Another welcome to Kobie;
I rather imagine you could find some African land or freshwater shells
that would do nicely for trading. I often (well, not all that often)
gatherup a few fresh water Unionids from Ohio or Kentucky and trade with
people in Australia or some such place. I suggest that getting
acquainted with Dawn and Micheal Meyer who have a shell store and museum
at Shelly Beach might be worth while. They can dredge up some micros
when the tide is right.
I, too, am married and have three children: one of each.
Art Weil