Jose and Lucy,

My loss at the Portland convention a few years 
ago went on deaf ears by the hotel and police.  I 
also filed a report with the police and had a 
legal letter sent to the hotel.  The hotel 
totally exonerated itself from any liability and 
the police closed the case not long after I 
departed Portland.  The boxes were under lock and 
key by the hotel at the time and most likely it 
was an inside job, though that was never 
determined since nothing was done to investigate.

Leaving shells in a car without an alarm or 
security system is a big no-no.  Keeping shells 
in a valet-parked car is as good as posting a 
sign, "free shells for the taking."  A few of the 
hotel's staff in Wilmington were quite curious 
about the monetary value of all the shells 
floating around the hotel.  And I overheard in at 
least one case where someone told a staff person 
that some shells can be worth thousands of 
dollars.  So at least some were aware of what shells might be worth.

There were lock boxes in the rooms and probably 
should have been used for the most expensive 
shells, or whatever would fit inside.  But then again hindsight is 20/20...



At 04:23 PM 8/22/2014, you wrote:
>Lucy and all,
>
>I am disgusted and sympathize with Kay for her loss of those great specimen
>shells. It is a shame that this type of incident happened during what
>certainly was a stellar convention. It surely is a warning for all of us to
>be extremely careful at future conventions and shell shows, in particular
>during transportation to and from hotel rooms and during the bourse and
>auctions.
>
>I wonder if the venue had cameras in the parking lot that could help detect
>any suspicious activity near her car...
>
>Have a great weekend,
>
>José, COA President
>
>José H. Leal, Ph.D., Science Director & Curator
>The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
>Editor, The Nautilus
>[log in to unmask]
>www.shellmuseum.org <http://www.shellmuseum.org/>
>
>
>3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
>Sanibel, FL 33957 USA
>(239)395-2233
>fax (239)395-6706
>
>
>P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
>
>
>
>From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lucy
>Clampit
>Sent: Friday, August 22, 2014 3:29 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [CONCH-L] another theft
>
>Dear Conch-Lers,
>While she was at the COA convention, Kay Klaus, from Fredericksburg, TX, had
>a large number of expensive shells stolen from the trunk of her valet parked
>car.  The car was not broken into, so it must have been someone with a key
>or someone with a tool for unlocking cars.  The person did not take her
>laptop - just shells.  She did not realize the shells were missing until she
>got home and was unpacking.  She has reported it to the hotel and Wilmington
>police.
>
>She has compiled a list of the missing shells.  Here are a few of them:  17+
>inch triton; Cypraea - broderipii (huge), hirasei, sakuraii, & 4 guttatas;
>Conus - bengalensis, milneedwardsi, & gloriamaris.  There was also a large,
>orange Spondylus.  You can contact me privately for the complete list.
>
>She asks that shellers be on the lookout for someone trying to sell them.
>
>Did anyone else have shells stolen from a car at the convention?
>
>Thanks for any help that you can give us.
>Lucy Clampit
>Houston, TX
>[log in to unmask]
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