for the price, either you don’t really want it or you cannot afford it.” Then, I thought, 'f**k it! I want this pot!' So, in a split second, I changed my limit to the year I was born, but in pounds: £1963. equivalent to ¥391,816, and I won that pot!
“Since every single Nakano signed pot or Suzuki Shuzan, I have won!
The only pot I have changed this rule! During my holiday in Japan, I met an old acquaintance. I saw a pot in his collection!
It is now my favourite pot! So I asked him if I could take it from his hands, as I love it so much. I set my starting point at £5,000.
Fortunately, he was a true gentleman, and I paid less than expected, including DHL next-day delivery and UK taxes.
I asked him to sign the pot, but he declined. He said, "If I do first of all, it would wash away." Secondly, you might try not to use the pot, which would be a real shame!
