australian seashells

home

shells

 decoshells books ordering contact

GENERAL INFORMATION

GRADING OF SPECIMEN SEASHELLS:  (Viewed under good lighting with the naked eye)

GEM

 - Shells are without any discernible blemish or flaw. The specimen will be fully adult and of typical size.

F++ / GEM

 - Shells that have a very minor flaw or blemish which is hard to perceive, shows up only under close scrutiny and in no way detracts from the look of the shell.

F++

 - Shells have a noticeable flaw or blemish which does not detract from the look of the shell.

F+ / F++

 - Shells have more than one noticeable flaw, growth line or blemish consistent with the species, but the overall presentation is very good. These shells are generally excellent value and suitable for aesthetically pleasing collections, being considerably less expensive than GEM specimens.

F+

 - Shells with small chips, noticeable growth lines, nacre lifts, blemishes or other obvious flaws, where the overall appearance and presentation of the shell is obviously not perfect. NOTE: Several large sized or rare species are only available in F+ condition or less.

F / F+

 - Shells with major chips, growth lines, nacre lifts, blemishes or other obvious flaws. Very fresh dead collected but otherwise good specimens are also often classed as F/F+.

NOTE: Some shell species are only available in F/F+ condition or less.

F or DEAD

- Shells that are either badly damaged, obviously juvenile or dead, but suitable as a representative of the species or for study purposes.

NOTE: Some shell species are only available in F or dead condition.

Obviously no grading system can possibly do justice to every specimen available and most specimen shells will require further description.

REFERENCES:

You will find the information on the specific publications used for reference in the header section of the relevant price list (i.e. CONIDAE list) - If in doubt, please contact us via e-mail with your query. If you are looking for a particular colour / pattern, please by all means refer to a particular page / image in a shell book - we have an extensive seashell reference library available and can likely compare your reference to find a match for you.

TRADING / EXCHANGE OF SEASHELLS:

We usually restrict our trading to our own collecting interest: We will always try to acquire rare and unusual Pectinidae and will exchange for them just about any specimen shell from our lists. The only other items we would consider trading for are either really rare or newly described species. 

1) Are there any Pectens among the shells you are offering - if so, which species?

2) What would you like in exchange? To start negotiations, please send us a description of your offer with a suggested retail value in US$. Please also include a list of items that you would like in exchange and please mention that you would like to offer the shell(s) in question for exchange or trade. If you can't find suitable shells to trade for on our lists, please let us know what other shell species you are looking for in exchange. We may be able to track down your desired item(s) for you - contact us.

TRADE SHOWS / EVENTS:

We will be presenting specimen shells for sale at the following international shell shows in 2008: 

7th - 9th March, 2008
NATIONAL AUSTRALIAN SHELL SHOW - venue: 'Italo-Australia Centre', 23 Foster Street, Newmarket, QLD 4051 - Brisbane, Australia - Malacological Society of Australasia (Brisbane Shell Club Branch), e-mail: msaqld@powerup.com.au

14th - 15th March, 2008 (DATE CHANGE: Due to local Paris elections on Sunday,16th of March 08 the show has been moved to Friday & Saturday only)
INTERNATIONAL SHELL SHOW PARIS - venue: 'Bourse de Commerce', 2 rue de Viarmes, Paris 2nd, France - AFC website: http://www.xenophora.org or e-mail: wantiez.mada@wanadoo.fr

26th April, 2008 (last Saturday in April)
NATIONAL BRITISH SHELL SHOW - venue: 'Theydon Bois Hall', Coppice Row (B172), Theydon Bois, CM16 7ER, UK - BSCC website: http://www.britishshellclub.org.uk/

10th - 11th May, 2008
16th BVC INTERNATIONAL SHELL SHOW ANTWERP - venue: 'Sports Hall Schijnpoort', Schijnpoortweg 55-57, 2100 Deurne (Antwerp), Belgium - BVC website: http://www.bvc-gloriamaris.com/ - area & travel info at: http://www.antwerpen.be

5th - 10th July, 2008
COA / CONCHOLOGISTS OF AMERICA ANNUAL CONVENTION - venue: Crowne Plaza Riverwalk Hotel, 111 Pecan St. E., San Antonio, TX, USA - dedicated 2008 COA convention website: http://www.coa2008.org - e-mail: coa2008@earthlink.net - extensive area & travel info links for San Antonio & Houston areas also available at the COA website

ADDITIONAL INFO:

You will find additional information on pricing, ordering, shipping, refunds, available payment methods and our money back guarantee on the ordering page.

HOME

Copyright © 2006 Australian Seashells PTY Ltd.
Last modified: 15-04-08