glory-of-the-seas cone

The glory-of-the-seas cone (C. gloriamaris) is 10 to 13 cm (4 to 5 inches) long and coloured golden brown, with a fine net pattern. Throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was known from fewer than 100 specimens, making it the most valuable shell…

…most desirable single species is Conus gloriamaris, a handsome cone shell that is the “glory of the sea.” This shell always commands a very good price on the market, and it is the only shell known to have been stolen from a large museum.