New Coin Tech! 2 2

[Jason Abshier]

I collect a lot of world coins mostly focus on German coinage and medals  I collect graded and raw both . I have a log book I write down certification number , grade , date of purchase, how much I paid or won it at an auction at the time , also keep every receipts as proof of purchase as well … all hand written !

Then I take photo of each coin obverse and reverse picture of the whole slab front and back then a close up picture of the coin in holder as well , I keep all the pictures on 2 flash drives for better insurance , I have a separate log book for when I sell a coin (which I rarely ever do , and if I do sell a coin it’s only for upgraded coin replacement purposes only) … it’s old school data keeping and cataloging but it works for me 

[VKurtB]

On 9/12/2023 at 7:59 PM, Jason Abshier said:

I collect a lot of world coins mostly focus on German coinage and medals  I collect graded and raw both . I have a log book I write down certification number , grade , date of purchase, how much I paid or won it at an auction at the time , also keep every receipts as proof of purchase as well … all hand written !

Then I take photo of each coin obverse and reverse picture of the whole slab front and back then a close up picture of the coin in holder as well , I keep all the pictures on 2 flash drives for better insurance , I have a separate log book for when I sell a coin (which I rarely ever do , and if I do sell a coin it’s only for upgraded coin replacement purposes only) … it’s old school data keeping and cataloging but it works for me 

I smiled while reading this post. It has it all. When going “high tech”, I have found, turns one from a coin geek into a computer geek. No thank you. I don’t want to spend my coin time screwing around with tech. Heck, I can barely stand THIS tech. 

Edited September 13, 2023 by VKurtB

[VKurtB]

I got so sick l started managing my own Ubuntu server. Now THAT’S a sickness!

[ldhair]

It's too late for me to move my collection to a new site or program. I keep a lot of notes that would have to be moved over. I have 15 to 20 fields of data on each coin right now. Using rough math, it would take me over 500 hours of work to move everything over. I'm too old to take on such a task. The free time I have now is going towards imaging and having fun.  

[samclemen3991]

To the fellow creating this site I would like to offer one small piece of advice.  Don't be like Coin World.  About 20 years ago the Coin World publication put up a site for collectors to use for inventory and reference purposes.  It was not an easy site to use.  Yet I put a huge number of hours into logging in my entire collection.

One day I went to log in a coin and the site simply was not there.  I had been there the previous day and thought they might be doing some sort of maintenance.  So I call Coin World to find out when it might be back up and the fellow tells me they got rid of it.  NO WARNING, NO CHANCE TO PRINT OUT INFO NOTHING,

In disbelief I told the fellow I had spent ungodly hours filling in that information.  He said, "To bad for you".  Then hung up.  I cancelled my subscription instantly.  Every since when they call or send a renew offer I throw it in the garbage and say, "To bad for you."

If you get this off the ground and it looks looks it is going to fail (Don't take that personal I have been in business for 40 years not everything works) PLEASE tell people so they can save their efforts.  James

[VKurtB]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:54 AM, samclemen3991 said:

To the fellow creating this site I would like to offer one small piece of advice.  Don't be like Coin World.  About 20 years ago the Coin World publication put up a site for collectors to use for inventory and reference purposes.  It was not an easy site to use.  Yet I put a huge number of hours into logging in my entire collection.

One day I went to log in a coin and the site simply was not there.  I had been there the previous day and thought they might be doing some sort of maintenance.  So I call Coin World to find out when it might be back up and the fellow tells me they got rid of it.  NO WARNING, NO CHANCE TO PRINT OUT INFO NOTHING,

In disbelief I told the fellow I had spent ungodly hours filling in that information.  He said, "To bad for you".  Then hung up.  I cancelled my subscription instantly.  Every since when they call or send a renew offer I throw it in the garbage and say, "To bad for you."

