Conch-Lers,

     This has been a very good discussion on seashell rarity.  In
September of this year I gave a presentation at the monthly Hawaiian
Malacological Society meeting on this exact topic.  If you're interested
in a .pdf copy of the presentation slides please write me at
[log in to unmask]  I just ask that you keep it for personal use.

     Take care, all.

Aloha,
Dave

-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
GARY FREDRICKSON
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 5:58 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] rare, uncommon, common, shells?

Having started collecting and then stopped for many years I returned to
the field and discovered that shells I only dreamed of like Cyp.
guttata,
Pleurotomaria hirasei and teramachii and Conus gloriamaris were now
relatively common and inexpensive. So I have I fear overcompensated. I
don't know if they are "rare in collections" but they are definitely not
rare in mine. Growth series, dwarf and giant, and just plain because
they're pretty or I used to not be able to have them.lol
As an aside, I have noticed quite a few shells listed on Ebay from
Somalia. I would have thought that government instability and pirate
activity would have shut that down tight. In other places I know it has.
Another reason for "rarity"
Gary


--- On Tue, 10/14/08, John Varner <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> From: John Varner <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] rare, uncommon, common, shells?
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 8:02 AM
> "Rare species" and "rare in collections"
> is the important distinction.  If no one is offering local
> fishermen money for shells that are exceptional specimens or
> relatively common as by-catch, they stay "rare"
> (and pricey) in the market place.  Conversely,  the last few
> decades of deep water trawling has brought many benthic
> species to market at reasonable prices.  However, as this
> energy-intensive and environmentally destructive method of
> fishing is curtailed, the species thus obtained will slip
> back into rarity.  (Similarly, habitat destruction is
> causing some formerly common species into rarity, especially
> among land snail populations.)  Sport divers have also
> brought many species to light that had previously just been
> seen from the stomachs of bottom- or reef-feeding fishes.  A
> final example would be the molluscan fauna from deep
> hydrothermal vents.  Photos of such features sometimes show
> vast numbers of specimens, all safely beyond the reach of
> most collectors.
>
> I am personally struck by the price differences seen in
> some classic (former) rarities from dealer to dealer.  Conus
> gloriamaris is a perfect example - it can vary by a factor
> of 10 in cost.  New collectors reading books written before
> 1975 may think they are getting a deal when purchasing a
> specimen for $300.   Ouch.  Buyer beware.
>
>
>
>
>
>         --- On Mon, 10/13/08, Jordan Star
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>           From: Jordan Star <[log in to unmask]>
>           Subject: [CONCH-L] rare, uncommon, common,
> shells?
>           To: [log in to unmask]
>           Date: Monday, October 13, 2008, 1:24 PM
>
>
>           Hello
>           In any shell book, the words rare, common,
> abundant, etc., should they be ignored?  A rare shell might
> be rare until a large colony is found or several colonies
> are found then it is common, right?
>
>           Jordan Star
>
>
>
>
>
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