I'm starting newcomer Brian's excellent question in it's own thread-
"Hello, I apologize for my ignorance with this technology - this is my first post ever (as far as I can remember!). this is off topic but I'm interested in how, when you purchase an award winner, you obtain authenticity? I obtained, neglected, and luckily still own several award winners. I wonder how I would produce evidence that my sad plant was at one time such a beutiful specimen? Should I ask for an am award copy upon purchase? I get so carried away with the purchase that I forget those details. I know it is impolite to ask for proof upon a purchase but I am so inexperienced at purchasing that I would like to know the norm. I'm not a new plant lover nor a new orchid lover - this has been with me for quite a while -so i'd like to know the protoco when I purchase my next love.
thanks!"

I know someone has the answer!
Brian - is the plant(s) you have the actual awarded plant? or a division? or the offspring of?

:oops: I have to correct myself, it was newcomer Alex, not Brian. Sorry about that Alex.:embarass:

I would like to know also since I'm a newbie.

my first suggestion is to buy from reputable vendors....

That is a very interesting question. Other hobbies that involve breeding, such as dogs, have pedigree papers that are given to the new owner when a dog is sold.
I have never received any such paperwork when purchasing awarded orchids. In fact, I would bet that certificates for many older awarded plants have been lost over time. The AOS does maintain a database of all AOS awarded orchids, including many slides of the flowers.

For me, the proof of the award comes when the plant blooms, which can be months or more after the time the plant was purchased. The best way to insure that you are getting exactly what you've purchased is to deal with reputable growers who have a reputation to uphold. That said, I have taken chances purchasing plants from private individuals and have only once been mislead. That occurred when I was relatively new and purchased a plant on EBay that was advertised as an awarded plant. What I realize now is that plant was not a division, but a selfing of the awarded plant. I have seen a few EBay sellers do this over the years. If you're not certain, ask questions before bidding.

So does it mean that anyone can slap a fake label on a plant with awarded names and get away with it?
I agree it is always best to buy from reputable vendors.

So does it mean that anyone can slap a fake label on a plant with awarded names and get away with it?
I agree it is always best to buy from reputable vendors.

Yes. I don't think there is any way of stopping it. Providing paper work wouldn't stop the abuse. That would be too easy to get round. Short of doing genetic tests on the plants, I'm not sure how you can prevent it. The reality is that this is just an honest system. Therefore buy from reputable vendors as everyone else has said.

David

I agree with what's been said already, as with everything always buy from reputable vendors.

Very interesting thread!

Yes. I don't think there is any way of stopping it. Providing paper work wouldn't stop the abuse. That would be too easy to get round. Short of doing genetic tests on the plants, I'm not sure how you can prevent it. The reality is that this is just an honest system. Therefore buy from reputable vendors as everyone else has said.

David

Yes, it becomes a bit gamble when you buy what is ostensibly a division of an awarded plant from someone other than a top ranked nursery.

Some 3-4 years ago I purchased 5 divisions of awarded complex Paphs from a 'nursery' with a web site. It took a while before I got the Winston Churchill 'Indomitable' FCC/AOS to bloom (it blasted the first bud on me). When it finally bloomed, it turned out to be the 'Redoubtable' clone; it is also an FCC/AOS and the same value, but it is not what I ordered.

I have sent 3 e-mails to the supplier with suggestions on how to resolve this (including that I would pay for an 'Indomitable' as long as he would honor the price from 3 years ago). He has not bothered to answer any of my mails, and his web site has no address or phone number.

On this background, I cannot recommend DeValmont Orchids as a source.

Kim

Wow! Thanks for all that great information - I lost the response thread for a while so I didn't see all the responses until now - still new to internet forums!

A reputable source makes perfect sense. I have purchased only 2 awarded divisions - a Phrag. bessaea "Ester Nies" AM/AOS and Phrag. bessaea "David" AM/AOS. The Ester Nies is everything I hoped for (I intend to post some pics at the next flowering - maybe in the new "judge my plant" category to learn exactly why it was awarded) but the "David" was a dud - to be fair though, I think it had a virus rather than being another plant altogether.

I bought the two plants 7 years ago when I had a lot of room - now I have much less and want to have quality over quantity - the reason why I'm asking about awards. It could be awkward to ask someone who is dividing a plant (for you) to supply proof that it actually is what they are saying - I wouldn't want to accidentally insult them. At the same time, if you ever want to sell a division, it would be good to have a photocopy of a certificate or something to give the purchaser. I imagine that a reputable dealer gets the question a lot and wouldn't be insulted as it is their business but I imagine a private collector could take offence.

I am going to continue being a polite purchaser and try not to offend people with requests for certificates but I think it would be nice if award certificate copies were a normal part of purchasing award winners - just like dog pedigrees etc.

I actually don't know what the award certs. look like - or even if they are a ribbon or a piece of paper etc. (I'm going to google that in a second though). Also, I don't know if there is a way to check out the individual awards online - i.e. through a database or website (another good google search!).

For me the award certificate is not valuable when compared with the plant itself, but just like trophies, report cards, degrees etc, it is great to have a nice piece of paper with fancy writing saying something nice about you or something you own. I would probably frame it!

Thanks again for all the responses!
Alex :D