LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Dieter Cosman scoured the world's water for nearly 50 years, and the Florida yacht sales executive's widow donated his meticulous collection to Occidental College.
Cosman collected about 170,000 sea shells, each one containing details of how deep in the ocean the shell was and where Cosman got it.
A group of biology students and their professor were dedicating their time to catalogue the carefully-cared-for specimens.
Watch the full report by ABC7's Coleen Sullivan above.