How do you manage/track and keep a handle on your collection

[markf31]

In my younger days, and days of the baseball card bubble of the Early 1990's I had bought and used the Card Collector software to document my collection and I was a regular subscriber to their quarterly price and data updates as I collected current issues and needed to stay current on all the new sets.

As I have recently revived my interest in the hobby after 20 years and now collect vintage and pre-war cards, I no longer have a need for the Card Collector software and I have been slowly pulling together an excel spreadsheet as my vintage collection has started to grow.

How do you track your collection? How extensive is your database and what kind of information do you track?

Would enjoy hearing your thoughts and ideas!

[t206blogcom]

Excel spreadsheets. I mainly collect T206, so I have the players name, back, where I got the card or from whom, price paid, and grade (for graded cards) or description of card if raw. I have similar spreadsheets for my W512s, 34 Goudeys and T210s.

[Scott T]

I have a master spreadsheet for all of my sets on Excel. I wish there was something else, but I ahven't been able to find anything that encompasses the breadth of pre-war cards.

[kcohen]

I don't. It's a disorganized mess. One advantage though is the occasional pleasure of rummaging through the cards and finding one that I didn't remember I had.

[jcmtiger]

The only way I was able to organize my collection was to start selling off a little at a time. And limit my collection to a small group of cards.

Joe

[brob28]

Excel spreadsheets & a big closet with a safe in it. I just use the spreadsheets for set building and to make sure I don't buy a card I already have, yep, I've done that twice now.

[frankbmd]

Things to Consider when creating your Spreadsheet(s) or Data Base

Number of Acquisition
Date of Acquisition
Name and Pose
Type
Team
Images (may dropped into spreadsheet cells on my Mac)*
Number in Set (if applicable)
Back Type (if applicable)
Grading Co. (if applicable)
Grade (Given or Raw Estimate)
Serial No of Graded card
Variation or subset
HOF
Southern Leagues
Cost
Duplicates (Y/N)
Keepers
Traders with Value
Storage Location
Need List
Date of Sale
Price

All of the above categories may be sorted
Alphabetical
By Type
By Team
By grade
By Back
By Cost
By Type
By Storage Location
etc, etc, etc
Various sorts can be restored if a numerical index column is created for each sort

*Images slow down file manipulation and I use them only on my storage spreadsheet.

Having said all this, I maintain multiple spreadsheets which although cumbersome allows me to answer questions I have and/or find cards more quickly, without sorting and unsorting continually. Data entry in 10-12 different locations does require more time though. Consistent columns of basic info facilitates copying and pasting to multiple spreadsheets

If you have boxes and closets full of cards and want to start this process, set aside a couple of months.

It is nice to know what you have, where it is and what it is worth.

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by kcohen

I don't. It's a disorganized mess. One advantage though is the occasional pleasure of rummaging through the cards and finding one that I didn't remember I had.

Hi Ken - I'm in your boat, unfortunately! But, the downside, as Bill Roberts mentioned earlier, is acquiring duplicates unintentionally, which I have done more than once! I no longer say "one of these days I'm going to create Excel spreadsheets" - rather, I now say "one of these years ..."!!
Best,
Val

[benderbroeth]

Originally Posted by kcohen

I don't. It's a disorganized mess. One advantage though is the occasional pleasure of rummaging through the cards and finding one that I didn't remember I had.

this has been working for me for years!!!

[SetBuilder]

I use an abacus and a typewriter.