Microsoft Excel is all I use. I have various worksheets dedicated to each type of coin I collect plus a worksheet for miscellaneous. This seems to work for me quite well. cs
Excel is good if you don't mind blank images. You can use omnicoin.com and it does allow you to upload images. I have most of my collection images up there.
I use Excel. I track what I own, when I got it, what dealer I got it from, the condition I WANT, the Red Book value of the condition I want, the condition I OWN, what I paid for it. I have one spreadsheet that keeps a total for the value of my collection at the end. When the condition I own is greater than or equal to my desired condition, I highlight that line to tell myself I'm done there. Now, if I could get this onto a Palm or pocket PC to take with me to shows...
That Excel is starting to get to me. I started to make a spread sheet for all coins. Then I made separate sheets for albums and miscellaneous. Then I separated that into coins in 2x2's, in jars, in albums, in rolls. Then a new one for proofs and one for uncirc sets from the Mint. Then I had to make a overall spreadsheet for all the spread sheets. I recently printed it all out and ended up with a small book. How do I stoppppppppp.
I use Excel. I like the flexibility because sometimes I list individual coins, sometimes an entire tube of coins as a single entry.
Hopefuly I'm going to be getting a Palm PC to use in my business----and if it works out alright I think I'll also use it for my coins!....heck I'm co-owner so I don't think the boss will mind Speedy
If any of you are looking to get this sort of info into something you can carry with you, I recommend the Cingular 8125. It's a Windows Mobile 5 PDA-phone. I have all sorts of useful information on there, and since it's my phone I have it everywhere I go. *edit* Oh, and since it runs Windows mobile, you can have things like Excel spreadsheets and Word docs on it. Fish
I have a spreadsheet that I take with me to coin shows or when I am traveling. Just a basic, what I want, how much I am willing to pay for it in a particular condition. This is kept on my cell phone for easy access. I can also access the internet with my phone/pda from anywhere while traveling, thus I can log into my home PC, open up my Coinmanage software and use it that way if I desire. I had thought about putting the collection in excel, but..... Decided against it.
Software I used to be a software develper (Windows apps and websites). I worked in VB6. I no longer do that as a profession, but continue to do it as a hobby and a side-business. Microsoft went to dotNet as a new development platform. As a vehicle to teach myself dotnet, I am working on numismatic software. When I have it complete, I'll be have to let a few of you folks have it to try it out. I have to say, it is a complex project. I've tried a couple of the commercial ones, but they seemed awkward to use, so for the time being, I use good old Excel and post the sheets to my webserver. If I am away and an opportunity to buy some coins comes up, I just find a computer and log in to my site to see what I need. Steve
what i do is just circle the coins i got with pencil in the redbook. it is a little easier to do this. and, you can just erase if you decide to get rid of that coin.
Hey! I really like this idea. Simple Low-tech All the required information is at hand when you need it Inexpensive Easy to understand by non-numismatists (heirs) The only con I can see is that after several years you would need to copy it to a new issue if you have collected modern coins. But this is very minor compared to all of the pros! What a great idea! I'm usually a person who goes for the most tech-advanced method of doing things, but this really caught my interest. Steve
I have recently begun to put together a excel spreadsheet as a database for my collection but I find it a daunting task. I think its going to take me quite a while but it will be worth it. I am including year, mintage, condition, location in collection (so I can quickly find it), notes (ie: dealer, any damage, ect), price paid, and date purchased. I think its a little big to actually print off (its wide) but as a computer only record I think it works.
Sorry to open an old thread, but it's the exact same topic so I figured it'd be okay. I see that most people use spreadsheets or some other software. What about keeping paper logs? I had planned to start using Apple Numbers to keep a log, but honestly, I'm tired of being chained to the computer. I sit at a computer far too much. Using the internet to chat and find reference material is fine, but when it comes time to log my coins I want to step away from the computer. With that in mind, how would you do it? Loose-leaf binders would be best since you can design a "log form" and add and rearrange sheets as needed, but I want something a little more classy. I'm thinking of buying a notebook for each series I plan to collect. I might then pre-label the pages with each piece in the series so I can keep track of what I don't have as well as have things in chronological order even if I don't purchase in order. Thoughts? Ideas? Inputs? BTW, I assume keeping the notebooks in the boxes with the coins would be a bad idea due to possible contamination from the paper?
I recently began to catalog my collection and the overall majority of folks indicated they used Excel. So I looked at a few versions folks has sent to me, which varied greatly, and chose a layout I liked (pretty much tabular with grade, count and value info. I also viewed the templates on the internet which most folks seemed to dislike... the templates did contain a very valuable piece of information... the year/mm already typed... a simply copy/paste then updated my generic format for each coin, along with mintage. So armed with a spreadsheet containing year/mm, I was then able to pretty quickly inventory my collection. I do a series a week, spending time learning about the specific coin, the fine points and details about grading said series, and the values. So far this is working out very well. I've also procured an off-the-shelf program to try but have to admit, the excel spreadsheet feels very familiar as I use excel routinely in my day job. If you want a copy, drop me a PM with your email and I'll send it along. good luck!
My handwriting is terrible, so I lean toward the digital in everything I can. Also, I upload all of my ancient and medieval coins online, with a complete description. Before I do this, I type the complete description (which can get rather lengthy) into a word document. I didn't intend this as a log of my coins, only a temporary document. But it seems to have stuck, so what the heck. I am, however, saving up to buy Moneta, a program to document ancient coins.