If you get this off the ground and it looks looks it is going to fail (Don't take that personal I have been in business for 40 years not everything works) PLEASE tell people so they can save their efforts.  James

This is the essential problem in software built by a tiny team of coders. No succession plan. A key person dies, and so does the software maintenance. I once worked for a computer dealership that was co-located with a software firm that made MAGNIFICENT terminal emulation and 3-D graphing software (Versaterm and Kaleidograph). The entire company was three people in essence. One day, the husband and wife team just got tired of doing it, and POOF, no software support, no updates, nada. Company gone. No succession plan. There are things FAR more important than having the coolest product, like having a way to protect your customer’s investment. They’re “stakeholders” too. So many apps just disappear. It’s the software business’ “original sin”.

Edited September 14, 2023 by VKurtB

[RaritiesValue.com]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:54 AM, samclemen3991 said:

To the fellow creating this site I would like to offer one small piece of advice.  Don't be like Coin World.  About 20 years ago the Coin World publication put up a site for collectors to use for inventory and reference purposes.  It was not an easy site to use.  Yet I put a huge number of hours into logging in my entire collection.

One day I went to log in a coin and the site simply was not there.  I had been there the previous day and thought they might be doing some sort of maintenance.  So I call Coin World to find out when it might be back up and the fellow tells me they got rid of it.  NO WARNING, NO CHANCE TO PRINT OUT INFO NOTHING,

In disbelief I told the fellow I had spent ungodly hours filling in that information.  He said, "To bad for you".  Then hung up.  I cancelled my subscription instantly.  Every since when they call or send a renew offer I throw it in the garbage and say, "To bad for you."

If you get this off the ground and it looks looks it is going to fail (Don't take that personal I have been in business for 40 years not everything works) PLEASE tell people so they can save their efforts.  James

@VKurtB @samclemen3991

 

Great advice, and very valid points. That is a clear concern for us as well not only from a business perspective but from the perspective of someone who actually cares about our users. We have developed an exporting option already which will allow you to download all items in inventory to a spreadsheet in the event you would like to leave our platform, or if something happens to us. Right now we are focused on making a business that can be sustainable, but that requires users and more importantly paying users. 

The exporting feature will go live in our next batch of updates. We will continue to create these features based on what you as a user are interested in.

We have enough cash to continue operations for the foreseeable future. As for our team, we are young and trying to learn as we go! You bring up a great point about succession. Barring any unexpected major event or tragedy, I am committed to providing notice to users and would make attempts to secure user data should the business and website fail. 

Thank you for your concern. 

[RaritiesValue.com]

On 9/13/2023 at 8:33 AM, ldhair said:

It's too late for me to move my collection to a new site or program. I keep a lot of notes that would have to be moved over. I have 15 to 20 fields of data on each coin right now. Using rough math, it would take me over 500 hours of work to move everything over. I'm too old to take on such a task. The free time I have now is going towards imaging and having fun.  

I understand! We are working on an import feature which would allow you to put in your current spreadsheet and easily upload your coins to the platform. Of course this is totally your call but I see the problem you are presenting and we are constantly working on improvements. Thanks for the comment

 

[RaritiesValue.com]

On 9/10/2023 at 12:32 PM, zadok said:

...yes...its called paper, usually rectangular n mostly thin in thickness, can be written on with pencils of which r cylindrical in length round or with faces composed of wood with a graphite core, used to annotate on the paper coins in possession of or needed, can be carried or stored in safe places, impervious to electrical outages, hacking, electronic snooping n free of surcharges or fees, strong points r privacy n secure from unauthorized surveillance, weak points r cockroaches, mildew n fire....

why anyone would want to make available an itemized list of their coins in a "cloud" or other managed atmosphere where it can be observed n which can be blocked to ones access either intentionally or by grid failure is beyond me...yes registry sets obviously r public information, but they r openly made public by the owners for whatever reasons n yes, they can perform as inventories of ones coins at the same time...collectors should be vigilant of making accessible inventories of anything...have u ever heard of subpoenas?....

