Coin Database

[carthago]

I created a coin database in that works really well for me.  It's done in Filemaker Pro, which is an Apple product but is platform agnostic and works on Windows as well as Mac.  There is a Filemaker Go version for iPads and iPhones which is handy when traveling to a coin show.  I started with one of the standard inventory management templates which is included with the program and modified it for coins instead of widgets.  I also completely re-arranged the screen to organize it in a way that works for me.

I have the ability to save up to 4 pictures per coin record (I can have as many as I want), which I use to track provenance photos.  On the one I'm showing here, that's a Haeberlin catalogue photo lurking in coin photo slot #2.  I can add, delete or modify any field in the database and also report off of them.  The latest field I've added is for Sydenahm rarity rating.  I need to someday add Babelon references and Campana for my social war denarii. 

I'm able to create PDF reports at the touch of a button that look like auction catalogues.

I was going to use an Access database but that's Windows only and I've got a lot of Apple products in my personal life so this was an ideal solution.  Perhaps this will give some of you ideas who have a compulsive need to organize your collection like I do. 

NB. You'll see some odd blanks or redactions where I've tried to sanitize the pictures to not talk about where I acquired the coins or what I paid for them to respect Forvm rules. 

[Carausius]

This is terrific, Carthago. I particulalrly like the catalogue style of your PDF report. I use Access myself, which I can share as a file with my windows tablet and via PDF reports with my phone.  Of couse, I don't get much functionality using PDFs on my phone.  I have not spent much time fine-tuning my report for a catalogue printout as you've done.  I also lump together my standard-catalogue citations, which is probably not ideal, as I'm not able to sort my collection by catalogue numbers.  I also like your idea of adding Sydenham rarity numbers - it would be fun to sort my collection by rarity.

[Mat]

That is cool, I really like it and thought about something like that myself, trouble is I rotate coins in my collection often so it gets outdated fast.

[carthago]

This is terrific, Carthago. I particulalrly like the catalogue style of your PDF report. I use Access myself, which I can share as a file with my windows tablet and via PDF reports with my phone.  Of couse, I don't get much functionality using PDFs on my phone.  I have not spent much time fine-tuning my report for a catalogue printout as you've done.  I also lump together my standard-catalogue citations, which is probably not ideal, as I'm not able to sort my collection by catalogue numbers.  I also like your idea of adding Sydenham rarity numbers - it would be fun to sort my collection by rarity.

Thanks Carausius.  The nice thing about Filemaker is that it has got a lot of templates that can be used as a starting point.  That catalogue was a template that I modified some. 

I just started to break out my citations recently, doing what you're doing up until then.  As I mentioned, Babelon should be next be my next project and I should even have a field for his rarity scale based on Francs.  Since I'm such a provenance hound, I'm thinking about breaking out provenance info into separate fields.

Like everything with our affliction, the project is never complete.

[Gilgamesh]

I do my database in Filemaker Pro too. Using a database means that you can change data as required and the file is portable. PDF is great for portability. I periodically make a pdf file to carry with me and store in various places. It is usually only a tenth of the file size of the database. A csv file is even smaller and worth doing. I used to use Access but gave it up some years ago when it got clunky. It's probably improved. The cross platform issue isn't significant for me but can be useful in sharing the data.

Mat, even if you do rotate your coins, a database will give you an ongoing record of what you have had over time. It is very easy to create a field to identify if something is currently in your collection or has moved on. A simple search will enable you to refine what you see to what you currently have (or had). A simple Y / N field is all that's required and simple to update as you dispose of coins.

It is also very useful to be able to define interfaces (what you see on the screen). I have a 'screen' interface and several others for selecting data for printing or sharing selected information. In these I can define what data fields are displayed - and how. It is a relatively simple task of selecting which of the database fields you want to display in a particular interface. Switching between interfaces is a button click (two actually).

I have to admit that I have never had, or been able to make, the time to properly fill all the data fields. The database enables me to progressively update (and correct errors entered in moments of particular daftness). If I relied on paper records, it would be a disaster situation. I wouldn't know what I have. Added to that, for portability I would need a trolley.

I did my first coin database on a Commodore 65 using Superbase II. Not so many coins then but it was still much superior to paper. In the early days, photos were a problem because of file size and computer speeds. I like Carthago's idea of photo fields for other images (i.e. the Haeberlin). Must give that some thought.

Carausius, you should be able to arrange a sort by catalogue numbers with Access. It can be a bit clunky with something like C. 262/28a (a hypothetical Crawford reference) but single numbers (e.g. Sear) are easy. I do three fields for my Crawford numbers then sort by the three fields in order (e.g. 262 28 a). They are simply defined as Cr1, Cr2, Cr3. Clunky as I say, but it works. I also do Sydenham, BMCRR, etc., but I'm even further behind on completing those.

Ted