As a small dealer, I have to say that I also find that Murex are rather slow
movers, but Conus are slow for me also. Cypraea are my largest mover, but I
find that a number of other families are gaining in popularity. I just placed
a number of Pectens  from a private collection for sale and only notified a
hundred or so people for whom I had e-mail addresses. In less than 24 hours,
over 15  replies and over $2000 worth of Pectens sold. Cymatiums are also
gaining along with Bursa. The Oliva family has a strong following and the
Strombus folks also seem well represented. What just happened with the Pecten
also happened about 5 months ago when I sold off a collection of Epitonium.
There you have the facts. What does it prove? I think there are many
different collectors that are waiting for the right shells and the right
prices. When dealers give them what they want, they seem to come out of the
woodwork. Many of my customers tell me they started with Cypraea, Conus or
Murex but then switched to another family for a variety of reasons. The big
surprise to me is the seeming drop off of Voluta collectors from 20 years ago.
 
Someone said that we are not attracting as much young blood into the hobby as
we use to attract. If that is so, and the numbers seem to support this, than
I believe it is having an impact on who collects what. Almost all of my
younger collector these days are either European or Asian. I sure hope this
trend doesn't continue. We need to support COA and local clubs as much as
possible. Especially in areas where we can show the public what a great hobby
this is, and that you don't have to be rich to enjoy the beauty of the seas.
 
If I had to save three shells, they would be the three that mean the most to
me personally (a Cyp stolida I found on Okinawa, a Cyp cernica I found in 3
feet of water and a Charonia tritonis with a broken spire found in a tidal
pool at night). Not the most costly. But that's how we get the reputation
among non collectors as being a group of rich people. Some of my best
customers are on fixed incomes and can spend very little, but I can tell in
their voices the excitement of waiting for that new shell, even though it
only cost $2.00. I hope we all never lose the excitement of little children
and that we share this with others so that they to be see and enjoy the
beauty of the sea.
 
Frank Walker
Gems From The Sea
72 Peltier Street, Marlborough, MA 01752 USA
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"Quality Specimen Sea Shells & Shell Crafts"
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