A friend has just asked me the same question i posed yesterday in the
completely ignored "chronodiversity" posting:  "where are the Ancient
Ones??"  Our hobby has changed a great deal in the past several decades
(only 30 years ago, a good gloriamaris cost $4000, if you could find
one, for example!!), and i think it would be *fascinating * to hear from
those who have been around long  enough to witness these changes in "the
Shell World", especially for all of us relative newcomers, who are
fortunately becomming rather well represented on the list- even those
who never seem to know how to finish a sentence!  "Enquiring  minds want
to know."
 
                                                                                -R.M.