Tink,

Linda kind of answered for me.  Probably every shell collector out there
would like to be able to wander a beach in the early morning hours, snorkel
the shallows during the day, and maybe dive a reef at night - BUT we all do
not live near oceans!  I live about 600 miles as the crow flies from Baja
and 800 miles (again, straight line distance) from the Gulf Coast of Texas.
Both quite a distance and both areas in foreign countries with special
entrance requirements.  Well, maybe Texas isn't actually a foreign country,
but they do speak another language!  The point is, like Linda, most of us
must participate through shell dealers.  And while I will admit that
whipping  out the credit card to pay for a shell is not quite the thrill of
finding a beauty yourself, it can still lead to some excitement when the
parcel with that special shell is finally opened.

I have purchased shells from dozens of dealers and have found each one
willing to step up, above and beyond the typical retail sales experiance, to
help me obtain the shells I "need."  I do not know of any rich dealers.
Most got into the business because of an interest in shells and only a few
can afford to rely on shells as their sole means of income.  But, because of
shell dealers I have "travelled" the world and have shells from just about
any site you could name.  This has allowed me to study different families of
shells and learn more than I thought possible.  Of course, computers, email,
Conch-L, etc. have also been a large part of this experiance.  I will also
admit to the need to obtain that "elusive piece" to which you you referred -
or even worse, to get another one that is just a bit different in color,
pattern, or shape.  Unlike birders who log a sighting in their log-book, we
can "own" a shell.  And while I recognize this is maybe only a matter of
degree removed from big game trophy heads on the wall, I am still proud of
my collection - both the shells personally collected and those I have
purchased.

I think you will find, if you continue in your interst in shells, that you
will eventually have to expand your collecting beyond local beaches.  Shell
dealers are one way to accomplish this.  On the other hand, I have a friend
who has never purchased a shell and will only collect those she finds
herself.  There is room for a wide variety of interests in shell collecting.
In fact, gather four shell collectors in a room and they may only be able to
agree on the "fact" that shells are interesting or even intriguing.
Everything else is open to arguement - and we have had some of the best
right here on Conch-L.  So again, welcome aboard!

Tom E.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Conchologists of America List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
> Behalf Of Erin White
> Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2003 12:39 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Introduction and Greetings from Long Island, NY
>
>
> Hello Tom from New Mexico!
>
> Thanks for all the references - along with Paul M's,
> another post for the "keeper" folder.
>
> Dead vs. alive - I guess it all depends on why the
> collector is collecting.  For me at this point, it
> is because they are beautiful, and because I like
> the process almost more than I like having the
> pretty things around.  For a dealer, it would be a
> different story - of course,  a shell dealer would
> want the most saleable items to offer to serious
> collectors.
>
> Which brings me to another comment, not at all
> intended to disparage anyone's chosen occupation,
> but I can't see the sense in purchasing a shell.  I
> guess because I like the process of looking for them
> so much, it would kind of defeat my own personal
> puposes to just whip out my credit card.  Where's
> the fun in that? :-)  Still, I recognize that
> collectors could get to the point where they are
> focused on a particular family and wanting to
> complete their collection, they'd be willing and
> eager to pay to finally have that one elusive piece
> they've been unable to self-collect.
>
> Regards
> Tink *~*~*