I would like to comment on Bob Nuelle's thoughtful proposal re:
classification of Private Collectors.

First this list is a thoughtful, insightful, and serious treatise which
demonstrates an obvious knowledge of the personalities and evolution of the
"collector ". In reading this proposal it occurs to me that there must be
within the body of "non-degreed shell enthusiasts" a number of what might be
called Hybrids. They might be Casual, ancillary, aesthetic, amateurs with the
intention (or at least thoughts of) one day becoming Serious.

Second: the Ancillary collector alludes to the old saw regarding the
definition of an educated man as being someone who knows all there is to know
about butterflies.  This person is probably brilliant but may, without such
toys as a camera, some bottles of formalin, an X-ray machine, and a garage
full miscellaneous beach detritus, be a little narrow possibly dull. The
Ancillary collector may also have developed, through years of studying the
lack of beached right shoes, a "Theory of Levo-rotation of sandals, shoes and
Plastic Baby doll legs in the Northern Hemisphere.  He might relate it to the
Coriolis effect and theorize that all of the missing right shoes are on some
beach in New Guinea.  Perhaps this beach thought process makes him a hybrid
casual/ancillary collector.

There are a few of us out here who are neither serious or professional
collectors nor dealers but who love the hobby and may in some small way be
evangelists.  We like to share shells and thoughts.
We enjoy , despite our obvious ignorance of the subject, the flow of
information and thought through Conch-L

Thanks Bob for sharing your intellect.


Jim Emmett
From the smoke covered front range of Colorado