Ancients- Do you digitally catalog your collection?

Some years ago i started a simple Word file with some remarks about the entries in an existing catalog based on the specimen in my largest subcollection. I gradually added pictures of my own specimen and information for most catalog types. For more common types i display two representative specimen. Slowly, my personal catalog now outgrows the standard catalog in types and information.

Next step will be to revise the standard catalog numbering system to accomodate newly found associations and types. I have a strictly ordered computer folder system for coin pictures, background information and literature references. I have found no need for spreadsheets or database programs yet.

 

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Great topic for an Ancients Forum discussion, @CoinBlazer ! I’m finding it fascinating to read about the different computer programs all of my favorite ancient coin collectors use! I mean that sincerely because I have a lot to learn about cataloging and spreadsheets. The only way that I’m currently keeping track of my coins is visually through my poster designs. I do all of those on a Macintosh computer using Adobe InDesign.

 

I keep mine on Tantaluscoins in case they get stolen along with my laptop. At least there is a digital version out there. I am quite a bit behind with updating it though.

 

I use an Access database that I have built. Have a table for each of the types of coin (US, World, Ancient) so that I have all my info in one place. The nice part is that even when I am a little short on cash I can make modifications to the database and still feel like I am playing with my coins without spending a buck.

If anyone has access and would like a copy to check out let me know, I'd be happy to put a blank copy of it on here.

 

Since I restarted collecting, about 2014, I used a simple system in Word - it replicates the old paper index cards I used long ago (just like my father-in-law whose collection I inherited). I often thought about making a better one that incorporates pictures, but never decided to do this or that.

It consists of: Number. Metal, denomination. Empire - Head of state, date. Obverse description followed by text, reverse description followed by text. Diameter, weight. Any known catalogs. Bought from whom, when and for how much. Sometimes: comments as to why I wanted it.

In 2014, I devised a four-digit numbering system along the lines of my interests, starting at 1001 for my oldest coin, a 1/24th Phokaia stater, and the end was always the low 7000s for the latest coins of the 14th, later 16th, now 17th century. A month ago I started collecting Chinese coins, and now the highest number is 8008. By the way, I have about 950 coins (Less is more).

So there's a lot of room, but in 2014 I hadn't expected my Roman provincials and my medieval islamic dynasties to expand so much, so occasionally I have to do some intricate resizing and refitting.
I'm always recording diameter and weight to .00 - the first to do to every new coin is putting it on my scale. Because, as an experienced old collector friend told me, if your collection of (almost identical coins) falls on the floor and you have to reconstruct which coin was which catalog number, the exact weight will help you immediately.

And I make pictures of my coins that I give the same number as my catalog, sometimes with some extra information. This is a good example:



Not the best pic possible, but I made it myself in a minute. The name of this photo is 3283 A Gordian caes e ct, meaning a Roman Provincial [3100-3400] coin starting with A = Alexandria, of Gordian III as caesar (he was caesar for a short time only, under the ill-fated and ill-named emperors Balbinus and Pupienus) e = I made the picture myself [s = seller's pic], ct = I used it on CoinTalk.

 

I use a Google Form my wife put together which has fields in a form like setting. I find it faster to type in the fields than I ever could in Excel. The way it is set up though is that the form auto populates a Google Sheet which is an Excel spreadsheet. If I need to change info on a coin already entered I can go straight to the Sheet and edit just like Excel. The form is also editable in my Google Forms. If I need a new field for a new branch of my collection, it’s as simple as adding a field and typing the label.

All of it is stored in the cloud so I can access it anywhere even if my computer is gone. You upload photos which also get linked to the entry on the sheet.

 

Old thread, but it still comes up first in Google when people search this, so adding what I ended up doing. I went through the same evolution as half this thread: paper records first, then Airtable, which is basically the spreadsheet approach with nicer photos. Eventually I built my own web-based tool for ancient coins and opened it up to others (numis-lens.com, free tier, and full disclosure, I'm the developer). Two things in this thread shaped it. Broucheion and Carausius printing their own flip and tray tags: it does that, with a QR to the coin's page. And TIF's point that websites are not forever: everything exports back out to CSV and PDF, so if it ever disappears, you keep your records. For what it's worth, the humble spreadsheet is still undefeated for flexibility. Where it lost me was photos and RIC references.

 

This is how I use Excel. I created this program a long time ago and have kept up with it as new stuff comes in. I can't imagine doing it any other way for how I collect.

For ancients I use this page format. I like coin photography so I add pictures next to significant examples in the collection. I do not photograph everything.

I can click on any picture and expand it full screen if I want. I insert new rows then copy and paste the bordered data fields and adjust as necessary to add a new one in. Can scroll through and only look at ancients on this sheet.

I collect many different areas so I have many sheets along the bottom in this file. Can scroll left or right to the sheet and select that sheet to look at what I want. The totals sheet totals silver and gold (manually) and values for each sheet. It for sure does not keep up to the minute (or month) pricing but I adjust it to know close enough for my personal use. The bold numbers to the right in this photo are approximate silver weights, not that it matters for most of these but I keep track for fun.




Now say I want to look at my buffao nickels. Then I would just click on the Buff. Nickels tab and it brings up this scrollable sheet with a page break to keep the headers. This is more of a known, set number so this format works good for these. These are not all individually photographed. Just the album.



The key is you have to keep up with it. There are more tabs to the left not shown with various formats but it's all one file. Some will probably think this is advanced. For the Excel geeks I know they'd probably say I'm not utilizing it to it's full potential. I'm using it to the level I know. Most pages have formulas, some don't.

 

I've been working in a Word Document for a long time but I've begun moving to a homebrewed app (with the help of AI) to catalog the coins. It lets you upload coin images (which optionally it will remove the background of though it's currently too slow) and add all the attribution info (including a little clock to set the die axis and greek / phoenician / etc keyboard for legenfs, provenance record, notes, and other useful stuff, with csv output for excel import.

Still needs work but I'll probably just share it on github when I'm satisfied.