Checklists To Take To Coin Show

That makes sense. It is alot of info.

Whitman publishes a Checklist of United States and Canadian coins. It doesn't list prices but instead has a series of boxes so you can check off that you have it and the grade you have.

House of Collectibles publishes The Official Black Book price guide to United States coins that is almost identical to what Seal006 is doing. The question is are the prices comparitable, but that it the problem with any price guide. You have to know the values to know if the prices in the book are accurate. And even if they are, after a little while they won't be.

No offense but Seal006 is basically re-inventing the wheel. If you do something like this the only way to really make it worthwhile is to also keep a constantly updated file of the prices that people could download and then use to update their inventory file so they don't have to constantly copy their data over to a new form every time you update the values. If I was going to do that in an excel format I would have the inventory file separate from the price files, then in the inventory file I would include a formula that copied the price file into the inventory file. Then when you want to update the prices on your list you just download the new price file for that series and have it overwrite the old price file. (As long as it has the same name.) Then when you open the inventory file the next time it will load the new prices but all your data will still be there. and you can print off a new copy if you want.

The problem is I doubt Seal006 would want the full time job of keeping all the prices up to date.

Not to sound pessimistic but I suspect that idea has been already done. And it has a name. It's called the Grey Sheet.
Such checklists are OK for someone just starting out. However, for some it is just a waste of time since it would have to be modified continuously. About Every third I go to a coin show I almost have to make a new list. I change my mine as to what I'm looking for, then must delete coins I've now purchased, add new coins I forgot before, etc. My lists are what I need, another of what I'd like to have, one of possible ones but may not be afordable.
Also, any prices listed on such a list are way to vague as to reality. Prices change from area to area, dealer to dealer, rareness of coins and many other things. If you go to a coin store or coin show and expect to find a certain coin for a certain price based on such a list, might as well just carry the Grey Sheet.

Of course taking 200 reference books to a coin show is impractical. However, you could take 75 to 100 or are you just lazy? Just kidding. 50 would suffice.
I'm curious though. Where did you purchase a 10X magnifying glass made of cloth?

I tried what you suggested last night. It works great as long as the original has not been manipulated.

I believe in modern technology.

I use my Blackberry to look up info, if needed at a coin show.

I also keep a "have list" and a "need list" in the Memo Pad app.

I do the same thing with my Droid, as previously mentioned here and here.

I understand what you are saying, Carl, but some does care about the prices I put on my lists. ME. If a dealer has a coin I need, he is not obligated to sell it to me. Likewise, I am not obligated to buy it from him/her. If a dealer show or store has a coin that is on my list and is in a condition that suits my needs I will buy it. So long as it is close to what I have put as a value on my list. If it is way over the price I put down I will make an offer. The dealer can accept, decline, or counter offer. That is one of the fun aspects of this hobby. If a dealer has a high percentage invested in that coin they may not want to budge off the price, or as I have done, realize I made a mistake by putting to much in it, and sell for less just to move the coin. These lists I make are not etched in stone. They are merely a reference tool I use in order to keep myself from spending too much on a coin, or buying one I did not need. Now impulse buys are a whole different story.