2006 Philadelphia Shell Show by Marcus Coltro

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Once more I was invited to participate in the Philadelphia Shell Show, which was held at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. I arrived on Friday, October 6 to set up my table and was able to see the exhibits on the upper floor while they were being prepared. As usual, the shell club members did a very nice job, showing many interesting and informative shell cases and handicrafts.

On Saturday morning, the bourse opened to a large crowd of collectors who entered the hall grabbing some goodies for their collections. After the bourse, Dr. Baldomero Olivera gave an interesting lecture on conotoxins produced by Conidae, and all the pharmacological potential of these small animals. He also had a video running showing Conus eating fish in the exhibit hall.

After the lecture, we had a delicious banquet arranged by the local club, and later the award ceremony for the exhibits. Many collectors were very happy to receive these awards, especially our good friend Rich Kirk who received the Leonard Hill Award for the most outstanding exhibit.
The bourse reopened on Sunday, which is a slower sales day but great for swapping material between dealers. After the close, I packed my shells and had dinner with my friends Rich Kirk, John Schnepp, Sue Hobbs and Phil Dietz at a Thai restaurant where we always go after the show.

If you have the opportunity, this is a great show to participate in next year!