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Date: | Fri, 19 Jun 1998 10:53:14 +0200 |
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> I bought a bunch of terrific shells super cheap in Phuket,
>Thailand. Amongst them is a nice Cypraea sakuraii which under
>maginfication looks very dubious and I think is a fake. It sure is a
>great fake, much better than anything that I have seen before. I
>also bought a Cypraea hirasei which under close examination looks
>perfectly real, but I am understandably a bit uncertain. Any
>suggestions as to how to verify if a Cypraea is real? You dealers
>must have seen this sort of thing before; let me tell you, this phony C.
>sakuraii looks like the real thing (it is worth what I paid for it
>just as a fake)! Scott Jordan
You can consult the homepage below to see a few fakes.
The sakurai is a real challenge. Saito Minoru purchased a few dozens in
order to check the problem, and he claims that 90% of the "beautiful" ones
are fake. With the "beautiful" ones he means the ones with a very nice
dorsal blotch and the brown becoming very dark towards the border of the
pattern on the dorsum. I tried to learn to see this, but could not (yet)
prove that these are fakes. True that such shells were extremely
exceptional a few years ago, and that we see these often now....
Best, Guido
Starting or advanced conchologist:
please visit http://www.club.innet.be/~year0078
and enjoy the world of shells. You are welcome.
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