For me "museum quality" means that a shell must not be of
gem quality, but must show all the characteristics of the shell, should
be a nice shell almost without human handling like filing, but the
shell should be full of data if possible. but not to much artificial searched
datas, as many collectors would like to tell in form of novels or romances. Important a really good description of the locality, of habitat,
day, month, year, who collected the species. This is what I would
like to have. Then the quality of a shell is depending of that you want.
For exposing a shell to the public, the shell should be better than a
shell which is in a study collection of a museum.
with best regards
Helmut Nisters from Innsbruck
later more
 
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> If you say a shell is "museum quality," what are you saying about the
> shell?  I  had always assumed that it meant the shell was in excellent, or
> gem, condition.  Yesterday I found a site on eBay of an Australian woman
> who is selling her collection one at a time.  The shells are very nice
> looking, but on one of them she has added a "rant of the day." This
> particular one concerns the definition of "museum quality."  I won't
> reproduce in its entirety what she says, but the concluding sentence is
>
> "So, if I see someone advertise a shell  as “museum quality”, all I expect
> of that shell is that it has a proper label. It doesn’t mean anything at
> all about the quality of the shell!"
>
> If you'd like to see all her explanation, the URL is
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=74099665
>
> Now, would y'all please tell me what it really means if someone says a
> shell is "museum quality."
>
> Thank you.
>
> Joan
> Huntsville, Alabama
>
> P.S.  Also, at the following URL (or look up item 74581410) is the 1969
> issue of National Geographic with the shell article.
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=74581
> 410
>