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jaggy

The joys of re-cataloguing the collection

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Anyway, I upgraded my MacBook Pro to the new El Capitan operating system and, guess what, the software I had been using to catalogue my collection no longer worked. The data was there but, because of the limitations of the old software, I couldn't export it in any meaningful way.

The technical failure forced my hand but I had been unhappy about some of the lack of functionality in the old software and the failure of the developers to take it forward.

So I found some new software at around $20 and which has more than a few advantages over the old package. I can specific my own fields and call them what I want, I can import/export in industry standard formats and I can print off individual records and listings. 

More importantly, having to re-input each record - or each coin - gave me a chance to take a fresh look at my collection and at coins that have been sitting in the trays largely ignored as I plotted my next acquisitions.

And there were a few takeaways ....

1. Data was often incomplete and inconsistent from one coin to another. This exercise has allowed me to drive some consistency and identify where I need to spend more effort.

2. The latest ESC is a much better reference book than the previous edition. I had not realised how much better.

3. While most coins were what I thought they were, I did discover an unnoticed William III R5 in the mix. And, yes, I recognise that R5 is a fairly unscientific indication of rarity but I will take it!

4. Valuations can only be very approximate despite the best efforts of CCGB and the auction archives. Best to put a conservative valuation and then triple it for insurance purposes.

5. Some of my photos are awful and need to be redone preferably with a better lens and better lighting.

6. The importance of being able to export data in an industry standard format should not be downplayed. We are always at the mercy of the computer industry as new systems and standards creep into our world. The ability to recover data when the software no longer works is critical.

And, now, back to the data entry.

Edited by jaggy
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Thanks Jaggy for your input. I certainly agree with your points about the latest ESC, and valuations - which of course bring up many other issues. It also seems many issues/series/coins are in flux with varietals (except of course to our dear Penny and Farthing collectors) seemingly fading into insignificance with some elements of the American market, such as condition as determined by TPGs creeping in. What is a graded Fine 1848/7 6d worth, and compare that to the usual 48/6 in like condition and what has been the trend in that condition versus those of higher grade over the last 10, 15, or even nearly 25 years since the previous ESC?

Sorry for the digression...

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