I inserted both images into a Word file where I measured them. I found that
the widths of the images were nearly identical (dorsal: 62mm and ventral:
61mm) but the lengths were very different (dorsal: 87mm and ventral: 105mm).
If I had a cowrie shell handy, I'd photograph it close up with a digital
camera held in some kind of frame. If you see the same kind of distortion,
you might be looking at the same shell. On the other hand, if the reference
to polishing in an earlier response implies alteration, then you are still
at "square one".
Ebay. (Check willis225 rating) 95 positive responses and one negative.
Polishing? I don't know what that might mean.
Underpriced. Ebay is an auction where one might expect that an item might
command a higher price than the opening bid.
I looked at other images of cowries and it seemed that the opening was
usually on the right side, not in the middle of the shell as this one
appears. It might be that the shell is not exactly on the same plane as the
dorsal view. I'm guessing that its widest dimension is parallel to the base
and narrowest is 90 degrees from that when the shell is rotated on the long
axis. In other words, viewed from the side, are you seeing its thinnest
dimension? If the shell has been rotated slightly in the ventral view, it
might appear to be a little thinner.
This whole thread displays the insecurity many people have with buying
on-line because you don't have access to the real item.
Bob, are you located in the UK? If so, maybe you can visit willis225 and
see the shell "in person"
_____
From: Peter Egerton [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 6:08 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Top & bottom view of Golden Cowry...
Bob,
Maybe the photos were taken with a wide-angle lens from close up. In that
case things in the foreground would appear larger (wider) than things in the
background (thus the base would look more pronounced in the apertural view
and the dorsum would look larger in the dorsal view). Just a guess.
Peter
At 05:44 PM 13/04/2005, you wrote:
A question for any with 'hands-on' experience with Golden cowries.
I came across an auction on eBay featuring a Golden Cowry. It seems to have
a
beautiful dorsum but the view of the base simply cannot be that of the shell
which appears in the dorsal image, IMHO.
Since I have only held two Golden Cowries (once each), are there any CONCH-L
experts who might explain how the two images at
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem
<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6524823825>
&item=6524823825
can be of the same cowry?
The seller has assured me that they are the same shell, yet I remain
unconvinced. The shell in the dorsal image is quite inflated, without
produced
extremities. The shell in the basal image has extended anterior and
posterior
extremities.
Have I missed something very obvious or are these images of two separate
shells?
Aloha,
Bob Dayle
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Peter Egerton, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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