http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=262176897676

Because they can.

Wow I guess somebody wanted those pretty much! 

If he gets paid, I think he should waive the shipping cost lol.

Vito

Time to plan a trip to Italy, eh Aaron?

Is there something special about the fig I'm missing? There is no info, that I've seen, about this variety. It's from a small town in northern Italy. That's about it.

For that price I thought it came with a personal tour of the small town in Italy! And to dream of a fig collecting trip to France, Spain, Portugal and Italy that's a beautiful vision. I hope this $$$$ fig grows well and soon some of you wise fig elders will be growing it and commenting on it here in the forum too. ;-)

I've been watching and commenting on the eBay cuttings market here for years. I've sold in the past, purchased in the past and written about hot figs in the past This one is a major surprise Congrats Frank

Ok its not the sellers fault. It was bidding.

[QUOTE=figpig_66]Ok its not the sellers fault. It was bidding. [/QUOTE]

Here here

If the buyers believes the cuttings are worth that and they are willing to pay it, then all the power to them.  Their reasons are theirs and theirs alone.

Congrats to Frank!!!

I thought paying$200 for sanguinato fig cuttings was high for me.wow.

I don't think Aaron is discrediting the variety or the transaction. I think he's simply asking why- what makes one variety so " valuable"? As a collector, I think a beautiful picture and a good story behind the fig do a lot. Additionally, if the fig looks different from the norm or comes from a remote or unique area that most collectors don't have, it goes a long way. That is of course just a guess.

We all have had moments of weakness, and maybe insanity.


PERSONAL OPINION

There is not a fig tree on the face of this earth worth that kind of money!

It is not the seller's state of mind.

The question on my mind is, "Where did someone find the information on this fig to justify such an expenditure"?

It is going to be interesting to see how many cuttings of this wonderful fig, that no one knows anything about, will magically appear on ebay.

Will the buyer identify him/her self if it is one of our members?

No one has to justify the purchase.

There has to be something about auctions that drives people out of control of and loose total control of their reasoning, there is no way those prices are warranted ,but if someone is willing to trow threir money away I don't blame those that take it. There are thousands or even millions of small towns in Italy and just as many in France, Spain,Portugal and every other country on the Mediterranean and they all have fig trees growing wild on roadsides, bridges and even on walls, the locals don't seem to be excited about them at all. What collectors there are excited about are plants from old convents, old farms or old mansions. We are very lucky here in America because all the immigrants from the past have done all that work for us ,they brought their choise plant with them. Having said all that I admit to having " The Fig Bug" so I too keep looking for that great one, I visit old immigrants, collectors, convents and yes I look at those growing on bridges and walls, but not on EBay, and hope never will.

In this day and age, who can totally believe what appears to be.

Aaron i have the answer but i am sure you will not like it...

i think its because i have it. lol

i was one of the lucky 3 people to get it last season :)
 

Congrats to Frank on the sale. The buyer got what was worth that money to him (or her) and will be making money selling cuttings or small PTs in a few months. It can be a business just like any other at the end of the day and if all is honest and true there's nothing to argue about. I,on the other hand ,would not pay that much for a fig but that's just me.
Trees growing on sidewalks and walls? I'd like to see that here in Loganville!!!! Lol
This is for my friend Mario.

Andrea that looks great! How does it compare to the Greek figs you show off ?

Frank is great person and I have purchased a lot from him directly. He is very generous. That being said, I am shocked at the price and so is Frank. Auctions are totally crazy and that is why I like the "buy it now". Are the cuttings worth the price, I don't know, the only thing that I know is that is the price that they sold for and I did not bid on them so I am not upset. I have purchased several things in my lifetime that I am sure I have received comments like "I can't believe that he paid that crazy price, it isn't worth it". Can you imagine someone paying $76,000 for a 57 chevy when the original price was around $2,000? I think that's a crazy price but apparently some people pay the price and more. Anyways, I agree I would not pay the price and if I want them then I will wait until I can afford them. The most I paid for a fig is a Galicia Negra tree of real good size, did I pay too much, probably in the eyes of some, including my own. I am sure there were some friends bidding against each other, some bidding for other reasons, but one thing for sure, I am happy for Frank, maybe he will go on another trip and get some more varieties. Here is a thread that tells how others feel about the auction, a lot of friends having fun with Frank. http://www.ourfigs.com/forum/figs-home/53345-pt-on-ebay

Chris 
the cold got me before i had the chanse to get this ripe.
it would not be a fair comparison with my perfectly ripe figs from very old mother trees.
frank did get his ripe and said it was just as good as the one from the mother tree

I can't see the auction information from my phone.

