Novice collector question - software

What software would you recommend for tracking coin inventory?
While I'm a novice at his, I've inherited my uncles large coin
collection and I want to inventory it.
Jerry

"Jerry Ranch" wrote in message
...
What software would you recommend for tracking coin inventory?
While I'm a novice at his, I've inherited my uncles large coin
collection and I want to inventory it.
Jerry

If you do a Google search on software in this group, you will find lots of
recommendations and opinions. If you are a novice collector, however, the
first thing I would recommend would be to establish an understanding of how
the collection was organized or cataloged and how you would like to continue
to do so. Until you do that, attempting to use software, which always has
an additional learning curve, will be unnecessarily complicating your
situation.

John Baumgart

Jerry Ranch wrote:
What software would you recommend for tracking coin inventory?
While I'm a novice at his, I've inherited my uncles large coin
collection and I want to inventory it.
Jerry

Have a look at a recent thread here in this group that deals with this
subject:

http://groups.google.com/groups?dq=&...e556a7cd65379f

Happy New Year!

-=LDL

John
If my Uncle John had the collection organized, it has since been
disorganized during movement to storage, presumably. It was moved to
a large safe locker, and has sat undisturbed for 20 years. While much
is in individual envelopes, some in those mylar sheet holders, all the
denominations are scattered.
I even unearthed his old ANA membership pin.
I tend to be a software nerd, so the learning doesn't bother me..but I
do have many other hobbies, and coin collecting has not been one of
them. But my Uncle was a cool fellow and I have fond memories of him,
and I'd like to do the collection some justice (if it is warranted, of
course, by the value and uniqueness of the coins) in his honor.

CoinManage2003 and CoinTrack are two that I have experimented with the
past several days (free trial downloads). The former seems quite
useable for me now.

I did do a Google search and a few hits surfaced...I now have more
from the reply posts to this inquiry. But as a novice, I don't, and
can't know, what features of the various softwares would be valuable
for my use. I suppose I could just develop a simple Access database
and use publicatiosn to ascertain values.

I'll do some more evaluation and searching

Thanks
Jerry


"Jerry Ranch" wrote in message
.. .
What software would you recommend for tracking coin inventory?
While I'm a novice at his, I've inherited my uncles large coin
collection and I want to inventory it.
Jerry

If you do a Google search on software in this group, you will find lots of
recommendations and opinions. If you are a novice collector, however, the
first thing I would recommend would be to establish an understanding of how
the collection was organized or cataloged and how you would like to continue
to do so. Until you do that, attempting to use software, which always has
an additional learning curve, will be unnecessarily complicating your
situation.

"Jerry Ranch" wrote in message
...
John
If my Uncle John had the collection organized, it has since been
disorganized during movement to storage, presumably. It was moved to
a large safe locker, and has sat undisturbed for 20 years. While much
is in individual envelopes, some in those mylar sheet holders, all the
denominations are scattered.
I even unearthed his old ANA membership pin.
I tend to be a software nerd, so the learning doesn't bother me..but I
do have many other hobbies, and coin collecting has not been one of
them. But my Uncle was a cool fellow and I have fond memories of him,
and I'd like to do the collection some justice (if it is warranted, of
course, by the value and uniqueness of the coins) in his honor.

CoinManage2003 and CoinTrack are two that I have experimented with the
past several days (free trial downloads). The former seems quite
useable for me now.

I did do a Google search and a few hits surfaced...I now have more
from the reply posts to this inquiry. But as a novice, I don't, and
can't know, what features of the various softwares would be valuable
for my use. I suppose I could just develop a simple Access database
and use publicatiosn to ascertain values.

This is what I have done for myself and what I recommend to those that are
up to it. Although if CoinManage is working well for you now, then there's
really no need to develop a custom database at this time. If the time comes
when you need something else, Access is more flexible than any other coin
inventory program you can get, sine you can make it behave exactly as you
want. Be aware that every coin is unique, even at a given grade, and may
have attributes that cause it to be worth more or less (outstanding
eye-appeal is worth more, damage is worth less) than the typical coin for
that grade. This makes downloading a fixed value for a coin not an easy
thing to do, and not all that useful.

John Baumgart

I suppose I could just develop a simple Access database
and use publicatiosn to ascertain values.

Since you purport to be knowledgeable about these programs, then you already
have the most elegant and facile solution at hand.

Doing your own database is:
=far more flexible (canned programs are not as customizable),

=more accuate (publications will be necessary to ascertain values in any case,
because the canned programs are out-of-date as soon as they are published, and
they want to sell you updates)

=more elegant (you will get much more satisfaction out of your own,
easy-to-make dB than you will get trying to learn someobody's canned program).

Regards,
Tom

Jerry Ranch wrote in
:

What software would you recommend for tracking coin inventory?
While I'm a novice at his, I've inherited my uncles large coin
collection and I want to inventory it.
Jerry

I'm in the process of finding the "right" coin inventory software for
me, too. Since I'm not very adept at writing my own software programs,
nor do I want to spend the time learning to do so, I'm looking at some
of the canned packages.

I've tried a few of the software programs out there, and, to date, the
two that impress me the most are Coin Manage
(http://www.libertystreet.com/shots21.htm), and Coin Elite
(http://www.trovesoftware.com/index.html). Both seem to be excellent
programs, and I'm torn between the two. I think I might be leaning
toward Coin Manage, but I still have to play a bit more with both of
them.

If you'd like a list of the other programs I've tried, let me know, and
I can get them to you. I don't have the list with me today, but I can
get them to you soon.

Just my experience, YMMV.

--
Smile!!

Eric Babula
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Jerry Ranch wrote
What software would you recommend for tracking coin inventory?
While I'm a novice at his, I've inherited my uncles large coin
collection and I want to inventory it.
Jerry

You got some good answers and you seem to be on your way in a positive
sense. The programs you selected are market leaders for strong
reasons. There are many others. I hesitate to recommend one over
another, but since you are a programmer yourself, you might want to
look at Virtual Coin Cabinet II from Data ex Machina, just to see what
a good effort looks like. I have my own preferences for presentation,
style, and features, but VCC-2 has been making slow, quiet gains in
market share for some good reasons.

See:
http://www.coin-newbies.com/articles...e_newbies.html

Michael
Impartial and Prejudiced