Software to catalog your banknote/coin collection

[aarkay]

Hi...

While surfing the net I found the following in EBay...while I do not know if it will be useful or not I am just giving it for members' perusal...

Banknote Collection Manager (Software) (keyword: bundle, 786, error, series)
Software to Catalog your Banknote Collection

http://www.ebay.in/itm/Banknote-Collection-Manager-Software-keyword-bundle-786-error-series-/271156879963?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item3f2235a25b


Coin Collection Manager (Software)
Software to Catalog your Coin Collection

http://www.ebay.in/itm/Coin-Collection-Manager-Software-/271162442131?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item3f228a8193

Discounted Listing to Buy Any Two Software
Choice of Software Banknote, Coin, Stamp Collection

http://www.ebay.in/itm/Discounted-Listing-To-Buy-Any-Two-Software-/271156880366?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item3f2235a3ee


Aarkay

[Figleaf]

What many coin collectors will want is an inventory list and a want list. They will want it to be easy to maintain, handy for making shopping lists and overviews, easy to consult. They have personal ideas on what information (not) to store.

If you take those demands together, any database and spreadsheet software will do the trick. All you need is two flat tables. Since most people will already have Excel, it is a natural choice. Excel can make flat tables and use filters. It is possible to define an output form. It is possible to store the file on a smart phone.

If you want to store prices realised you are in deep water. You'll want a macro to record date, seller and currency formatting and conversion. You'll want a stats page to pull the numbers together. You'll also find that it is a lot of work and gives little information beyond what you knew already (seller A sells expensive coins, seller X has a lot of stuff you need etc.)

Similarly, storing pictures is quite labour intensive and unnecessary (with the possible exception of having an insurance record for your most expensive coins, but who can afford to insure the collection?) at an age when a picture of the majority of coins can be found on the net. Excel can link to a url, so if you insist on pictures, the obvious solution is to store them online and link to them in Excel. The pctures would be only one click away.

IMHO, no dedicated data base software can compete with simple, home-made tables.

Peter

[cmerc]

What many coin collectors will want is an inventory list and a want list. They will want it to be easy to maintain, handy for making shopping lists and overviews, easy to consult. They have personal ideas on what information (not) to store.

If you take those demands together, any database and spreadsheet software will do the trick. All you need is two flat tables. Since most people will already have Excel, it is a natural choice. Excel can make flat tables and use filters. It is possible to define an output form. It is possible to store the file on a smart phone.

If you want to store prices realised you are in deep water. You'll want a macro to record date, seller and currency formatting and conversion. You'll want a stats page to pull the numbers together. You'll also find that it is a lot of work and gives little information beyond what you knew already (seller A sells expensive coins, seller X has a lot of stuff you need etc.)

Similarly, storing pictures is quite labour intensive and unnecessary (with the possible exception of having an insurance record for your most expensive coins, but who can afford to insure the collection?) at an age when a picture of the majority of coins can be found on the net. Excel can link to a url, so if you insist on pictures, the obvious solution is to store them online and link to them in Excel. The pctures would be only one click away.

IMHO, no dedicated data base software can compete with simple, home-made tables.

Peter

Peter, thanks!  You answered a lot of questions I asked in this earlier thread: http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,20492.msg138925.html#msg138925
Unfortunately, no one replied to it     

[Figleaf]

Your question sounded as if you'd already made up your mind. Never mind. I have 20 years experience in this area and I know my way around in Excel. Ask and you shall know, except for macros, because MS radically changed the language, so I am no longer up to speed.

Peter

[paisepagal]

There are several good points Peter has mentioned...The picture link is best by far as it does not make your file heavy.
Filter is another easy way to have a comprehensive list that includes your want and have list . Just add an extra column with a tag like "have" and "want" and then use auto filters.
Further, you can make pivot tables quite easily that give you basic statistical information and can give a de clutter option for presentation purposes. You could jazz it up with line and bar charts too!
I do not buy many coins... My collection is mostly built on exchange. But for the relatively valuable stuff I do add commentary in a 'remarks' column whenever needed. It won't give me a ready reckoner of the value of my collection... But you could just as well tweak it if that's what you need.

The only problem is typing out the list to begin with... That's a laborious job that I've been doing for the last 13 years... Unfortunately I don't know a way around that one... I suppose you can copy-paste from numismaster and just format it.

[cmerc]

The only problem is typing out the list to begin with... That's a laborious job that I've been doing for the last 13 years... Unfortunately I don't know a way around that one... I suppose you can copy-paste from numismaster and just format it.

What if you could copy-paste the link to the auction website page of the item you won.  The system would automatically parse and fill out the tables for your inspection.  You will be able to make some modifications before saving. Would that be easier? 

For dealer purchases, I guess you would have to type a bit more.

