Hello, I came across an intriguing pot today, and perhaps you can assist me in identifying it. Please take a look at this:
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/pot-with-swastika-stamp.62410/#post-1082389
Honestly, I can not tell you anything about the pot with the swastika , just as I can not tell you much about the pot above. There are "pot experts" for example Matt Owinga and Ryan Bell, they both can be found through Facebook, on one of the bonsai related auction sites. There are at least 3 Face book forums that they participate in.
However, the way I view pots is that a bonsai is an art form. Part of bonsai is matching a tree to a pot. When I pick up a pot, I look at the design, and the "feel", the weight, and craftsmanship. If these aspects please me, only then will I consider price. Age of the pot really does not come into it. The appearance of age, if it looks "old" that is a plus, but mainly old pots are "dull" in that they do not compete with the tree for attention. So the point is, age in of itself is not important. The pot should serve the purpose of supporting the tree, rather than competing with the tree for attention. How much to spend on a pot? This is a hobby, I never spend more than "hobby money", cash in my pocket amount. I do not spend a mortgage payment on a pot. I've been collection pots for 40 years, based solely on whether I like the design of the pot, or whether I have a tree that seems to need that pot. I might have several hundred pots laying around the house. Right now at most only 10 have trees in them. (trees die, pot gets emptied, cleaned and put on the shelf or in a box or stored somewhere). I've spent more than $250 on a pot maybe 20 times in 40 years. A few pots I bought just because I liked the pot, for example one of the first "real" bonsai pots I bought back in 1990 or there about, was a Beigei, a signed pot from a Japanese master. I bought it because of the incredible smooth satin texture of the clay, and its subtle color and design. Interestingly, I bought the exact same design of pot made some 25 years later again by Beigei, again it still had the same satin texture and subtle design. Interesting difference between USA potters and Japanese potters. With USA potters, they tend to make each pot a unique work of art. With Japanese masters, they tend to make the same pot, over and over again, perfecting the recreation of a single design.
Anyway, a guide, but not a rule, is the value of the pot should be near the value of the tree put in the pot. A several hundred dollar tree deserves a several hundred dollar pot, if the design of the pot can be matched to the design of the tree.
Of course, design trumps price. Cost does not matter at all if design is compatible. There are a number of bonsai artists that like to use found items as their bonsai containers. If the result in display carries the desired artistic effect, this is good.
So if you like the design of your "swastika" pot, use it. If you don't like the design, move it on, sell it or gift it away. It is an artistic decision, not a financial decision.