What happened?

Very happy for the seller, hope there was no misanderstanding.
ChrisK nice picture, here are some figs pictures
On first picture the fig tree is under the number
On the second picture the fig is in back of rail ,this is the house a was born in 71 years ago,me and 2 of my grandsons in picture( great fig)
On 3rd picture the tree is next to me ( Google the town of Pietrapertosa , amazing town in southern Italy

You guys have short memories.  Remember when the Gallicia Negra went for over $400?  People were shocked but that buyer made back over 5x the initial investment in a little over a year.  There is no other investment giving you that kind of return.  And now that people are clued in the next one will go for even more.  Getting that fig cost well over $2000 and discovering it took time and energy and luck.  A reliable person not given to hype with a large collection and visits to Europe tasting their figs says it's the best fig he's ever had.

Not only that but there was at least 1 other person bidding over $500 or it couldn't have gotten that high.  You may be stunned at that figure but people who know how to invest know that it's a bargain.  If you grow this under the right conditions through the winter you could easily quadruple your money by the end of May.  I know from a reliable source that a fig like this can bring in over $50,000.

[QUOTE=rcantor]You guys have short memories.  Remember when the Gallicia Negra went for over $400?  People were shocked but that buyer made back over 5x the initial investment in a little over a year.  There is no other investment giving you that kind of return.  And now that people are clued in the next one will go for even more.  Getting that fig cost well over $2000 and discovering it took time and energy and luck.  A reliable person not given to hype with a large collection and visits to Europe tasting their figs says it's the best fig he's ever had.

Not only that but there was at least 1 other person bidding over $500 or it couldn't have gotten that high.  You may be stunned at that figure but people who know how to invest know that it's a bargain.  If you grow this under the right conditions through the winter you could easily quadruple your money by the end of May.  I know from a reliable source that a fig like this can bring in over $50,000.[/QUOTE]

RCantor. You are the only one who wrote about the fig. Every other opinion is valid, but I was looking for why this one was special. I'm in the landscaping industry. I know the value of a unique variety, especially one that can be cloned, divided, or grown so easily. That all means nothing to most fig collectors unless it tastes good. Apparently this one does. Crap. One more for the wish list.

Hi,
Why ? For a Christmas gift to ...the wife ... may be ... LOL .
Damned ... They don't even have roots already ... But ok, I mean, it was perhaps the only occasion to jump the gun ... So congrats to the buyer !
I have "healthy longue d'aout" ... I don't need another fig ... Except perhaps for the one of one of my neighbors ... It is a biggish green and red ...
But, I should get it in a swap ... I'll keep the big bucks for some other activities :) .

[QUOTE=ADelmanto]Crap. One more for the wish list. [/QUOTE]


YUP!!!!

Aaron, you are absolutely correct about answering one simple question...why? Most of us answered but went above and beyond what was asked and ended up answering one another. I absolutely agree that taste is the most important quality of a fig, although some buyers are interested in shape and variegation of the leaves. Also, an important concern is the growth habits of the plant and the fig under certain weather conditions. Before I consider an expensive fig for my list I consider the cost and will it taste better than the figs that I already have.....the yesterday fig that used to cost a lot, a must have, promoted as the best tasting fig ever when the price was out of reach....well I have them now since the price came down dramatically. So, my question for all new, fig of the month varieties....do they taste better than what I have. I am sure that some of your unknowns taste as good as some being sold at unbelievable prices. I hope.

I agre with you Wayna , Aaron is correct taste is what's important the little town doesn't matter, but it sure adds some romance. I will wait for mine when the price comes down or trade and it as proven itself in my zone. I did adjust my wish list to what I really want and it includes Ponte Stresa.

[QUOTE=dkirtexas]

Will the buyer identify him/her self if it is one of our members?

