Hi, Conch-Lers! I guess I'll get in on the numbering discussion. To me, it seems to be logical to simply enter a shell in numerical order. BUT, then I put a code in the other corner of my card. With a combination of letters and numbrs, I put a code which indicates, in this order - species, country where found, the lot number from this locality (again, in numerical order), and the number of shells in the lot. I keep a separate card system for each family, but at this point, only my Pectens are completely done. I then have a list of species organized alphabetically by the first unit in the code, i.e. the species abbreviation. Then I indicate the main number of the card. This allows me to get a quick overview of what I have and where to find the card. Also, I leave spaces between each entry, so that if the species name is changed, I cannot only move the entry but go to the card and change the name of the species and/or the genus. Complicated? It works for me. I also have a written explanation of the code, so that if anything happens to me, another person can decipher it. Cheers, Linda