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Stolen Bonsai Alert

 

Stolen Bonsai Registry

Bonsai Theft is not a popular subject, and is not widely discussed, but like many other societal problems is a reality. It is frustrating when your bonsai is stolen, and it doesn't help not being able to do anything about it, nor to go to a centralized location or web site to report the theft or look for help. To assist with this issue, the American Bonsai Society has created a "Stolen Bonsai Registry"(SBR) on our ABS web site.

The Registry will provide a web based, accessible listing of bonsai that have been stolen. We hope this registry becomes one of the first places people look when questions arise concerning a bonsai which you may be offered to purchase. The registry will be available to the public as well as the bonsai community with visual information on trees which have been taken from their owners. While there are no sure ways to find and return stolen bonsai, the registry is one pro-active method to assist buyers and sellers by providing data on known stolen bonsai.

While we hope you never need to use the Register to list your loss, consider periodically visiting the SBR to become familiar with what is listed. It provides a resource should you ever observe in an exhibit or be offered a bonsai of significant value and may for whatever reason have questions about its source and ownership. We ask also that you spread the word about the SBR. Use your newsletters, club meetings, word of mouth and other communication channels to get the word out

A word of preventive planning is in order here. One of the critical elements of identifying and possibly locating a stolen bonsai is to have a recent photographic record and dimensions of each of your trees. You should create a record of your valuable bonsai. A recent photograph and the data listed on the ABS registry is a necessary documentation to prove ownership for each of your trees of value. Without this record it will be significantly more difficult to reclaim a bonsai.

We encourage all bonsai organizations and web sites to link to and use this site. ABS' plan is that this will become the North American registry where bonsai people can go and easily compare what they are interested in. ABS solicits your suggestions and knowledge of means and methods to decrease the theft of our trees. Please share your knowledge and experience with us so we can attain our shared goal.

The Stolen Bonsai Registry is located at: http://www.absbonsai.org/SBR/

 

October, 2002

Here is a list of  Bonsai stolen October 14, 2002, from Resident Garden at Rogue Valley Manor, Medford, Oregon. Most of these trees were owned and trained by Barbara Campbell  of Southern California and were left to me when she died  several years ago.  She had been my mentor and teacher from the time she moved to the Manor until she died.    I would like to recover them if possible.

I am   Richard (Dick) Heintz.  My address is 1104 Skyline Drive Medford Or. 97504, phone Number 541-857-6104

NOTE:   Some of the azaleas were damaged in the process of being stolen. A number of small and medium branches were found.  The Maple forest also had some damage done to it. Some of the pots may have been marked on the bottom with initials BNC  or Barbara Campbell.

JAPANESE MAPLE FOREST   Acer palmatum (1974)  five trees, one mostly dead with a live shoot that was being trainied to replace the dead trunk.  There is a small fern growing at one end of the forest.  Approximatey  1 1/2 ft high by 3 1/2 ft, long.

GINKGO 1970 SPROUT  STYLE   (KABUDACHI) in training since 1970.  Multi-trunked  about 2 ft high.

NIPLE GINKGO  SLANT STYLE  Ginkgo chi chi biloba.  In training since 1975.  Tree is about 2 ft tall and 1 1/2 ft wide.

JUNIPERUS CHINENSIS FOEMINA,  Moyogi in training since 1965.  In oval brown pot.

 

TAM JUNIPER Juniperus, sabina tamariscifolia.  Cascade style 10 years old in hexagonal pot with design on three sides.

FORSYTHIA, suspensa obtained at Golden State Convention in 1996.  Informal upright style.  In cream colored oval pot.

AZALEA.  Fujikagami A-4  "C" Shaped in training since 1992 in 10 inch oval cream colored pot.  Plant is about 1 ft tall.

AZALEA.  Gyoten or Eishi  Age 50+  Broom style trunk 2 in dia., in training since 1990, Tree about 1 1/2 ft tall about 1 1/2 ft in dia,  Planted in a tannishe pot with horizontal ridges.

AZALEA.  Hikari-No-Masamine Age 50+, in training since 1990, formal upright, two tiered round plant. Planted in round blue-gray pot.  2 inch trunk.

AZALEA.  Meicho formal upright style. Planted in 14 inch whitish pot with bumps around pot near the top. Plant is about 3 ft. tall and about 2 1/2 ft. diameter.

AZALEA.  Seidai  Octopus Style  Age 70 years, planted in tall brown 10 inch hexagonal pot .
Plant cascaded about 1 1/2 feet and was abut 2 feet in diameter, overhang primarily on one side.

AZALEA.  Takasago #3,  35 years old, formal upright style, in training 32 years.  Tree  3 ft tall and 2 ft across bottom with  long No, 1 branch on left side about 1 1/2 feet deep.  Planted in 14 inch oval blue pot.,

AZALEA.  Waraijishi  about 20 years old.  Informal upright style.  Planted in a round brown conical pot. This plant has a weak crown.