If you have a highly private collection and are concerned to the point of subpoenas and grid failures, I think you require something far beyond what we are trying to build. I won't lie to you, this might be for the more casual collector or dealer! However, I would challenge you and suggest that digitally storing records in addition to paper copies may be more secure. We are consistently working and improving security and transparency with user data. Our business model currently comes from subscriptions and not from using or selling your coin collection data. 

I think losing, or having physical copies damaged is a much more problematic scenario than digital assets. Our export feature allows you to backup your collection on a spreadsheet locally to your device if you choose. You could download a spreadsheet and backup your collection at any time and that information will be stored off the cloud on your computer if you so choose. 

[zadok]

On 9/14/2023 at 12:41 PM, RaritiesValue.com said:

If you have a highly private collection and are concerned to the point of subpoenas and grid failures, I think you require something far beyond what we are trying to build. I won't lie to you, this might be for the more casual collector or dealer! However, I would challenge you and suggest that digitally storing records in addition to paper copies may be more secure. We are consistently working and improving security and transparency with user data. Our business model currently comes from subscriptions and not from using or selling your coin collection data. 

I think losing, or having physical copies damaged is a much more problematic scenario than digital assets. Our export feature allows you to backup your collection on a spreadsheet locally to your device if you choose. You could download a spreadsheet and backup your collection at any time and that information will be stored off the cloud on your computer if you so choose. 

...basically true...but everything digitally stored or cloud associated is retrievable from external sources...every keystroke...ill just have to buy extra fire extinguishers n pray...but good luck on providing a competitive repository source for collectors not as skeptical as myself....

[VKurtB]

On 9/14/2023 at 12:11 PM, zadok said:

...basically true...but everything digitally stored or cloud associated is retrievable from external sources...every keystroke...ill just have to buy extra fire extinguishers n pray...but good luck on providing a competitive repository source for collectors not as skeptical as myself....

Our skepticism is hard coded into our demographic. Coin collectors trend older. Even those of us who WERE THE ORIGINAL COMPUTER GEEKS, eventually get over it as we age and experience the considerable downside of computer dependence. I appreciate tech less and less with every passing month. I am pretty darned close to literally hating tech now. And I haven’t even told my first kid to get off my lawn yet. I wrote scads and scads of code in the 80’s and 90’s. I got over it. Some of the most severely wasted time in my life. As tech got more capable, its most robust increase in capability became destroying privacy, mine and everybody else’s. I will NEVER forgive the tech industry for that loss of privacy. Would I willingly go back to the 1960’s and 1970’s, knowing what I know now? Abso-stinking-lutely! 

Edited September 14, 2023 by VKurtB

[ldhair]

On 9/14/2023 at 11:36 AM, RaritiesValue.com said:

I understand! We are working on an import feature which would allow you to put in your current spreadsheet and easily upload your coins to the platform. Of course this is totally your call but I see the problem you are presenting and we are constantly working on improvements. Thanks for the comment

 

That might work but I'm not using a spreadsheet. The software I'm using makes your new platform look like a toy. 

[VKurtB]

On 9/14/2023 at 4:00 PM, ldhair said:

That might work but I'm not using a spreadsheet. The software I'm using makes your new platform look like a toy. 

Is it a relational database? Flat file? A front end on a commercial database product? At the PA state capitol, everyone who wanted to import from or export to a flat file database or spreadsheet came to me to write the import/export for them. Most people who work in governments are amazingly untalented people. 

Edited September 15, 2023 by VKurtB

[RaritiesValue.com]

On 9/14/2023 at 12:11 PM, zadok said:

...basically true...but everything digitally stored or cloud associated is retrievable from external sources...every keystroke...ill just have to buy extra fire extinguishers n pray...but good luck on providing a competitive repository source for collectors not as skeptical as myself....

