I do one thing for my U.S. pieces, and a totally different thing for world coins. On my world coins: Top left - Year and MM Top Right - Denomination Bottom left - KM# Bottom right - Country Exceptions - for U.K. coins, instead of KM numbers, I use Spink numbers. For exotic nations without KM numbers, I use the Y number. Any variety notes to top middle or bottom middle. My U.S. is box sorted by denomination, then everything else is by date and MM, and that's all I usually write. I don't use loose-leaf binders, and I never will. 2x2 file boxes only. I do use Dansco albums for my "main sets", and any recognized variety that doesn't have a Dansco hole gets slabbed eventually, usually by waiting until I have 5 ready to go.
That's true but unlike the modern US coins the mint mark is on the reverse. So I also put the mint mark on the label. Any way I'm retired so what else do I have to do. This helps keep me out of bars and chasing wild women.
I recently helped sell a coin collection for a family , because the coin "accumulator" passed away. He had put quite a few coins into 2x2s, but did not label them. It would have been a huge help if he had put, at the very least, the date and mint mark of the coin. I could tell what the coin was just by looking, but that's really all you can get from an unmarked 2x2. I also had to check for varieties, there were a few, so what could have been an easy job became much harder. Let that be a lesson for those collectors who also leave their coins, whether in 2x2s, flips, etc., unmarked. Someone may have to organize their collection for them and while they may know what's in the holders another person would not. I go a step further and use the cardboard boxes that hold slabs and put ASEs and any other coin types into boxes and label the box. For 2x2s, I put then in the smaller cardboard boxes and also label them. Makes it easier for me to find a coin much faster and will make it easier if someone else needs to handle my collection. I also have every coin and set listed on an Excel spreadsheet so I know what I have and unless upgrading, don't buy duplicate coins (I'm getting older and the memory isn't what it used to be).
There is no standard or correct answer for this. It is completely up to you, and what you like. Here is what I do: Top left: Date and mintmark Top Right: serial number Bottom left (world coins only): country Bottom right (world coins only): denomination I don't put anything on the reverse. The "serial number" I put on the coin allows me to quickly and easily find the coin in the Excel spreadsheet that I use to track my collection. I don't like having a lot of clutter on the 2x2 - the focus here is the coin. In the spreadsheet, I can track whatever I want (and when things like "value" change, I can easily update it). The info I have in my spreadsheet is another topic for another day.
I LIKE IT! But I have another plan beyond it - export that Excel data into a relational database, place it on a server that I can access with my iPhone, and VOILA, my collection at my fingertips. Stay tuned. I'm teaching myself how to write iOS apps, ... at age 61, for cryin' out loud! I hear there's some lady in a town near NYC, Chappa-something, with a used email server box or two that she no longer does anything with. She's almost never home lately, and somebody in D.C. is doing some work on it, but it'll be back from them soon.
Don't laugh, but I still use a Palm Zire 72 that I carry with me. I got used to carrying it when I was a Realtor, because it's infrared beam was able to open lock boxes and also had an address program, calendar program, and memo program. There's a program for it called Documents to Go that accepts all Microsoft Office programs, including Excel. So I not only have all of my coins on my computer (and numerous backups), but also carry the list along with me on my faithful Palm. I haven't found a smartphone that has an Excel App, so I guess I'll carry both in my trusty messenger bag when I go out.
Might I suggest any iPhone? All come with a free app called Numbers, which is Excel-compatible, and depending on how you own Excel, an actual copy of Excel may even be FREE for your iPhone. If you don't have he right version of Excel, the iPhone version will cost a few bucks.
Thanks, but I have and prefer the Samsung Edge 7. I live in a rural area and the Samsung is one of the few phones that seems to be reliable to use.
Great advice from all the members. I've been using a Brothers label maker for my inserts. I like the 1/4in size label tape.
My US collection basically has date & grade printed on an Avery label at the top. Quite often there is an Avery label on the bottom describing something about the coin such as "Barber Quarter" or Mercury Dime", etc. My World coins include the country on the top with date & denomination on the bottom. All of my 2x2s have been labeled with a printed Avery label as depicted here. All of my 2x2s include the price paid & date paid in code on the back. This data is written by hand. World coins also get the Krause number listed on the back by hand.
So you have intentionally chosen the one and only smartphone OS that does NOT have a close working relationship with Microsoft. I can't say that summons up a great deal of sympathy on my part. Sorry.
As I clearly stated, I live in a rural area and the Samsung phone is the only one that reliably receives and sends both texts and voicemail. I have nothing against Apple, besides my Windows 10 Laptop I also have an iPad and Kindle Fire HD. You use what works best and the Samsung, after trying several different telephones works the bests where I live, and I don't need your sympathy, sorry. It appears that there are people on this forum that do NOT read previous posts within a tread, before making their own post.
I use the Brother P-Touch to label the Amos do it yourself slabs. Saves the time to fire up a program to print one out on my computer.