Hey guys ! Someone on here mentioned "Coin Elite" software. I downloaded a demo. There are some things I like about it. One thing I can't figure how to do with it... does any one know if there's a way to interface this with a Bar Code reader ? THAT'S the way to enter your data... just scan the coin's bar code, and it knows Date, Mint, Denomination, Grade, Business / Proof strike, variety (sometimes), and TPG. That's the reason slabs have a bar code in the first place... to automate inventory tracking. Anybody have long-term experience with it ? How do you like it ?
I use it also. I'ts great. I Dont think there's a way to use the barcode for date. That would require coin elite to have access to a TPG's database. And I'm sure thats a privacy or copyright issue. The program does allow you to enter such information on your own. It only updates coin values raw.
I still use it and like. I am sure you could scan the barcode - but only to enter the barcode number, not everything about the coin.
I think that's true for NGC, but not PCGS. With PCGS, the cross-reference between the TPG's code number and the Denom / Issue is public knowledge. For instance, a 1909 Lincoln 1c brown business strike is code 2429. The "PCGS coin number" is required to fill out the submission form, so they put those numbers on their website (see the Price Guide). So with a PCGS coin, all one need to know is the two numbers left of the "/". For instance, 7357.63 is a 1922-P MS63 Peace $1. All that will go straight into the database without fat-fingered keypunching - date, mint, denom, grade, MS / PR, variety. Sw-e-e-e-e-e-t. The number right of the "/" is the unique certificate number - ALSO a good thing to enter into your coin database. I bet someone has interfaced a bar-code scanner to a database to track coins. You know the TPGs do it ! The next step up is to automatically stash the coin's picture into the personal DB. IF you got the TPG to photo the coin when graded, the photo is tied to the unique certificate.