Shell ID help

[hnieman]

Hello all,

I came across a small box full of these shells while cleaning out my grandfather's estate.  All of the shells in the box were the same type which I thought was kind of odd.  I have a small shell collection, but I've never seen these before.  Some of them have nice blue and orange banding.

I thought I'd check to see if you experts can ID these for me.

I just realized that I have nothing in the pic for scale.  Most of them are around two inches long.

<a href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/10335983" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/10335983">http://www.badongo.com/pic/10335983</a><!-- m --></a>

[paul monfils]

These are juvenile Melongena, probably Melongena patula from West Central America.

[hnieman]

Thank you for your quick response sir.  Do you think that they are worth trying to trade?  I must have about 50 of them, and would rather have a more diverse mix of shells.

[paul monfils]

Sure, they would be worth offering in trade, if they are good quality.  They look good from the top.  The main question would be whether the thin lip of the shell is in good condition, free of chips or other damage, and not artificially smoothed by filing or sanding.  They are common shells, so not worth much in cash value, and not all collectors are interested in juvenile shells, but still you could probably exchange some of them for some other common shells.  You could post a message in the Seashells Trading Forum on this website.  <span class="petit">--Last edited by Paul Monfils on 2010-08-30 04:41:11 --</span>