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-strait-sea-women-are-dwindling.html?rref=todayspaper&module=Ribbon&version=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

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