rockm
Spuds Moyogi
I would be very surprised if this tree were much over 30 years old. Red maple is a fast grower. Age is mostly not a factor with any tree under 100 years old. This tree is far younger than that.
I suspect the guy has no real experience with collected stock or the species. He saw only the knothole, I supposed and then made an extremely large jump to the possibilities. Those possibilities, however, are decades down the road. This is extremely raw stock that is not yet established in a container. You explained that it was recently collected, and the guy persisted in offering a ridiculous amount of money for it. All signs that he had absolutely no idea what he was doing.
I've been buying rough collected stock for almost 3o years now. Have several bonsai I've developed from it that has taken a very long time. I would say that larger stock like yours tends to be overvalued by beginners and those unfamiliar with collected trees. I also have ready access to red maple that is probably equal to this. Look around enough and you can find it. Given that this is a very common species, I would not pay more than $100 for this tree BUT only after its been in a container for at least two years.