No one has to justify the purchase.[/QUOTE]

I was the winner of that Ponte Tresa .
There was a total of 3 people who bid from $500 to $541 




For whoever who missed that auction :

BidderBid AmountBid TimeActionxxxx)   US $541.00

Dec-12-15 07:49:33 PST

Leave feedback More actions

h***y( 975)   US $531.00

Dec-12-15 07:49:43 PST

--6***7( 40)   US $500.00

Dec-12-15 07:49:40 PST

--3***a( 116)   US $277.00

Dec-12-15 07:46:52 PST

---***a( 1367)   US $241.56

Dec-12-15 07:38:44 PST

---***a( 1367)   US $225.00

Dec-11-15 19:17:02 PST

--h***y( 975)   US $220.00

Dec-12-15 00:19:41 PST

--o***y( 138)   US $210.00

Dec-11-15 19:47:15 PST

--o***y( 138)   US $203.00

Dec-09-15 18:14:29 PST

--a***r( 284)   US $200.00

Dec-07-15 11:21:44 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $200.00

Dec-07-15 11:23:45 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $190.00

Dec-07-15 10:53:15 PST

--a***r( 284)   US $185.00

Dec-07-15 07:13:01 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $175.00

Dec-07-15 10:53:05 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $168.00

Dec-07-15 06:35:58 PST

--a***r( 284)   US $165.00

Dec-07-15 02:37:50 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $160.00

Dec-07-15 06:35:51 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $153.00

Dec-06-15 20:05:15 PST

--a***r( 284)   US $150.00

Dec-06-15 20:03:43 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $145.00

Dec-06-15 20:05:11 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $130.00

Dec-06-15 20:05:05 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $125.00

Dec-06-15 19:55:12 PST

--a***r( 284)   US $115.00

Dec-06-15 19:46:30 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $110.00

Dec-06-15 19:55:07 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $102.00

Dec-06-15 19:33:15 PST

--a***r( 284)   US $100.00

Dec-06-15 19:13:57 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $96.00

Dec-06-15 19:33:12 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $90.00

Dec-06-15 19:33:09 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $87.00

Dec-06-15 19:11:19 PST

--a***r( 284)   US $85.00

Dec-06-15 09:33:07 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $81.00

Dec-06-15 19:11:16 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $78.00

Dec-06-15 19:11:12 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $72.00

Dec-06-15 19:11:08 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $66.00

Dec-06-15 19:11:03 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $60.00

Dec-06-15 19:10:59 PST

--k***a( 1746)   US $57.00

Dec-06-15 19:10:55 PST

--e***a( 76)   US $55.00

Dec-06-15 08:07:08 PST

--e***a( 1373)   US $48.00

Dec-06-15 06:31:33 PST

--8***o( 102)   US $45.00

Dec-05-15 12:41:44 PST

--e***a( 1373)   US $42.00

Dec-06-15 06:31:28 PST

--8***o( 102)   US $40.00

Dec-05-15 12:37:24 PST

--e***a( 1373)   US $36.00

Dec-06-15 06:31:21 PST

--o***y( 138)   US $30.00

Dec-05-15 10:07:15 PST

--l***l( 347)   US $27.88

Dec-05-15 09:54:20 PST

--o***y( 138)   US $25.00

Dec-05-15 10:07:06 PST

--o***y( 138)   US $22.00

Dec-05-15 10:07:01 PST

--o***y( 138)   US $16.00

Dec-05-15 10:06:56 PST

--o***y( 138)   US $14.00

Dec-05-15 10:06:50 PST

--o***y( 138)   US $12.00

Dec-05-15 09:56:59 PST

--Starting Price   US $10.00  

Some of us choose to spend our money in different ways. I know I couldn't justify this risk but looks like the poster above can. Congratulations, I hope your rooting skills are in check lol.

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/9049a665-b6c9-4ccb-a505-e3b5dcb9ff8c_zpszpfdxz7z.jpg[/IMG]

Good luck rooting them, hope you get 3/3.

Darn it Frank, you could have made another $362.50

[QUOTE=ChrisK]..... The buyer got what was worth that money to him (or her) and will be making money selling cuttings or small PTs in a few months. It can be a business just like any other at the end of the day and if all is honest and true there's nothing to argue about. .......[/QUOTE]

I am a frequent buyer of many of this forum members on Ebay and elsewhere, but up to date I did not sell anything related to figs anywhere in the world .

Maybe in the future I might sell like many other people ...........   

Lolita thanks for checking in, and congratulations. What makes this variety special to you?

When you fall madly in love with her/him, can you really know how to explain the beats of your heart ???

The green color of the skin matches with my CD cover (and painting) . The color of the Ponte Tresa flesh matches with my maiden Last name .


I am an artist . When I love/like something I will buy it at all cost .

Frank just happened to be a lucky seller . Maybe Santa Claus wanted to give him that money as a Christmas present and I was just the middle person . 