AZALEA.  Gyoten.  Tree obtained at 1996 Golden State Bonsai Convention.  Tree is 30+ years old and was imported from Japan for the workshop. Plant is unusual shape upright trunk with bent over main branch  which extents nearly to the soil line.  "N shaped with out the leftside verticle leg.  Potted in brown retangular Japanese pot with indented corners. Tree is about 3 ft tall and about 3 ft wide  Pot is about 14 inches long.


 

August, 2002

BONSAI STOLEN from a home in the San Francisco South Bay area on July 17, 2002:

Included was a shimpaku (about 24 inches high) which was first styled in 1976 under Yuji Yoshimura (see attached picture).  The first branch was removed since the picture was taken.  Also stolen were a double-trunk trident maple, shohin shimpaku, shohin procumbens, shohin olive, shohin oak, and several special varieties of Japanese maples.  Please call Thompsons at (408) 354-0492.

 

 

SUISEKI STOLEN from Descanso Bonsai Society’s Bonsai Exhibit on June 7-8, 2002: One was Kiku-seki (shown at left) which is a dark gray, almost black, smooth stone about 11 inches tall, 6 inches wide, 2 inches deep on a dai.  White crystals form a butterfly in the upper right-hand corner.  In the upper left corner, a small crystal looks like a bee or bug.  The lower right hand corner has a bulge with a cluster of flowers on it -- one looking like a dandelion puff.  There are 2 or 3 flowers on the backside of the stone.  Please call  Kathy Benson at (626) 798-0485 about the Kiku-seki.  A second small figure stone (shown at right) belonging to Marcelo Pequeno was also taken from the exhibit.  Please call him at (661) 250-1700.

 

April, 2001

A bonsai theft took place in Emerald Hills (near Redwood City, California). They were stolen in February, 2001

1. Mugho pine:  Height 12 inch tall. Picture attached
2. Kishu Shimpaku, grafted onto Sierra Juniper.  Height 18 inch,Brown unglazed oval pot with a band in the center Style : informal upright. Very full tree with deadwood.
3   Seikei with 3 cork bark elms.  Height 8 inch.

 If anyone sees any  of these trees, please contact  Tom Kelly at 408.527.5786 or 408.307.4364.

 

 

July, 2000

Stolen in Northern California

  1. Black pine; exposed root, approx 2 ˝ ft. In unglazed bunjin style pot.

  2. Satsuki “aozora” twin trunk about 15 inches.  In glazed green rectangular Japanese pot.

  3. Satsuki “kaho” tall with long branch in fluted unglazed round pot.

  4. Satsuki “kobai”  about 15 “ tall with long branch 18 plus inches. In cloud blue pot.

  5. 6 misc. sastsuki medium size all in glazed rectangular pots.  All leaf pruned.

If you have information regarding these stolen plants, please call Bobbi Burr 415-334-1363.

February 20, 2000

 

A Satsuki Azalea was stolen from a collector in San Diego on Feb 05, 2000. It is 14 inches height and trunk diameter is 8 inches at soil level.  This Satsuki Azalea flowers are mostly white with few red.

Please notify the web master via email if you have any news of the whereabouts of this missing bonsai.

   

                                                                                                                                             

 

November 15

Many trees were stolen from a home in the Spring Valley area of San Diego County. This is a real bummer and please,  be on the look out for them.  If you come across any of them or find someone selling really good trees at swap meets etc for cheap, please contact someone with the San Diego Bonsai Club. The club's phone # is 619-699-8776 or e-mail me at jstreet@tns.net You can also e-mail other club members from the Club's Website at www.sandiegobonsaiclub.com

Here is a list of what was stolen on Nov 13th or 14th 1999:

·          3- 15 gallon Rhapas Palms

·          2- 15 gal. Black Pines

·          1- 15 gal. Sago Palm

·          6- 15 gal. Chamaedorea Seifrizii (palm)

·          1- lg. Bonsai Cork Pine (see photo)

·          1- lg. Bonsai Black Pine

·          2- lg. Bonsai Juniper Prostrata (see photos)

·          1- lg. Bonsai Zamia Palm 9 (see photo)

·          1- lg. Bonsai Bougainvillea (triple trunk w/ purple flowers)

·          1- lg. Bonsai Bougainvillea w/ red flowers

·          1- med. Bonsai Ficus Bengamina (see photo)

·          4- small Bonsai Bougainvillea

·          6- small Bonsai Ficus Flordia

Apparently the thieves cut through a fence and somehow eluded two dogs making off with the trees. This brings up the issue of security for all of us. Photograph your collection, it may help to recover them if stolen.  Use desecration when it comes to letting people in to see your collection, and do not have your name posted with your trees when you show them at shows. Finally, please do not purchase trees that are obviously stolen or of questionable origin.

John Street - Public Relations, San Diego Bonsai Club

 

             

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

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