On the other side of the question, how about WORST packing material? I remember reading somewhere about a person who was promised a large paper nautilus (Argonauta argo) from someone overseas - in Australia if I remember correctly. When it arrived, it was in a wood crate, packed in sand. It cost a small fortune in shipping charges, and the shell was, of course, pulverized. The shipping container is also important. A lady once sent me a near world record size Placopecten magellanicus from Canada. She packed it in a hat box (thin cardboard, comparable to a shoebox). When I picked it up at the post office, my heart sank - the box, which had been about 10 inches high, was squashed down to about 4 inches thick, with shreds of paper wrapping and string hanging off all over the place. Miraculously, the shell was undamaged, and now resides in the collection of one of our illustrious Conch-L'ers. Or how about no packing material at all! Many moons ago, when I was a young but serious collector, an even younger fellow (about 14 I believe) in the Netherlands contacted me, and offered me a few shells he had collected locally. He said he had never traded shells before but would like to - so, even though he didn't have much to offer, I sent him a small parcel of common shells, and requested a few things from his short list. He sent them to me in a plain white envelope - period! They weren't even individually wrapped. I received a profusly perforated envelope, filled with assorted fragments that hadn't fallen out through the holes, and - amazingly - one Epitonium clathrus which made the trip intact! Paul M.