Conch-L,
For all of you who have never attended or contributed to a COA auction
before, please let me take a few minutes of your time to tell you about
them. An annual event at the world renowned COA convention, they are
well worth your time, interest and contributions. (Yes, this is a sort
of commercial ... it's my heartfelt endorsement ... on behalf of your
Conch-L sponsor, COA!)
The funds raised by these COA auctions go to conchology and malacology
in various ways. A few being:
funding grants to malacologists (over $72,000 to date -- see the COA
webpage at for more info on previous grant recipients and their research
projects.)
<http://coa.acnatsci.org/conchnet/coagrant.html>
Your contributions also help to support the American Conchologist, my
pet project that consumes my life! No, your dues and ads don't cover the
costs of producing COA's quarterly. Let alone mailing it to about 1300
members worldwide.
Your contributions help support the granting of the COA trophy at shell
shows around the country and the world, a program Donald Dan so ably
administers for us.
They support COA's new Neptunea Award for outstanding and distinguished
service to COA, its scientific interests and the science of malacology
as it applies to conchologists.
They help support the COA itself, which promotes shelling in many ways
worldwide, Conch-L and the COA website being only two of those ways.
As Bobbi mentioned, there are two sorts of auctions, one fantastic oral
auction offering shells of great rarity and value, and the other a
series of table auctions of shells of lesser value (usually $20 or $30
or less). Exciting stuff from old collections, new thrillers recently
found in quantity, rarities contributed by both our super crew of shell
dealers worldwide and generous individual collectors, not to mention the
Sanibel Museum another organizations, appear in these auctions. There's
always the chance of a misidentified rarity too. (Yes, it has happened!)
Both auctions include shell related items...collecting paraphernalia,
shell books and papers, shell art and other goodies peripheral to the
hobby. For several years now, Gary Rosenberg's mother has contributed
her exquisite handmade shell quilt wall hangings. As you can imagine,
these bring high prices! The work of renowned shell artist Mathilde
Duffy is another frequent treat on the auction lists. Well, I'd better
quit that! If I mention any more individuals, I'm likely to get into
serious trouble for forgetting someone.
Suffice it to say that these auctions are fantastic, as fun to watch as
they are exciting to participate in! But without your support they won't
be as successful. Remember, a gift to the COA auction is now tax
deductible (thanks to our finally obtaining tax exempt status a year or
so ago) and by supporting the auction, you support your own Conch-L,
whether you are a COA member or not!
Another way to support it, (though the two are decidedly not mutually
exclusive!) is by attending the COA convention at Cape Canaveral in July
and participating in the auction in person! Believe me, you'll never
regret the decision to go! It might not seem as exotic as Eddie's South
Pacific birthday trip, but believe me, you'll have almost as much fun,
for thousands of dollars less, meet all the most interesting people in
the shell world (well, almost...Eddie and his wife'll be saving up for
Heron Island) and can bring back a lot more shells! (I haven't even
mentioned the premiere shell event of the world, the COA Dealers'
Bourse!)
So stretch your love for Conch-L and shells and start digging through
those duplicates! (Don't forget data tags!) Even the little common
things will be appreciated...you can't imagine how much fun (and how
competitive) our early bird bargain tables are! that spare copy of
American Seashells 2nd edition that's been taking up shelf space, the
dusty old scale model biplane made completely of Macrocallista nimbosa,
beachworn limpet shells and Hastula cinerea that Aunt Sally left to you
in her will; the shell painting of a Hinnites gigantea you bought but
your wife won't give you wall space for; all are grist for the auction
mill of John Baker and Jim Cordy. Land and freshwater shells as welcome
as low tide!
For more information, see the COA website
<http://coa.acnatcsci.org/conchnet/>
or email Bobbi Cordy or Doris Underwood or Emilio Power or any of that
Astronaut Trail Shell Club Bunch!
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or
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or
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See you there!
Lynn Scheu
Editor, American Conchologist
Conchologists of America
Louisville, KY
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