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Author Topic: A different approach to attributing coins using Reddit, Imgur, and PixelStix  (Read 1509 times)

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Offline mwalker

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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!

Offline SC

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Very neat Matthew.  Interesting product itself and interesting application for collecting.

There was something on your site about this being used for a public gallery or something.  Does this mean that anyone with the app on their phone could get the information by touching a sticker, or can you chose privacy settings?  It would seem to be a great product for an art gallery or museum...

I am curious about what is in the sticker. Use use a standard phone so does it go by bluetooth?

I don't have a smart phone myself so am not as up to date on the latest tech.

SC
SC
(Shawn Caza, Ottawa)

Offline mwalker

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Sure, I'll do my best to answer the questions you had.

First, the PixelStix that people are putting all over the cities and making maps are a slightly different thing. After we made a version of our tech that could be plotted on a public map, people began using them for a variety of useful and weird things, e.g. scavenger hunts, walking art and history tours, etc.

Second is the sticker. Under the hood is a technology called NFC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-field_communication The PixelStix software is what does something useful with NFC for consumers and avid coin lovers such as myself. So a phone has to support NFC. All iPhones7 and above as well as about 1400 varieties of Android devices currently support NFC.

For me, closing the loop between the collaborative crowd-source nature of attributing coins today and the very personal experience of sitting down with a coin and pulling up all of its history and meaning is very rewarding.

Then again, I'm bit by the ancient Greek coin bug and stories and cultures of those lost civilizations are pretty enthralling so perhaps this lends itself more towards that experience.

Anyway, thanks for reading up this project!



Offline Kopperkid

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Can you use OneNote (Comes with Microsoft Office 365) to do this? You can capture images and quotes and the hyperlinks come with what you paste into your OneNote page.

 

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