I appreciate your comments! Will return the prayer and hope you never have to worry about the fire extinguishers

[RaritiesValue.com]

On 9/14/2023 at 3:36 PM, VKurtB said:

Our skepticism is hard coded into our demographic. Coin collectors trend older. Even those of us who WERE THE ORIGINAL COMPUTER GEEKS, eventually get over it as we age and experience the considerable downside of computer dependence. I appreciate tech less and less with every passing month. I am pretty darned close to literally hating tech now. And I haven’t even told my first kid to get off my lawn yet. I wrote scads and scads of code in the 80’s and 90’s. I got over it. Some of the most severely wasted time in my life. As tech got more capable, its most robust increase in capability became destroying privacy, mine and everybody else’s. I will NEVER forgive the tech industry for that loss of privacy. Would I willingly go back to the 1960’s and 1970’s, knowing what I know now? Abso-stinking-lutely! 

This is an interesting and certainly valid perspective! I will admit that I lack any experience of computers and the tech atmosphere of the 80's or 90's. I hope that I can help lead my generation in building secure and trusted platforms to enhance collecting. I think it's where the world and hobby are headed. I would not want losing an entire generation of collectors to be the result. 

[RaritiesValue.com]

On 9/14/2023 at 4:00 PM, ldhair said:

That might work but I'm not using a spreadsheet. The software I'm using makes your new platform look like a toy. 

What is the name of the platform you use? I would love to check it out!

[Hoghead515]

On 9/14/2023 at 1:11 PM, zadok said:

...basically true...but everything digitally stored or cloud associated is retrievable from external sources...every keystroke...ill just have to buy extra fire extinguishers n pray...but good luck on providing a competitive repository source for collectors not as skeptical as myself....

Same here. I use paper also. Im still yet to buy my first computer. Never owned one. My son has a lap top I use sometimes. Not very good with it though. I use my phone to get on this website. I also put a few coins on NGC registry. It helps to keep track of several of my certified coins. I keep all my coins recorded on paper in a zip up 5 star note book. I keep it in a fire proof safe. I also keep all the reciepts of coins I purchased in the safe. I keep a mean wife watching over the safe.

Im learning a little more each day about websites and technology. Im light years behind most people my age with computers. One question I have @RaritiesValue.com. Can you access your website by phone or do you have to use a computer? 

[numisport]

I used to know how to use a keypunch machine. Remember 88 column IBM cards. Well never mind 

[RaritiesValue.com]

On 9/18/2023 at 6:30 PM, Hoghead515 said:

Same here. I use paper also. Im still yet to buy my first computer. Never owned one. My son has a lap top I use sometimes. Not very good with it though. I use my phone to get on this website. I also put a few coins on NGC registry. It helps to keep track of several of my certified coins. I keep all my coins recorded on paper in a zip up 5 star note book. I keep it in a fire proof safe. I also keep all the receipts of coins I purchased in the safe. I keep a mean wife watching over the safe.

Im learning a little more each day about websites and technology. Im light years behind most people my age with computers. One question I have @RaritiesValue.com. Can you access your website by phone or do you have to use a computer? 

Hello! You can access https://www.raritiesvalue.com on your smartphone, yes! It would work just as if you are viewing any website on your phone. I would recommend using a computer for the best experience but the option is there. Also, we hope to be working on a mobile app sometime in the near future but I don't have a timeline for that yet. 

[Henri Charriere]

On 9/21/2023 at 4:20 PM, RaritiesValue.com said:

Hello! You can access https://www.raritiesvalue.com on your smartphone, yes!....

I don't own a computer and don't have a smartphone.  What I do have is what I jokingly refer to as a borrowed rotary dumbphone.  🤣

[J P M]

On 9/21/2023 at 5:32 PM, Henri Charriere said:

I don't own a computer and don't have a smartphone.  What I do have is what I jokingly refer to as a borrowed rotary dumbphone.  🤣

No PC and No smartphone ? How do you get on to the NGC Forum............Telepathy   

[Henri Charriere]

On 9/21/2023 at 7:12 PM, J P M said:

No PC and No smartphone ? How do you get on to the NGC Forum............Telepathy   

Ancient Android.  🤣

[RaritiesValue.com]

Thank you to those who are following this thread! We just pushed a batch of updates per feedback!