Hello Fred and all, Fred, I have looked at the microscopes pictured on your site. Since microscopes are a large part of my daily work, and I have extensive experience with several kinds, I thought I should offer a few comments. The scopes you pictured are good quality compound microscopes, as might be used in a high school or introductory college biology class. Your prices are very fair indeed, in fact real bargains, and anyone looking for a microscope of this type might do well to invest in one of these. However - for the examination of shells or other fairly large (over 1 mm) opaque objects, this type of microscope is not very useful, for a number or reasons. Some time ago I posted a couple of articles on Conch-L, describing the different types of microscopes and their application to shell work. I will re-post those articles, for the benefit of anyone thinking of purchasing a microscope at this time. Regards, Paul Monfils