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EmberCowrie · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 20 Location: New York, USA

Given the popularity of the real or fake threads on this forum, I thought the people here might get a laugh from the follwing listing that showed up on ebay, it doesnt really fit in the fake shell thread since he is being competely honest that it is modified but it is an interesting piece all the same
[url]
http://cgi.ebay.com/Cypraea-tessellata-Imitation-84-0-MM_W0QQitemZ300376649510QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45efd7ef26[/url]

ozcyp · Posted: 12.12.2009, 06:00 Post subject:

Speaking of the Fake cowrie and Yellow Arabica threads, where have they gone? They've been deleted it seems.........

Notocypraea · Posted: 13.12.2009, 07:55 Post subject:

Gee that's scary!
Looks nice from the pics!

Thanks for sharing!

Hey Ian - how is life going in the USofA?

Regards,
Simon

felix · Posted: 14.12.2009, 08:43 Post subject:

XEP-BAM · Gender: Joined: 07 Feb 2007 Posts: 43 Location: Russia

http://www.shellcabinet.com/auction/lot.cfm?lotID=129808

I want the real one like this Sehr glücklich

felix · Posted: 14.12.2009, 19:27 Post subject:

yes, well, but 32 bucks is a fair price for a fake like that!!

benicypraea · Posted: 14.12.2009, 21:05 Post subject:

Hello all:

tessellata made with a tiger cowry is absolutly funny and a nice shell for any collection... if you know perfectly that is a fake shell! Lachen

Great adition to have a giant (fake) tessellata in your collection. I know that is impossible, but can someone imagine so real big tessellata??
Myself I cannot imagine one giant cervus (190 mm in length) so one tessellata in this enormous size (80 mm) is something like... a valentia!
In fact, I think that badly worn valentias are a good source of fake tessellatas. Mit den Augen rollen

That´s all by now,
Regards,
Beni Cool

_________________
I started to collect seashells since my childhood but I decided to focus on cowries in 1990. I like all kind of cowries, freaks, normal, nigers, dwarfs...
Also I collect conidae and Muricidae.

EmberCowrie · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 20 Location: New York, USA

Now a scary thought,

It seems that based on the general consensus of this forum the main tell tale that this was a fake (if it weren't for being told so) is the impossible size. However, consider this;according to a site I found that covers (more or less) the max and min reported sizes for cowries, the largest C. Tesselata reported was 55mm, which is of course far less than the 80mm of this example. However there do exist much smaller tigris's in the world, including ones that are less than that number. I own one that's 50mm (actually I think I orginally bought it from the same person whose listing the fake in question) and have seen one's listed that are smaller still (according to the same site I got the tesselata max from the record minimum for tigris is 38.2 mm) Granted really runty tigris's are in the minority (particularly ones that are well proportioned enough to make the cheat) but tiger cowries are sufficintly numerous enough that a clever shell faker would likey not lack for raw material. Do the same trick on one of those that was done on this one and your "dwarf tiger" would become a very passable imitation of a tesselata, and a giant (but still within range) one at that, which might induce an extra premium out of the buyer. Of course there are probably other cowries that the methods could be used on that would be more in line size wise with doing this (though I admit a lot of them aren't really the right shape) but this picture proves how convicnt a tigris can be

EmberCowrie · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 20 Location: New York, USA

and not this one is a little smaller than the last

http://cgi.ebay.com/Cypraea-tessellata-Imitation-73-0-MM_W0QQitemZ300379928357QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45f009f725

Well, at least he's being honest