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Collecting Sea Glass, Collecting Beach Glass, Finding Sea Glass

The Casual Collector versus the Serious Sea Glass Collector

Collecting Sea Glass - For Everyone?

Collecting Sea Glass - What is the difference between the casual collector and the serious collector of sea glass?

• Intent

• A casual collector goes to the beach for vacation, a family outing, to walk the dog, etc. 


• The casual collector is there primarily for other activities.
  


• A serious collector goes to the beach with the express purpose of looking for sea glass. He/she arrives at the beach without having made plans to do anything else except look for sea glass. 


• The serious collector is not there to enjoy the sun, scenery, family, or friends. He or she is there to find sea glass (if possible and weather permitting, of course, a serious collector appreciates these other factors but they are not of primary importance).


• The serious collector will go to the beach rain, shine, snow, sleet, or hail; in fact, the casual collector thinks this is a little fanatical.

• Approach: 


• A casual collector looks around as they are involved in watching the kids (or the parents), walking the dog, or hiking. 


• When the casual collector finds a  piece of sea glass, they admire it and put it in their pocket or give it to the kids (or to the parent, friend, dog, but hopefully not the baby).


• A serious collector arrives at the beach and immediately begins so scan the situation. He/she notes the tide (high or low, rising, or falling), the weather (whether to add or subtract clothes or put on the rain gear, etc), and as fast as possible begins searching in the likely spots. 


• In fact, the serious collector has been seen scanning the ground in the parking area and paths before getting to the beach. This action is optional. He/she is not easily distracted.


• On reaching the shore, he/she will begin examining and collecting sea glass and cover many, many square feet of ground and will be, for all intents and purposes, lost to the world for long periods of time.
  


• (NOTE: Methods, tips, and advice for serious sea glass collecting are discussed further by other viewers like you in Questions and Answers and other pages of this site)

• Results: 


• On finding the sea glass, the causal collector may 


• throw it back, 


• give it to someone else, 


• put in their pocket with their car keys, rocks, and shells.


• keep all the pieces they find


• The serious collector will 


• spot a piece and make a snap decision as to whether it is worth bending over.


• if worth the effort, he/she may rinse the piece, determine the color and the grade, and then decide whether it is a keeper. If the piece is somewhat unusual and the collector is not alone, there will be a quick consultation to establish the possible value for their collection.


• more than likely, the serious collector will toss the piece back; the current collection of similar non-rare pieces perhaps numbering in the thousands.


• if it is judged to be a keeper, it will be placed in a bag, pocket, or container where it is protected from possible damage by keys, rocks, dogs, or the baby.


• from time to time, the findings will be all pulled out and looked and admired. This keeps up the spirit of the hunt.

• On going home:

• the casual sea glass collector is happy, tired, and sun or wind burned.


• the casual collector will put all the sea glass in a bottle, box, or drawer.


• the serious sea glass collector is tired and sun or wind burned, but - here is a major and notable difference between the two - can be bummed out totally and depressed; just so-so and "oh, well"; or ecstatic, screaming, bouncing off the walls and a real pain to be around.


• the serious collector will not just put the sea glass in a container. It may be sorted, grouped, categorized, labeled, photographed, mounted, or filed. It may be posted to a specialized blog, website, or socially bookmarked.

Collecting Sea Glass - Knowledge

Collecting Sea Glass - Some Conclusions:

To become a serious collector of sea glass, the best use of your time is walking a beach.

So if one wants to become a serious collector one needs to start with identifying what type of beach would be most likely to yield sea glass.

You will also need to know what is worth keeping. A beginner at collecting sea glass has the tendency to keep every shard found. A collector knows what is valuable, whether to take it home with him or leave it in the waterline to become more tumbled.

So, the next step for you is first - Finding Sea Glass - How to Go About Identifying the Most Likely Beaches for Sea Glass

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