T. C. Lan is so engrossed in his hobby of shell collecting that he has decorated his apartment in Taipei with some 2,000 shells, making it look something like a "dragon palace." Lan has spent a large portion of his 48 years collecting shells, which he has classified according to type, such as pecten, cone, cowry and murex.
He explained that shells vary according to region. Those found in the Caribbean, for instance, are totally different from those found in the Pacific Ocean around Taiwan. But all are of interest to Lan.
He spent his childhood on the seashore near Lotung in Ilan County, and not surprisingly, this is where he picked up his initial interest in shells. He was particularly enchanted by a green abalone in his grandfather's collection. Later he started to buy shells from fishermen, who often snared beautiful specimens in their nets.
After achieving economic independence on his graduation from college, Lan made contact with museums and public and private shell collectors, which led to an exchange of specimens. As a result, Lan now owns shells from Japan, the United States, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Czechoslovakia and Italy.
Among the biggest specimens in Lan's collection are a horned helmet shell 39 centimeters long, and a giant clam with a diameter of 1.5 meters. Horned helmets are found in the Taiwan straits, and the two of those owned by Lan are about the biggest in world.
The comb-shaped Venus murex is also found on the coast around Taiwan, particularly off Hsinchu, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Penghu counties. The shell gets its name from the legend that Venus used it to comb her hair.
The money cowry has a distinctive luster, and as its name suggests, it was used for trade among ancient tribes. In China, it was used as money from the Hsia to the Chin dynasty, and up to the Ming dynasty in Yunnan in Western China. Even today, some tribes in New Guinea give it an economic status, Lan said. "A New Guinea native making three cowries a day may have to pay as many as 100 for his wife's dowry," he said.
Lan is particularly fond of the pecten for its delicate patterns. The "sun and moon" pecten shell is named for its two colors--golden orange on the outside and pure white inside.
Picking up a crimson and gold cowry, Lan said: "On the islands of the South Pacific only the chieftains can wear a necklace made of these shells." He lamented that the cowry had lost some of its color, since this can only be preserved by keeping it in a refrigerator. Other types, however, regain their old luster on being washed and polished with mineral oil. He advised against putting shells on newly painted shelves, since this often spoils the color.
He also pointed out that only shells with natural color are valuable. Those put on sale in resorts areas are often processed by hydrochloric acid or enamel paint, and are not worth keeping, he said.
Live shells are in better condition than dead ones, which are often eroded by the action of sea water. He pointed out that processing live shells is troublesome, since they have to be tied up in a plastic bag until the inside decays and can be removed easily. Cone shells are particularly difficult to process.
Dead shells, on the other hand, only need to be washed in a diluted colorant lotion before they are ready for display. Broken shells bring a much lower price than whole ones.
Prices of shells are determined more by rarity than by beauty. A Rumphius' slit shell found around the Tiaoyutai islands off northern Taiwan brought as much as US$10,000 when it was first found. Since hundreds more were discovered subsequently, the price has dropped to only a little over US$800 a piece. The cone shell lives between 100 and 500 meters below the surface of the ocean, and is therefore difficult to collect. Even so, enough specimens have been found to bring the price down from US$6,000 each to only US$300. A snow flake cone, however, still brings thousands of US dollars if it is a perfect specimen.
"This shell is a collector itself," Lan said as he picked up a carrier shell. "It hides silently in the sand and mud and exudes a sticky substance which captures other shells, and a wide variety of other objects such as stones and bottle caps. No matter how heavy its burden, it never releases it," he said.
Lan warned that some shells are dangerous. A cone shell for instance, can kill a man within three hours if it manages to break the skin. Other dangers in shell collecting arise from typhoons and high tides.
About 50,000 different species of shells have so far been discovered worldwide, and many others are still waiting to be found. Over the past six or seven years, Lan has discovered five new shells and named them himself. By this means he has become well-known in international scientific as well as shell-collecting circles.
He is currently engaged in finding an application in medicine for the venom found in certain cone shells, which would give his pursuit a commercial as well as an aesthetic value.
[Picture Caption]
1. Pecten magnificus Sowerby from Ecuador. 2. Spondylus barbatus Reeve attached to Malleus Linne from the Philippines. 3. Pecten dianae Crandall from Japan. 4. Comb-shaped Venus murex found on the coasts around Taiwan. 5. T. C. Lan and part of his collection.
1. Spondylus cumingi Sowerby. 2. Rumphius' slit shell found around Taiwan. 3. The five shells discovered and named by Lan, clockwise from above right are: Epitonium eboreum Lan, Voluta taiwanica Lan, Conus vicdani Lan, Conus tisii Lan, Conus Lani Crandall. 4. Poisonous shells.
1. Marginella pringlei Tomlin. 2. Vexillum filiareginae Cate. 3. Astrea girgyllus Reeve. 4. Strombus listeri Gray. 5. Lan's daughter.
Spondylus barbatus Reeve attached to Malleus Linne from the Philippines.
Pecten dianae Crandall from Japan.
Comb-shaped Venus murex found on the coasts around Taiwan.
T. C. Lan and part of his collection.
Spondylus cumingi Sowerby.
Rumphius' slit shell found around Taiwan.
The five shells discovered and named by Lan, clockwise from above right are: Epitonium eboreum Lan, Voluta taiwanica Lan, Conus vicdani Lan, Conus tisii Lan, Conus Lani Crandall.
Marginella pringlei Tomlin.
Vexillum filiareginae Cate.
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