Common or rare…?
In the museum’s long history, this is the first Antiquilina in their collection, given to them in 2014. Does that make it common or rare? These bivalve shells are actually quite common in just one layer of the Blue Lias, exposed when the sea strips the beach. They can be seen but are usually deeply fused into the rock and already quite worn. This specimen was picked up off the beach just as it appears now, unfortunately with a small section missing. For the collector, it is a very rare find as he has discovered more ichthyosaur skeletons than specimens of this bivalve!