Do you take specimen's grade serious?

[pilsbryi]

As a marine biologist and shell collector, i belive that the shell size it is an important feature. Not for the run to the WRS, wich in my humble oppinion does not add nothing valuable.

The size does not reflect many times the maturity of a certain species, but in general the bigger they get , more mature they are and have reproduced and generated their offspring, assuring that the prole will perpetuate.

About the quality, thats an issue that i am used to. Or i like it or dont, and each case it is very particular.

You cannot ask the same price for two shells, different qualities. So, i feel that the grade system works perfectly well, with an exception for Muricidae and Volutidae. As a gem quality they exist, but many dealers use and abuse on stating specimens as "perfect" and there is always an imperfection.

The run for the most perfect specimens leads to blindness, and many details are lost on the way. I have seen rare , unusual or almost impossible to get that are not sold, simply for the fact that they might be from older collections, a small defect , etc. , all details that do not matter at all.

The wise man it is the one that collects now those specimens that shall disappear for good  in a short time to come. I am not talking about the so called rarities and most expensive shells.

Think about a Hexaplex fulvescens; Pteropurpura macroptera ; P. vokesae and others this genera, including the New Zealand volutes and even Macrocypraea zebra , up 80 mm, no matter the quality they may present . You shall see.


Kind regards

JOSE BENTO