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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Stork, post: 3124754, member: 71642&quot;][USER=19463]@dougsmit[/USER] I had to think awhile on your excellent post and comments.&nbsp; I made up a long, long answer.&nbsp; But, basically it came down to what was I trying to do with my coding system.&nbsp; With more thought I realized I was trying to do 2 different things and mixing them up into one identifier.</p><p><br /></p><p>The shorter answer is the primary use is to give me a personal catalog number so I can locate the paperwork for each coin in an organized (!) fashion.&nbsp; Like what [USER=84744]@Severus Alexander[/USER] posted.&nbsp; For that I fell back on a multi-digit system type familiar from my military days.&nbsp; A two number prefix to designate one of 10 smaller categories, then using the database generated record number to sort the envelopes within the 10 categories.&nbsp; In my example 20 is for ancients.&nbsp; I&#039;ll have two digits for Japan, Albania, other World, US, medals/tokens, and whatever else strikes my fancy.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I can always subdivide further to 21, 22, etc. if I ever get enough of a collection.&nbsp; The software makes renumbering relatively simple if it had to be done.</p><p><br /></p><p>The longer version of the answer addresses what you brought up...making the system add more information.&nbsp; Not needed for the simple records tracking, but for the program itself.&nbsp; I had added the letters to my selection not entirely sure what I would do with them, but you brought up some great options.&nbsp; I was going in the general direction of an identifier...but really the program sorts the coins that way already.&nbsp; Using the letters to ID the camera used is brilliant.</p><p><br /></p><p>My last letter is a grade of how awesome the coin is on a visceral level.&nbsp; A few As are expected.&nbsp; Bs are excellent.&nbsp; D is dreck. F is fail/sell.&nbsp; That leaves C for lesser duplicates and things to pare down.&nbsp; That is a separate field in the database so I can pull them up that way anytime I want.&nbsp; Not really needed for tracking my paperwork though. </p><p><br /></p><p>I already have the primary sorting field so far as Greek, Roman Republic, Roman Provincial, and Roman Imperial (handily provided by the tags/seller/listing for the most part).&nbsp; My secondary field is generally what followed on the tag--THRACE, Abdera, or Probus for example.&nbsp; Under the first sort, the coins will sort out that way.&nbsp; I can redesignate what I want as the sorting field order at any time.&nbsp; I&#039;m thinking if I want to move Byzantine to the bottom I&#039;ll give it a sorting field of zByzantine.&nbsp; I can perhaps use those three letters I don&#039;t know exactly what to do with and use that for the sorting too.</p><p><br /></p><p>You give some very interesting food for thought though, and thankfully using this program makes instituting change a little more palatable.&nbsp; But the more I can figure out with 20 coins vs. 200 the better. </p><p><br /></p><p>All this is why I post--get (and hopefully give) ideas on how to make a personal system better for oneself![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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