The roots of the foundation date back to 1954. By then Piet Hessel had become interested in shells. The first collecting trips by bicycle to Katwijk (at the west coast of the Netherlands) did not yield much. During these first years not more than a small private collection existed.
From 1968 onwards fossils were collected too. Since then we have made hundreds of collecting trips. We also purchased a lot of recent shells. A small museum developed.
From April 1989 onwards the director has had a full-time job (unpaid) organising and expanding the collections of the museum.
On February 4th 1991 the "Stichting Schepsel Schelp" was founded and recorded at notary's office.
From May 19th 1992 onwards the foundation was recognised by the Dutch Department of Treasury as an institution for the general good and a non-profit organization. Donations and gifts to the foundation are therefore deductible from income tax.
To day our collections are very extensive and very good documented. We also have a large site on the internet.
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