Hello All,

        I must agree, I myself am a data-freak.  I prefer to have a
specific location along with the data, for example:
"USA, Florida, Monroe Co., Key West, Rest Beach (Atlantic Blvd)."
        I also like habitat data as well, this information is valuable,
again for example:
"collected on coral rubble in water 3' deep, water temp 79oF, bright sun"
        Another thing I notice in regards to data is the lack of a
collectors name.  Some dealers DO provide the collectors name along with
pretty good data.  But to me, basic data just dosen't cut it.  I have no
problem returning shells without data...if I want shells without data,
I'll go to the craft store :-)
        My two-cents on the subject.

Rick

On Wed, 30 Oct 2002 22:28:49 -0800 James Cheshire
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
> Dear all,
> I've been wanting to rant about this for a while now,
> and now I finally have the time to do it. Let me start
> by saying that I have many beautiful shells in my
> collection. Every collector does. But my problem is
> that half of these shells have awful data. Many say
> something like:
>
> "off Exmouth, Australia. 1984."
>
> That's all. And worst of all, this type of data goes
> with some of my most prized and rare shells. Oh, will
> this horror ever end? The shells in my collection that
> have complete data come from one of three sources:
> myself, other collectors, and dealers who are very
> meticulous about getting excellent data for their
> specimens. The best way to stop this permeation of bad
> data into our profession requires getting to the main
> source, which is the original collector of the
> specimens. This is, needless to say, almost impossible
> for the most part, because often those who collect the
> shells don't know much about them, and thus fail to
> realize the importance of full data. Some, though
> knowledgeable, simply don't bother to add the
> nitty-gritty details, such as the date. One failsafe
> option is to collect the shells yourself, but many,
> including myself, don't currently have the ability to
> travel around in search of their desired species. The
> best thing for a victim of peiorindicitis to do is
> simply to make sure that what they're getting has
> satisfying data. But, unfortunately, this isn't always
> possible; for example, what if it's something you've
> been searching for for ages and you desperately want?
> You see the problem. Well, I think I'll just slip away
> and let everybody put thought to this matter. Bye Bye.
>
> Sincerely,
> James C.
>
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