[Bimat]

Coin Collection Manager (Software)
Software to Catalog your Coin Collection

http://www.ebay.in/itm/Coin-Collection-Manager-Software-/271162442131?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item3f228a8193

Interesting! I noticed that this is a privately developed software, but what's the guarantee that the information we are entering in the software is not being shared with the developer of the software?

I was thinking of downloading the trial version (15 days) but I didn't. There are quite a few similar softwares available on brothersoft too but I never used any. I'm very much happy with my current Microsoft Excel database.

Aditya

[FosseWay]

IMHO, no dedicated data base software can compete with simple, home-made tables.

My opinion precisely. You don't need anything more than Excel (or the free Open Office equivalent thereof). You don't even need to have any particular skill at using Excel either. I use some basic formulae and commands so that my totals spreadsheet updates automatically when I add or remove coins from an individual country's spreadsheet, but it's entirely possible simply to use Excel as a sortable database.

Some proprietary collector software may superficially remove some of the typing required (e.g. click on a KM number and the specifications of the coin in question appear in your list without you having to type them) or have e.g. total sum formulae ready set up so you don't have to do it yourself. However, IMV there's no substitute for doing this kind of legwork yourself if you want consistency and reliability. As we all know, the information given in KM and other catalogues varies widely from country to country and issue to issue. One coin featuring a plant will have an entry that includes the plant's scientific Latin name whereas another coin's entry will just read 'flower' or such. Some coins have diameter and weight and others don't. The only way to get precisely what you want is to enter it yourself in the way you want it entered.

Personally I have columns for:
denomination
date (and mintmark where applicable)
descriptions of front, back and edge
alignment
composition
diameter
weight
my type number
catalogue number (e.g. KM)
condition
value and date/source of valuation
date of acquisition
price paid
number of examples I possess.

In addition I've scanned each type and am gradually putting together a much more detailed description of each which it's hard to do within the constraints of the Excel cell system (describing front and back precisely, explaining who/what is being commemorated on special issues, detailing the sources of any research I've done etc.).

I admit I haven't looked into finding software that does the above without significant user input, but I would be surprised if such existed.

[cmerc]

Thanks for describing your excel system.  Sounds like the only advantage of a software would be managing data and pictures together. 

[FosseWay]

Agree about pictures.

I've tried two systems to get round that so far, which each have their advantages and disadvantages.

One is to use HTML. The plus side is that you can generate pages and pages of pictures with descriptions and yet have very small file sizes (not counting the pictures themselves, which presumably you've already got stored somewhere). You can also obviously post your catalogue online easily and in a way that's most user-friendly for readers. However, writing HTML that includes a lot of non-English characters is very, very tedious. I also have the problem that the pages I've created experimentally will open in Firefox but won't display the pictures in any other browser, and I'm completely stumped as to why.

The other is to write the descriptions in Word (or similar software), then import the pictures into a DTP program (e.g. Quark or Indesign) such that you've got the same number of pictures as descriptions on facing pages. You then make a PDF of both documents and stitch them together alternately. If you have Acrobat Professional you can also reduce the resulting file's size (a bit). This method is more versatile and easier to input data into than HTML, and the result is IMO just as usable, but it requires more faffing around with software. The reason I don't just import the pics into Word is partly that Microsoft products tend to mess with picture sizes and proportions in an annoying way, and also the resulting Word file becomes huge. The Quark etc. file is also pretty big but that kind of software is intended for such file sizes and in any case once you've created your list you will rarely need to go back to the file as ypu'll have the PDF.

[Globetrotter]

Strange how everything resembles each other.... My file is nearly builf like Peter's:

country
code:  an artificial thing used for sorting my file to make sure that øre comes before kroner and skilling before øre, so the code is 1 for skilling, 2 for øre and 3 kroner and of course adjusted for each country. Linked to denomination 2
denomination 1: is just telling if it's a 1, 2, 3 or whatever of denomination 2
denomination 2: skilling, øre, kroner or whatever the country has
year 1: the christian year of the coin (sometimes a derivate of year 2)
year 2: the original year on the coin in whatever era it is
mint: if any
permille: only assigned if the coin is silver or gold
weight: of the coin with 2 decimals
km#
price: as given by the catalogs or the price I actually paid
comments: any additionnal information of the coin
diameter: in millimeters with 2 decimals (if multi-sided then the smallest/largest diameter / if holed then the largest diameter/diameter of hole)
thickness: in millimeters with 2 decimals
edge: p(lain), r(eeded), security, segmented etc
orientation: which is either medal or coin, but if with an off-set, I give the off-set in degrees
donor: of the coin
date: of entry in my collection
km: is just a code to tell me if I have already sent the data of the coin to Krause

With this build-up any fellow swapper can sort my file according to his own file structure....

I do not give the amount of coins I have of a given coin, since the extra ones ALL goes into my swap list.

Nothing new, but refined over 15 years by now