Translation of the cover of the CD :
The Brown Eyes 
Music, Poetry and Art Work
Author : Hong Khac Kim Mai 

That's pretty special.

[QUOTE=lolita1234]

When you fall madly in love with her/him, can you really know how to explain the beats of your heart ???

    [/QUOTE]

Well said!  Congratulations on your win and may the desire of your heart come to life with many green figs! :) 

Ok well that explains it. You liked how if looked. That's as good as any reason I guess. Happy Figging!!!

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/a6c7c5dc-a709-4943-9e96-f375dadb10d7_zpsxpson2mm.jpg[/IMG]

Congratulations Lolita. I bet your heart was beating during those last seconds. I think it is cool you went after what you wanted and won it. I do have one question, have you met this fig in person? I hope it is vigorous and a delight. In the book "The Meaning of Trees" it is said "that the fig regulates the heart and that the true essence of Figs is regarded as a soul food that combats feelings of emptiness". Enjoy! Jodi

[QUOTE=Jodi]..... In the book "The Meaning of Trees" it is said "that the fig regulates the heart and that the true essence of Figs is regarded as a soul food that combats feelings of emptiness"... [/QUOTE]

That is very true, Jody .

They speak to my soul for sure! They are after all a hidden jewel of a flower that delights, challenges and nourishes us. What a vivid orchid it is inside!

Congrats on your win Lolita, keep us posted on your success rooting and growing this special tree and also how it's taste and flavor stacks up against other figs. Best of luck!!!

[QUOTE=andreas]Chris 
the cold got me before i had the chanse to get this ripe.
it would not be a fair comparison with my perfectly ripe figs from very old mother trees.
frank did get his ripe and said it was just as good as the one from the mother tree[/QUOTE]

Thanks Andrea. I hope all is well with you my friend!

what great deep color that has inside. how could it not taste good. I hope one day I can see a picture of a fig and fall that head over heels in love. that's my logic on it. best wishes on rooting. looking forward to seeing more of that heart throbbing beauty. im almost inspired enough to write a poem about this one.

You all sound like a bunch of crack addicts enabling each other with silly reasons as to why a few twigs should be worth hundreds of dollars .
Just a few years ago members on this forum wouldn't have paid more than 10 to 15 dollars , and most likely would have just given or traded them so that others could spread the variety .
Now its all about the money . 
How sad.

John

[QUOTE=EB18702]..... im almost inspired enough to write a poem about this one.[/QUOTE]


That is nice to hear . 
Beauty touches the soul of the artist . Beauty inspires poetry . And Ponte Tresa fig picture made my heart beat . 
I will cherish it and will make it very special .

My deep thank-you to anyone who was wondering WHY did I dare pay 3 sticks of wood with an unbelievable price . 
just because it has a special power to lift up my soul .....
I mean Divinity   
Money is nothing

I looked up the album. And found this bio post.

www.thewriterspost.net/author_hongkhackimmai.htm

Very inspiring life story, I wish you all the best in life.

Thank you Figgysid1 for introducing author Hong Khac Kim Mai to this web page 

I would like to share an extract of one of HKKM short story Face To Face 


 

6.- 

It was still very early in the morning. Soft white fumes covered the ground of the enormous landfill site. From time to time, large trucks or pick-ups loaded with garbage came and parked at a designated place. The driver and his helpers jumped out, and hurried to shovel the unwanted items from their vehicle down to the disposal areas. Strong odors were exhumed, and the smokey clouds surfacing from the ground were the result of rotten materials being decomposed. 

I have been standing here since dusk last night. My son and his friend have loaded the extra large U-haul truck with all the books, papers and documents that I have gathered since my first days in exile. I have written a number of books on a variety of interests. They were in the form of Poetry, Prose, or Fiction. There were also more than a dozen unpublished manuscripts. 

My wife’s destiny was settled at the nursing home, and the process of discarding this truckload of books, considered no less than garbage, was inevitable. The bookshelf was the first thing to go. Large chunks of dark wood were thrown out one after another. The breaking of this shelf, once my treasure, cracked my heart. 

Next were thousands of loose papers. Every time the hands of the two young men lifted up and released their fingers, sheets of paper full of words fell like leaflets scattered from an airplane. Oh please look, words from those papers were flying out in the space like zillion tiny butterflies. Darling butterflies flopping their crippled wings... Amazing me! Amazing zest of divine separatio! Sure, romance was still in me in this time of pain. The image of thousands of uniform papers flying down the immense deserted field, dancing in the weak orange golden sunset light, was heavenly fantastic. All of a sudden I found myself so excited, so overwhelmed. I felt exhilarated. There was definitely life in death, however fragile. 

