I am Goran Vertriest. A young, enthusiastic shell collector.
While the focus of my collection is Strombidae since 2018, I still love to collect everything marine.
My carreer of collecting shells started back in August 2008. I was 13 years old at that time and enjoying a careless holiday in Berck Sur Mer, France. During the holiday, my parents decided to drive to a small village called
Le Tréport. It is there that I encounterd my first collection shell. During low tide, I found a single valve of Aequipecten opercularis. Being my first ever find of the Pectinidae family, after multiple beach strolls in Belgium, I was very excited and protected the shell with my life. My parents, brothers and I were looking further to find a second one, until water started rising quickly. We had to hurry back, over the rocky terrain back to safe grounds.
I'll never forget that day!
It must have been 2009 when I got my first Philippine shells through a shell basket, once again, bought in France. Those were my first taste of exotic shells. Tectus pyramis, Drupa rubusidaea and Rhinoclavis vertagus among others, were added to my small collection.
It's also in 2009 that I found a shell book, The Shell Handbook, in our local library. I remember looking through it with big eyes. That's when I decided I wanted to have 1000 species in my collection.
(Which was accomplished in December 2018)
15 May 2010, I remember that day as it was yesterday.
I attended my first shell show, the Antwerp shell show. The goal was to buy the shell I really wanted in my collection: the big Syrinx aruanus. I found one, without data (!) for a mere € 30. Too attractive for little young me with a low budget. Thanks to that buy, I still had money left and bought some classics.
Lambis truncata, Nautilus pompilius and Tibia fusus where added to my collection among some other shells. I still have the truncata and Tibia to this very day. Also the Syrinx is still with me, but only for decoration purposes because of the lack of data.
It wasn't until 2013 - 2014 that I wanted to become a shell dealer myself. My parents were cautious and always tried to talk the idea out of my head. However, they always supported me when I was selling through Shellauction, Ebay, 2dehands and on flea markets.
I finally took the plunge after a very succesful Pont-à-Celles shell show in October 2018. My first shell show ever to attend being a dealer instead of a customer. With more shell shows to come this year, there's a very exciting future ahead of me.
This webshop is a dream come true. I hope that I can serve you, through gcshells.be or during any shell show, with a smile. Always remember: When you buy something from GCshells, you help making a dream come true!
Thank you so much for checking out my li'l webshop!
I wish you all happy shelling!
Goran Vertriest
GCshells
Shelling with a smile