Ok, Holly, here goes:

I thought about this, and decided that these shells weren't always
shells I coveted, but shells that, if I could have anything I wanted,
would HAVE to be part of my collection, shells that represented for me
the epitome of shell beauty and molluscan diversity of form and color. I
kept coming up with common $5 and $10 shells I already have as often as
great rarities and expensive, to-die-for species I would love to add to
my collection! Shells like these:

Thatcheria mirabilis
Rapa rapa
Tibia fusus
Jenneria pustulata
Argonauta argo
Columbarium pagoda
Latiaxis mawae or fruticosus or... well, on to the next...
Murex pecten
Strombus sinuatus or pipus
Harpa ...well, any Harpa
Conus mercator, or generalis, or imperialis, or nobilis victor, or that
precious little obscurus, or coccineus, or milneedwardsi, or a little
chiangi I once saw, or genuanus, or cedonulli, or...hey!...I am not even
a cone collector!!!...this is too tough an assignment! I've not even
gotten to the Chicoreus (palmarosae of course) Pterynotus (who cares!!!
Any one'll do!), Muricopsis, volutes (those Lyria! and the musica and
ebraea bunch!), vexillums (a well colored Neocancilla papilio, Vexillum
filiaregina and some of the tinys), morums, Altivasum flindersi,
nutmegs, and, well, heck,I've not gotten to any of the bivalves (Bassina
disjecta!), or the land shells (Amphidromus floresianus, green, if you
please, and sorry, Emilio P! I've not left room in my ark for Liguus!).
And micros haven't even been thought about! Then there are live lima
clams and Flamingo tongues! Maybe we should take this exercise by
family?

Lynn Scheu, all of a sudden coveting everything she can think of!
Louisville, KY