the current pattern seems to be a classic economic one of supply and
demand. if you want to be the first on the block to own a rare or new
shell that suddenly hits the market you can, it will cost you. with so
many dealers online now in china and the philippines, the supply seems
to stay high and the prices eventually tank, with only a couple of
exceptions of truly rare shells. they seem to be the vast minority.

i agree that if you take the time and effort to work the big auction
sites or certain dealers who have online sites and pricelists there
are still some reasonable deals out there, but there seems to still be
a lot of collectors chasing the best/select items and keeping those
prices high. the C and S shell cabinet auctions is a prime example -
when something new or truly exceptional hits that auction, well its
kind of like the humboldt squid  feeding frenzy vividly described in
the last COA bulletin.



On 7/24/12, Rick Negus <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> In my experience prices are going down dramatically, what auction are you
> referring to?
>
> Cheers
> Rick
>
> Rick Negus Specimen Shells
> [log in to unmask]
> www.Californiashells.com
> 1-760-521-8215
> *Quality SeaShells*
> *Reasonable Prices*
> *Buy-Sell-Trade*
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Scot
> Lewis
> Sent: Monday, July 23, 2012 9:51 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [CONCH-L] Auctions
>
> I have been collecting 5 decades now, and as I try to grow my private
> collection, it seems that so many shells are now "auctioned" and that the
> prices are escalating astronomically. Obviously, someone, somewhere, is
> willing to pay "whatever" to get a specimen shell (and frequently, poor
> quality specimens at that).
>
> My question to you all is this now the reality of collecting? Do we need to
> be "independently wealthy"
> to pursue our passion?  (Are there alternatives?)
>
> Many of us specialize in specific fauna (species) areas, and can collect
> physically, but for (and I am
> assuming) most of us, the days of "local collecting trips" are getting
> fewer
> between.
>
> How do institutions deal with acquiring new species...
>
> How much will you pay for a missing specimen?
>
> I am curious as to what you think, I hope to open a broad discussion on
> this...
>
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