Coin Collecting Software - Any Recommendations?

to the Community, BriHeller!

Yesterday the ANA had a new e-learning seminar covering this topic over zoom. It is the last seminar listed on this page titled: "Documenting Your Collection: Motives and Methods for Keeping Records of Your Collection"

https://info.money.org/elearning-re...cd4aaf8f3e82

It should be available soon on their YouTube channel keep checking back it usually takes them 10-14 days to get it posted after editing. Instructor Tim Ferreira covered most of these software packages and rolling your own, reasons why we all need to do this and covered everything from record keeping using a plain old paper notebook to online cloud storage. It was basic but still good.

I myself roll my own as my collections are quite different than most. I collect primarily one series of coin ( Two Cent Pieces) and have hundreds if not thousands of them that all need records kept showing very slight variations between each of them with photographs and accessible online or offline on mobile devices for use at coin shows. So I write my own Filemaker Pro databases, not ideal but works for me, others I know build with excel or Open Office, which is harder to learn, but much more flexible in the long run.

My original sheets have:

Year, Mint, Variety (when necessary), Value, Date (found or purchased), Paid, Grade, Notes (where bought or found, known provenance, etc.)


When I started collecting graded Ikes I altered the columns for that sheet:

Year, Mint, Variety, Value, Purchased (date), Paid, Grade, TPG (PCGS, NGC, etc), Registration (number on slab), Seller (where I bought).

I also track with excel but I would prefer a simple software program where I could keep multiple pictures of my coins, save purchase price, varieties, notes and update values , upload info to a cloud all in one package. And I want it iPhone friendly.
A few years ago I used a version of USA Coins that's apparently no longer available that I liked a lot. I lost the phone I had it loaded on. I can't believe I can't find anything in one simple package.

A couple of years ago, I changed careers and decided to get into web development. While learning, I made a coin collecting site. I thought nothing of it, but then today I checked the database and their are about 80 people who signed up for it. Nobody is using it, because it's really bad, but if anyone is interested, I'd love to start over with it and make it good.

The site is http://www.coininv.org I need to warn you that it's not good, but I have most of the US coins on there.

Like @jbuck, my Excel sheets have changed over the years. I changed my spreadsheets a few years ago to use dropdown boxes. They are great time-savers.

My Excel spreadsheets currently have the following fields:

Number (auto-generated unique number, starting with 0000001)
Acquisition Date (format: 2021.09.04 etc.)
Denomination (0.005 to 20.00, dropdown)
Major Type (dropdown)
Minor Type (dropdown, default is blank)
Year (text entry)
Mint (dropdown)
Quantity (dropdown, default is "1" and options include roll, bag, and other. I use notes if other is selected.)
Grade (dropdown, with numerical or letter code choices)
Slab (dropdown; default is "Raw")
Certification Number (text entry)
Designation (dropdown)
Variety (text entry)
Seller/Source (I use a personal coding system)
Basis [Purchase price] (text entry, rounded to whole dollar)
Sale price (text entry, rounded to whole dollar)
Profit or Loss [formula]
Tax year (dropdown)
Sale date (format: 2021.09.04 etc.)
Purchaser (I use a personal coding system)
Commissioned purchase ("Yes" dropdown, no answer as default)
Notes (text box)
Notes 2 (text box)

My unique identifying number matches digital file folders with PDF scans of invoices and coin purchase and sale photos. These are the proof I need of the coin's condition, that the coin sold was the same coin purchased, and profit or loss.

Bulk coins (such as solid date rolls of common coins or generic rolls of junk silver) are entered as a group.

All of this information is backed up in the cloud and on hard drives, one of which is stored offsite. All of the actual coins are stored offsite (out of state, in fact), for security reasons, but my digital files provide all the information I need. With this information, and Greysheet, I can value any coin quickly. I don't use any valuation software, because it isn't updated enough and rarely reflects the actual market.