Tiki's Fair Market Value? - Tiki Carving

P PolynesianPop Tiki Socialite Corona, Ca Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 2371	P PolynesianPop Posted posted on Thu, Feb 12, 2004 7:20 PM Recently, Benzart asked a question in another thread which is a topic that's never been talked about -- which was something similar to, what would you consider a fair price for this carving? This got me thinking. There is somewhat of a standard that a lot of carvers apply to logs, which is $100 per foot. I don't know how this rule came about but that seems to be the norm whether it be a fully detailed Maori or Marquesan masterpiece or a Roadside Jimmy Carter chainsaw piece of crap. They all seem to be priced at about $100 per foot. I don't get it. If I had the choice (which I do), I would choose the fully detailed masterpiece. Unless of course, the tiki in question held some form of history or is carved by a reputable name, like an old Bumatay or Crissman. In this case, detail or not, I believe the higher cost is justified - even if the tiki shows visible signs of rot. What makes sense to me is that carvers should sell their tikis for what they think is fair for their time & effort they put into creating it - relative to the type of work being produced. I understand that not counting the cost of materials (wood, varnish/lacquer, stain & tools used), there is significant time and effort put into their carvings. As such, if a carver spent only 5 hours carving a 5-foot Jimmy Carter with a chainsaw, they effectively make about $100 per hour. But if a different carver took that same 5-foot log and spent 20 hours carving scroll detail into the tiki then his effective rate drops to $40 per hour. In other words, we the buyer end up paying more for a carving of less quality! What I'm getting at is the spring season is coming up which means more tiki events. Last year, I attended quite a few events where a bunch of chainsawed crap was being produced on-site. These pieces sold for the same price (and in some cases, more) as some of the highly detailed, hand carved masterpieces by some of the great artists on this board -- and I couldn't figure out why. Is there something happening here that I'm just not seeing? Poly-Pop * He who dies with the most broken mugs WINS! [ Edited by: PolynesianPop on 2004-02-12 19:26 ]

Recently, Benzart asked a question in another thread which is a topic that's never been talked about -- which was something similar to, what would you consider a fair price for this carving?

This got me thinking.

There is somewhat of a standard that a lot of carvers apply to logs, which is $100 per foot. I don't know how this rule came about but that seems to be the norm whether it be a fully detailed Maori or Marquesan masterpiece or a Roadside Jimmy Carter chainsaw piece of crap. They all seem to be priced at about $100 per foot.

I don't get it. If I had the choice (which I do), I would choose the fully detailed masterpiece. Unless of course, the tiki in question held some form of history or is carved by a reputable name, like an old Bumatay or Crissman. In this case, detail or not, I believe the higher cost is justified - even if the tiki shows visible signs of rot.

What makes sense to me is that carvers should sell their tikis for what they think is fair for their time & effort they put into creating it - relative to the type of work being produced. I understand that not counting the cost of materials (wood, varnish/lacquer, stain & tools used), there is significant time and effort put into their carvings. As such, if a carver spent only 5 hours carving a 5-foot Jimmy Carter with a chainsaw, they effectively make about $100 per hour. But if a different carver took that same 5-foot log and spent 20 hours carving scroll detail into the tiki then his effective rate drops to $40 per hour.

In other words, we the buyer end up paying more for a carving of less quality!

What I'm getting at is the spring season is coming up which means more tiki events. Last year, I attended quite a few events where a bunch of chainsawed crap was being produced on-site. These pieces sold for the same price (and in some cases, more) as some of the highly detailed, hand carved masterpieces by some of the great artists on this board -- and I couldn't figure out why.

Is there something happening here that I'm just not seeing?

**Poly-Pop ***

He who dies with the most broken mugs WINS!

[ Edited by: PolynesianPop on 2004-02-12 19:26 ]

Post #75860 by PolynesianPop on Thu, Feb 12, 2004 7:20 PM