Advice selecting a coin cataloging program.

[TopCat]

12-28-08
Hi All,
I am a new member and I could use some advice on selecting a cataloging program to use no my MAC laptop. I have hundreds of coins that I would like to catalog, a daunting prospect. Presently I use an old Whitman check off book. I have no idea which features are important. I could use some advice at this point.
Thanks

[trickys]

I've been using MS Excel on my Mac to catalog my collection for years, it's done the job. To keep things sane I use a separate worksheet for each coin type, and some custom formatting to make it pretty.

[kanga]

Hard to beat Excel since you can tailor the contents to exactly what you want.
And if your wants change later, then you can make those changes.

[TopCat]

Hi Tricks and Kanga,
Thanks for the reply.
I have Excell but that sounds like you both did a lot of typing and work setting up.
I was hoping for a program where all the dates were set up and all I would have to do would be to enter an 'X' in a box. No such program?
TopCat

[TopCat]

are we to assume 10 = two as in two types of people in binary base2

[FreakyGarrettC]

I use Excel on my mac.

[TopCat]

Hi Trickys,
When you say you , "To keep things sane I use a separate worksheet for each coin type, and some custom formatting to make it pretty." So you would have one work sheet say for Lincoln Cents and another for Buffalo Nickels? How do you set up your Column Headings? Could you post a short example?
Top Cat

[kanga]

Originally Posted by TopCat

I was hoping for a program where all the dates were set up and all I would have to do would be to enter an 'X' in a box. No such program?
TopCat

For this sort of bookkeeping and assuming US coins, just marking them off in a Red Book would be sufficient.
Next to the date/mintmark in the book you could circle the value for the grade.
That would give you a LOT of information for just a quick entry.

Excel has a number of benefits beyond that:
- You can update it with new prices whenever you want
- You can input how much it cost you
- You can input when/where you bought it and from whom
- If you take digital images of your coins you can even link to those images in Excel
- A quick click at the bottom of a column could add up the value of the collection.

It's well worth the time required to set up Excel files for your collection.

Since you already own Excel all it will cost you is some time.

A commercial database for all US coins would probably cost about $100.

[trickys]

Yes that's what I was getting at - my spreadsheet is setup with numerous worksheets, one for each type of coin, such as "Lincoln Cents", "Indian Cents", "Canadian Cents", etc. The info I track per worksheet is pretty basic - "Year / Variety", "Grade", "Date Obtained", "Cost", "Est. Value", "Notes" - which are the column headings I use. Setting this up doesn't take long at all - just a few minutes. It's the actual cataloging which takes time (the first time you set it up anyway, as presumably that's the time when you will have the most coins for which to enter information). But once you've set it up, maintaining it is easy.

The other nice thing about using Excel is that it has survived numerous operating systems & platforms over the years, and likely won't be obsolete any time soon. I've never had to re-do my catalog

[Lehigh96]

Originally Posted by kanga

For this sort of bookkeeping and assuming US coins, just marking them off in a Red Book would be sufficient.
Next to the date/mintmark in the book you could circle the value for the grade.
That would give you a LOT of information for just a quick entry.

Excel has a number of benefits beyond that:
- You can update it with new prices whenever you want
- You can input how much it cost you
- You can input when/where you bought it and from whom
- If you take digital images of your coins you can even link to those images in Excel
- A quick click at the bottom of a column could add up the value of the collection.

It's well worth the time required to set up Excel files for your collection.

Since you already own Excel all it will cost you is some time.

A commercial database for all US coins would probably cost about $100.

I agree that Excel can do all of those things, but until I find something better than Heritage's MY COLLECTION, I will not switch. Heritage gives you both current prices and populations. Organizing the collection is a little difficult but the pros far outweigh the cons.

Not only do you not have to worry about backing up your file, it is free once you register.

[bqcoins]

I agree with the excel idea, I've kept a spreadsheet for years, but heritage has a free cataloging program and if you get coin world, you can access their cataloging program as well.

[kanga]

Originally Posted by bqcoins

I agree with the excel idea, I've kept a spreadsheet for years, but heritage has a free cataloging program and if you get coin world, you can access their cataloging program as well.

Originally Posted by Lehigh96

I agree that Excel can do all of those things, but until I find something better than Heritage's MY COLLECTION, I will not switch. Heritage gives you both current prices and populations. Organizing the collection is a little difficult but the pros far outweigh the cons.

Not only do you not have to worry about backing up your file, it is free once you register.

Both are certainly better for a quick start.
But now at least one other person/group knows your total inventory.
And if it's accessable by others (legally or a hack job), you are hanging out there for all to see.

I'll stick with the extra work and personal security comfort that Excel affords me.