Prawdziwą pasją Billa Fenzana jest rodzina Conidae?Zresztą, każdy kto śledzi kolejne wydania elektronicznego newslettera ?The Cone Collector? może odnaleźć interesujące materiały autorstwa tego uznanego eksperta w dziedzinie stożków.
Pan Fenzan jest osobą bardzo bezpośrednią, więc bez wątpienia znaną kolekcjonerom ?jadowitych piękności?, nie mniej, bardzo cenię sobie fakt, że za pośrednictwem I.K.M.M. ?CONCHA? może być rozpoznawalny dla wszystkich ?Conchowiczów?.
Bill Fenzan w swoim domu w Norfolk w 2010 roku.
?My interest in shells started early. When I was fourteen, in 1968, my family traveled to Florida where I started collecting shells on the beach. I brought them home and tried to identify them using books borrowed from the local public library. It was a difficult task because I lived far from the sea in the middle of the United States. The local library had few books about marine shells.
Since then, I have been collecting both shells and books. As I grew older and earned more money, I could afford more expensive shells and books. My travels have also become more frequent. I have developed a strong interest in taxonomy. This has led me to visit museums to photograph type specimens – and visit larger libraries with rarer books.
As my collection grew, it became necessary to replace shells with better examples as they become available on the market. I am a poor businessman, so I have given away or sold below cost many shells. I feel good about doing this when I realize I am helping another collector, as I was helped when I was younger. Now, I am left with shells of only four families: Conidae, Cypraeidae, Bursidae, and Architectonicidae. I am actively studying the cones. The other shells I keep for times when I need to temporarily rest from cone study.
I have collected books and papers that cover other groups of marine molluscs, but the emphasis is on works supporting cone study. I also collect unpublished manuscripts, photos, slides, information, and scientific papers all related to cones. I use these resources to assist others by reviewing papers, assisting in research that leads to publication, and my own projects.
Another part of my interest in shells is travel. Rather than field collecting, I prefer to go to museums and large private collections to photograph specimens that teach me something new. When possible, I try to combine a museum trip with a shell show or visit to a collector.?
Jako wizytówkę swojego zbioru Pan Fenzan przesłał kilka fotografii?
Ciekaw jestem, jak podoba się Państwu taka forma przechowywania zbioru?? Trzeba przyznać, że sam ?shell room? robi wrażenie!
Bill uważa, że to najważniejsze miejsce w Jego ?shell room-ie?? To tutaj mieści się ?zaplecze? merytoryczne kolekcji.
Biblioteczka konchologiczna oraz szafka z metrykami okazów.
A tak przechowywane sa Conidae oraz Cypraeidae? To ujęcie daje do myślenia?
Zawartość jednego z ?box-ów?, w którym dominuje – Conus mercator.