https://imgur.com/gallery/tCnzX3f -- Video showing how coins are physically linked to my attributions on
Reddit*apologies for the
poor lighting*
One of the aspects of Ancients that I enjoy the most is the attributing process and specifically researching the culture and peoples that are/were connected to a particular coin. The internet plays a big
part for me in that process and although I very much enjoy opening a book to follow some research
thread, relying on a vast database of media as well as the insight and advice of others is paramount (in my process).
With all that said, the technology used here may not be for everyone but this technique is solving a few problems for this guy and I thought that doing a quick write up might
help someone else out. Assuming this continues to
work for me I will eventually have a proper tutorial put up on the pixelstix.com site where we place all of our project tutorials, (however niche this may be).
My biggest challenge with the attributing process today is what to do with the information that I've collected during my research. Following are some solutions that didn't
work for me in the past.
* trying to fit all the info within the 2x2
flip. A handwritten description is ideal to me but I could never fit all of the research on the tiny piece of paper. I suppose I could use larger paper and fold it up into the
flip but the images,
maps, Wiki Links -- There's no way to place it on the paper.
* reference no. on the paper in the
flip that references a database or spreadsheet entry. This fixed the problem of having a vast amount of info (including digital), but ultimately didn't
work for me because I found it inconvenient to have the information and coin in two separate places. Firstly, it was a disjointed experience when I wanted to just enjoy a coin that I
had previously done the research for and secondly I didn't have a smooth way to transfer that information to a friend or customer that may own the coin after me.
So what ended making the most sense was storing all of the digital information physically inside the
flip using
Reddit, Imgur, and PixelStix. The combination of the three do a lot. As you'll see I use
Reddit as a sort of public-forum data storage and Imgur is where I put my supporting media (large
maps, pictures of plates from digital research or pictures uploaded from my phone of books), and PixelStix is the tech that physically lives inside the
flip and provides the 'linkage' to my research. As one of the co-creators of PixelStix as well as an avid lover of
ancient coins - it was only an amount of time I suppose.
Here's my typical process.
***step 1*** Research. Coin in hand, all the typical vehicles are used to research and form an
attribution. For me, my goal is to come up with the basics. Where did it come from, when was it made, who's depicted on the
Obverse and who/what is depicted on the
Reverse. Of course during this process is where I seem to become enthralled and collect a lot more information that I ultimately want to preserve.
***step 2*** Post to
Reddit. I'll typically first post images of the coin to Imgur and then make my
Reddit posting an Image Link. I'll then place my
attribution as a comment to my own posting. This is really important because this is where others can
help by correcting any mistakes I may have made or even assist in the research. Any supporting media, like
maps that depict the ancient
area where the coin was struck should be also uploaded to Imgur and placed in the comment with the
standard Reddit link formatting. Oh, and you can edit it a bajillion times if you need. That's always helpful (as you'll see) for adding any extra information down the road. It's also important to point out that even though I'm researching a coin in my personal
collection the supporting information in these comments
help others learn and fall in love with the culture and people it represents. That's a really nice benefit!
***step 3*** Comment Tarting. This is a technical
bit I swear I will make much easier down the road. Today I grab the URL from the Permalink of my
Reddit comment that contains the
attribution and add it the api.pixelstix.com comment_tart script to make the comment-tart URL that we'll store on the PixelStix:
permalink example:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AncientCoins/comments/egmosw/anyone_recognize_this_thessalonica_goat_reverse/fc7kpeg/completed comment-tart URL example:
https://api.pixelstix.com/util/comment_tart.php?permalink=https://www.reddit.com/r/AncientCoins/comments/egmosw/anyone_recognize_this_thessalonica_goat_reverse/fc7kpeg/If you are following along this is a great time to put that URL in your browser and make sure it looks
good. It should have the title, a small thumbnail, (which links to the Imgur
gallery of coins images), and the
complete comment with your
attribution.
***step 4*** Assign the comment-tart URL to a PixelStix. Very easy to do but beyond the scope of this little tutorial and all of that info is on the pixelstix.com site. Basically you open the PixelStix app, touch your phone to it and it will ask what
type of content you'd like to store on it. Choose Link and paste the comment-tart URL to store it on the PixelStix. You can get PixelStix up at pixelstix.com or just DM me, ask nicely and I'll be happy to send you some if you pay the shipping. I love helping fellow collectors!
***Voila!*** Now you can put the PixelStix in the
flip under your coin. Usually there is no issue with the scanning happening through the coin. The only problem I've encountered is when the metal from the coin *completely* obstructs the PixelStix. In which case I just shift the coin so that the app can sense the technology.
As you can see in the video the end result is pretty much exactly what I was needing and although this sounds like a lot, I would recommend you to follow along for a coin or two and you'll see that all of these components are pretty easy to
work with once you get the hang of it.
Feel free to let me know if you use this method and what you think!