Paul R. Monfils wrote:
>
> To clarify further - as Jim or Bobbi said, "shell shops", meaning TOURIST
> shops, do indeed get almost all of their shells either directly from the
> Philippines, or from commercial shell importers (shell "warehouses") who get
> them from the Philippines, literally by the ton.  However, SPECIMEN shell
> shops and dealers necessarily obtain their shells from much more diverse, and
> much more discriminating sources.
> An amusing note on tourist shop shells - a lady in the local shell club once
> brought to a meeting four postcards she had purchased in tourist shops during
> her travels.  The legends along the bottom edges of the cards read
> respectively as follows:
> Card 1:  "Colorful shells of Florida"
> Card 2:  "Colorful shells of Cape Cod"
> Card 3:  "Colorful shells of Hawaii"
> Card 4:  "Colorful shells of California"
> Above the legend on each card was the exact same full color photograph of a
> selection of colorful, common Philippine shells.
>
> Paul M.
 
 
Yes.. Paul we have seen those postcards.
 
I know for SURE that all the big dealers make many trips to the
Philippines every year to purchase shells.  They always go before our
Shell Show in January and always walk in with gorgeous fresh stuff.
 
 
--
Jim & Bobbi Cordy
Specializing in Self-Collected
Caribbean & Florida Shells