I agree with your thinking.  That might explain why the shell appeared shorter in the dorsal view .  I use the scanner sometimes, if the specimen is flat (leaf, crustose lichen, flounder-ventral view), otherwise, I use a digital camera to eliminate much of the distortion.  Besides, the color in the camera images is much better.
 
Do you think the aperture is in the right place in the image?  I expected it to be toward the right side but it looked centered in the image.  That's what made me think the shell was tilted a little when the ventral image was made and that the tilting made the shell look a little thinner.
 
The real issue is whether to buy the shell without actually seeing it first.  Fortunately, that's not my decision to make in this case.
 
I'm finding this list very interesting.  Usually I'm dealing with "science disconnected from practicality" - no commercial bias.  I really like seeing economics being considered.
 
 

From: DAVID LUM [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 9:04 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Top & bottom view of Golden Cowry...

Hello, Bob,

     I  believe that the pictures are of the same specimen.  The images appear to be produced by scanning with a flatbed scanner, which tends to distort the features of the shell.  The basal image is more indicative of the true outline, since the dorsum has more depth, and the more depth the scanner needs to take in, the more it warping it causes.  I can send some other examples you can look at if interested.

     I hope this helps.

Aloha,

Dave Lum

Pearl City, HI

 

  

>From: Bob Dayle <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Conchologists List <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Top & bottom view of Golden Cowry...
>Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2005 10:44:04 +1000
>
>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&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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