David stood on the floor of the truck, using his strength to kick out one box after another. Each time a cardboard container broke apart, dozens of hard copies flew like a current. Books poured down continuously and magically in strands of purple and pale orange light, while dusk went dimmer and dimmer. It was a stream of books! Stream of murmuring fantasies, stream of palpitating reveries. … My heart cried out to the very end of the horizon. I soared to the highness of the nowhere. I plunged deep into holy awesomeness. The miraculous-lonely-me melted splendidly in great mercy and with a zap, my soul merged into that extraordinary stream, staggering.... 

The dumping job was done in a short period of time. The engine of the truck came to life again. In a blast and without a backward glance, my son ran away as into hiding. 

I walked to where the U-Haul truck just left. On the ground still laid some copies of my writings. I bent down to pick one up. An unexpected freezing wind blew me backward. Scattered materials were swirling, swirling, swirling around me. The book was shaking fiercely within my grasp, but I managed to keep it tight. The spirit of my being was defensive at its best: I am poetry. I am passion. I am beauty. I am the nocturnal melancholy. The universe is in me. I am the universe. 
The wind yielded. Harmony resumed its toll. 

The soft breeze of midnight slowly turned one page after another for me. Under the mystic blue light of the crescent moon, I went over my poems. In the background, the silhouettes of the bulldozers were listening to me chant my verses. 



7.- 

During the daytime, it was really noisy at the landfill site. There were so many activities. A convoy of trucks, one after another, kept coming to dispose garbage. Disgusting odors were dominated the whole area. Dusty clouds floated high. Dozens of busy tractors and tanks, all painted solid yellow, and armed with huge spades, scrapers, buckets, and forks, moved slowly back and forth to work on the newly dumped waste. Iron, steel, wood, tree limbs, old furniture, sheet rock, clothing, kitchen trash, all were ground instantly. My eyes blurred to watch Destruction. Each day, along with waste, all the refuse or outdated items would rest here. In the same space, at the same time, I witnessed the presence of Past, Present and Future. I saw Life and Death. They went along with each other, mixed in with each other, twisted around each other, and disappeared into one another. 

Again, the sunset was back, shedding its strange pale orange light on Earth. Hundreds of birds with metallic-white flopping wings flew over the immense garbage field. I directed my gaze to the wild iron-made animal, which was crawling to the place where my books and materials were dumped last night. The bulldozer lifted its long arms. Its hands, armed with claws, violently grabbed a great number of books. The ferocious animal captured a big chunk, and threw it aside. Going down again, it threw another load aside. Again and again, until it reached the rotten layers underneath, it dug. Another tractor with a huge circular blade came to do the mixing. Once the task was done, it moved on. Immediately, flocks of birds headed down to pick worms creeping over my beautiful verses, on my splendid prose, through my flesh and heart, into my whole life that I had sweated over too hard to accomplish. 

Suddenly strong waves of energy were moving towards me and besieging me. They became more and more frightening. Flames of audacity, heat of merciless urgency, momentum of fiery crush?! A tremendous burning force was devouring me. The non-stop bizarre refrain: “Recycle. Recycle. Recycle.” was repeated over, over, and over. This refrain pressed me almost into a stage of insanity. 
I listened and tried not to collapse. I heard within me a yearning to amplify divinity. 
Someone patted my shoulder. A voice from nowhere whispered into my ear, “Your physical body has been decomposed for so long. It’s time to go on”. 
I said, “No, I do not want to go. I still feel a heart beating in me. All my accomplishments are still here. With all the dedicated work I have invested in this life, how can I go on?” 

A voice as soft as a breeze poured into me, “The ME that you talk about no longer exists. So many times you have gone back to that garage, trying to cling to things you thought were your fulfillments. The play is over, the curtain is already down and cleansing time is on its way… Old stuff needs to be recycled. New ones will take a turn to become old. That cycle will never end and there is no immortality. Whatever is left behind belongs to no one…" 


HKKM



----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Hong Khac Kim Mai is a Vietnamese woman. She came to the United States as a boat person in December 1977. Her artwork includes poetry, fiction, oil paintings and lyrical music.


Full story here :

http://www.chotnho.us/showthread.php?t=30018