Hi Everyone,

This is an interesting subject. It is amazing that certain glamour shells
such as cones, cowries, volutes, etc. can command high prices even though
there may be fifty of them available for sale at almost any bourse or major
shell show. On the other hand, species that may be represented by less than
ten or so specimens in collections can be purchased for a very small amount.
The other issue is the use of mollusks for food. I can remember coming back
from a scalloping trip with one of my non-shell collector friends. I was
carefully removing the shells while he just cracked them open. I looked over
and stated, "We have an extreme difference in our perception of value.  You
value the contents and I value the box!" I quickly sorted out the colored
ones and he cracked the rest.

This will never end as long as we have people with diverse interests.

Best wishes,

Dennis Sargent

-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
steve rosenthal
Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2014 9:23 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] price does not equate to rarity

John, i cant answer your question,  but your observations are dead-on, and
of course it all comes back to supply and demand. When people see an
impressive shell they want (I know some shellers who  use the word "need",
as if it was food, or shelter) they will spend for it despite your reasoning
and the apparent economic illogic. Especially if its a nice specimen.

There are mitigating factors though. In the case of the Busycon most take a
beating in the fishing process and good specimens arent always easy to find
even when you have  piles of them at hand. I can trade good specimens of
those as fast as i can get them. In the case of Strombus gigas there is the
weight and the hassle of hauling a big heavy shell (which also has legal
protections, which most auction sites barely  give a nod, and then a wink,
to) which impacts the supply/demand curve.

WIth some shells the "process"  did work- look at how much Pterynotus
miyokoae sells for now. But then again these were small and easy to bring to
market with lots of people there feeding the supply chain.

On 3/30/14, John Varner <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> this link
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/world/asia/hardy-divers-in-korea-str
> ait-sea-women-are-dwindling.html?rref=todayspaper&module=Ribbon&versio
> n=origin&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Today%E2%80%99s%
> 20Paper&pgtype=article
>
>
>  goes to a New York Times article on "Sea Women", free-diving women in
> South Korea who make a living diving for sea food.  Pictures show a
> woman with a pile of Turbo cornutus.  This snail is a major commercial
> shell fish, with tons being harvested annually in Korea and Japan.
> If you have frequented any shell auction or dealer sites lately, you
> may have noticed decent specimens of this specie fetching $40 or more.
>
> Other examples of a disconnect between prices and availability include
> Strombus gigas (a mature specimen shell can go for $50 or more, while
> the meat of a single conch can be purchased for $2.50 in the Bahamas),
> Busycon canaliculatus (also harvested by the ton in the U.S., but
> recently adult specimens can go for $20-50), various large Pecten
> species (again, harvested by the ton, but specimen shells nearly
> unavailable), various land snails (which literally litter the ground
> locally, but can command prices of $5-40 on the specimen shell market).
This is hardly an exhaustive list.
>
> In this age of the internet, does anyone know of projects to
> facilitate connections between commercial harvesters and specimen buyers?
>
> - John

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------