Karen Vanderven wrote:
 
> So on the three shells I'd take ( and by the way enjoying the
> discussion about threes and thirds):
>
> * The chicoreus dilectus florifer I found in the Abacos in 1994,
> the last shell of the day before we shellers were  to get back in
> the boat ( remember, Bobbi & JIm ?)  I called this the murex
> to die for - it is the frilliest one I have ever seen and is dark brown.
> It's displayed in a
> plastic container that a radio head set came in -these are perfect for
> one shell displays.  My cypraea aurantium is in another
>
> * The junonia I was given in 1952 by Mrs. H. Taylor Raines in Ft
> Myers beach ( already written about that)
>
> * The lions paw pair - orangy red and knobby I found diving off
> Panama Beach in 1993- got down to the bottomof the anchor line,
> abot 80 ft. - and there they were just sitting there.
>
> I should probably say I'd take my vexillum laterculatum found
> in the Bahamas - I think the most valuable shell I've ever self
> collected - but the above three stand.
>
> Karen VV
 
Hello,
to me ,favourite shells are not those of highest aestetic appeal,but those
with some special event connected to them.
My favourites are two Acanthocardia tuberculata collected by  my father when
i was 8.
They remind me to my childhood.Also,one of the favourites is huge( 900
mm.)Pinna nobilis.
It was collected when I was16,from about 14 m deep.I had to dive to the
bottom more than 10 times because it was good fixed into substrate..Two
times the shell grabed my fingers when pulled the valves together.My fingers
felt like in a press device.I cut the fingers badly,because i had to pull
them out of the shell very intensely.I felt the lack of air-it took extra 10
second to pull fingers out and i nearly had a black-out when returning to
the surface.
The "fight" between me and shell became a little war.I won-today this 90 cm
Pinna is the biggest shell in my collection.
 
Also,I like the misterious shells.And what is more misterious than dark,few
kilometers deep ocean?So two of my favourites are Aforia inopeculata from
5100 m.deep,and one ugly,naturally decollated gastropod
(fam.indet,gen.indet....) from 7200 m.
 
Of course I like some shells because of their aestetic appeal too:Latiaxis
vicdani,Amaea
magnifica,B.isaotakii,P.hirasei,C.milneedwardsi,A.sphaerula,T.fusus
and Teramachia johnsoni are most beautiful shells to me...
 
Best regards,Milan