I've been thinking about getting some coin software and see a couple of people like Coin Manage and one user likes Pro-Coin. I checked out both websites and am sort of leaning towards Pro-Coin. I need something easy to use, not complicated, and easy to learn. What do you think? I don't mean to hijack the thread but I didn't want to start a new coin software thread so soon.
I use coin manage. software is ok. not for the larger collection however. Data seems to get moved around a bit on occasions. Pictures disappear. Any customization you do to it gets wiped out if you upgrade to a newer version. Alot of double coins listed and alot of coins that have no meaning or bearing are listed as well. I purchased the 05 version, got it the way I wanted it, deleted all the double entries, fixed pricing etc. Upgraded to 06 and all was lost, it put all the extra garbage back in. Tried it again when I upgraded to 07, same thing. Won't be upgrading again. I did add the Presidential Dollars and I guess there is no way to put that category under the Sackies so my dollar list starts with Presidential then goes back to Liberty Seated then moves through the different series. For whatever reason they have listed the American Eagle Silver Coins under the dollar section as well. Tons of typo's all over the place. Ya, maybe I am anal about things like that, but I expected more when I made the purchase. The reports are pretty lame, you have to customize them to fit your needs and if your not an access programmer forget it. Program has potential but without the ability to drag and drop or move "collections" it pretty much more of a pain then it is helpful. Support is sporadic at best. Other than that, the GUI is nice, interesting that you can add World Coins in the database Editor. That does sort! If I were to start all over again I would try Coin Elite. Coin Manage I give a D.... (Only because its cheap, but your getting what you paid for) Now on a good note, I spoke with Coin Elite people and because of the size of my database they are willing to help me with the import from Coin Manage into their product. Still pondering if I want to spend the time on it though.
You can use CoinManage for 30 days free and Pro_coin appears to have a demo version as well. I suggest you download both, give them a try, and see which one better suits your needs.
exact change All:" I use a product called Exact Change by Wildman software. Overall the software is very good! It has over 19000 images of coins from around the round. The company is very good to work with and are receptive to recommended improvements! Here is the link: http://www.exactchange.info/
I use Exact Change; I really think it is a worthwhile program. Very easy to use, very intuative controls etc. It's reports feature is great and customizable. I am still in the process of adding coins and this will take a considerable amount of time but I think it is great overall. I have used Coin Manage and other program in the past. Coin Manage is a nice program but I would only caution you about changing the coins they have already in their database. I deleted several coins and moved coins from one category to another. Then I did there update and it re-added the coins that I deleted and or moved. So all the time I spent getting the database the way that I wanted it was lost. Exact change comes on a DVD, primarily because the program contains over 20,000 images. It is suited for both U.S. and World coin collections . Exact Change has the capability of the user adding categories and customs reports (along with many pre-defined ones). It has all the bells and whistles of the major programs plus more. To top it all off Exact Change has customer service that I believe is second to none. They answer your questions promptly and usually the next day. They have frequent updates which by the way are FREE forever! They are also very receptive to their customers suggestions for improving the software. At $79.00 including free updates I don't believe there is a more reasonably price Coin Collecting Software program out there. Recently Wildman Software (Exact Change) introduced a bundle for $94.95 that includes the new Krause 3 DVD set of World Coin Catalogs. Give Exact Change a look, I don't believe you will be disappointed but you will have a little less money in your wallet. Also they now have a trial version that you can download to try for free. Website http://www.exactchange.info/index.htm
I use Excel because I can customize it for my needs. I use i alot of work, so why use it for my hobby.
Spreadsheets work great. I keep everything in OpenOffice.org Calc. Furthermore, I have a Nokia N800 (PDA sized, called an Internet Tablet) with the Gnumeric spreadsheet so I can have it with me at all times. I mainly use that to have when I am looking for low grade coins to fit in coin folders at coin shops or flea markets.
I like creating my own spreadsheet so I can have flexibility in my design, equations, etc. Now what would be great is if I can link my sheet to a grey sheet listing or retail listing on the web, which automatically provide lastest price updates.
I use MS Access instead of Excel, because I can photograph my coins and put the images in the coin's record in the database. Plus, since I built the database, I can modify, add new columns as needed, etc.
I use Pro-Coin 2008 and love it. I have tried Coin Manage and Currency Manage, both of which had problems, little support and I really didn't like them. I do know that the developers for Pro-Coin are working on a new 2009 version with a new back-end for their database (this is to allow a better report management within the software). They are fixing some issues and adding some other items. I also know that they are adding a currency module and I can't wait to see how it comes out. I have gotten free updates on the software from them, quick response on issues and have had email chats with one of the developers...... A really nice program for the cost. :loud: Smaugy......any questions on the program just PM me....
While I do like the Liberty Street programs, I have to agree with you about the support issues. I own three of their programs (CoinManage, StampManage, and CurrencyManage) and after sending repeated emails about an issue I was having with StampManage, I just gave up. That was weeks if not months ago.
I use Excel as it gives the option of making changes, adding in new features & you can also give a link to the photos. Works fine even with large collections. Not sure if its reliabe after few years. Any coments from the person using it for a few years would be welcome. Regards
I downloaded Coin Manage, but found it too difficult to use. I decided to write my own web site to track coins, because I want to be able to enter the PCGS serial number, and have the site categorize the coin for me - you know, get all the details entered without having to type them! Then I am going to calculate face values, PCGS values, the cost of the coins and a true fair market value for everything entered. The site is pretty close to "live," but I would love it if a few people would want to BETA test it soon. I think it will be ready to go in early October. If you are interested in trying it, just send me an e-mail and I will set you up an account. Thanks!
I like to use the My Collection feature on Heritage's website. It is a little difficult to navigate but it allows you to group in as many subfolders as you want and it displays the current price guides as well as photo attachment capability. It is not very useful if you want to run reports or analysis on your collection. The best part about it is that you don't need to back it up. If you computer crashes, you have not lost anything.
I started using Coin Elite years ago and it's worth the cost to have a program that can handle anything, right out of the box. The built in data base of US coins makes it really fast adding new coins. You can add sets, all at one time and pull anything you wish about a coin to a single window. It's worth checking out.
They're Canadian. If the e-mail doesn't work, maybe snail mail might have more impact : Liberty Street Software[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] P.O. Box 11714 Markland Wood Postal Outlet Etobicoke, ON Canada [/FONT]M9C 5S2
Wow I just watched the Exact Change Video. It looks like it is much better software than CoinManage. I have only used CoinManage for a few weeks, but I think I'm going to change. Exact Change that is
