the comment from the Brunners  yesterday (about how they used to exchange by-catched Scaphella in quantity with dealers) dovetails nicely with this comment posted by Guido Poppe today on his internet auction.....another example of how the hobby has changed so much in (many of) our lifetimes......I have echoed Guido's comments many times to anybody willing to listen....I have to struggle mightily to do even a few exchanges per year now.......

Dinocardium robustum GIANT 


When I encounter this shell today, it brings always back vivid memories to the early 1980's when exchanging was still an important part of shell collecting activities. There were no financial gains in shell collecting, yet hundreds of collectors throughout the planet were active with it. We all made an "exchange stock" of well documented shells, receive and send out "exchange lists" and some of us were so specialized that they got sometimes daily, although most often weekly, parcels back with exotic shells. Usually and exchange contained between 25 and 50 species and most often between 100 and 150 shells, although as one got confident with exchange partners, it could be more species.

Internet changed things, mentalities also. But now the older ones amongst us have the leisure and luxury to think back on that period in which the robustum never missed to surprise and fascinate me and other European collectors, as we do not have in the European waters such a big Cardium species.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
To leave this list, click on the following web link:
http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
click leave the list.
----------------------------------------------------------------------