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Catalog a collection?

A

ajf.350d

Well-Known Member
How do people here catalog their collections?
Really want somethingon my computer so I can easily add and search.
I am thinking of using something like Excel or Access on my PC but could do with some hints on the best way!
I work with PCs every day but not so hot at databases or spreadsheets. :)

Andrew
 
I catalog my collection in the same manner that we catalog training aids at work. We use and Excel spreadsheet with one worksheet for each stock class. The stock classes are broken down as follows:
1300 Ammunition General
1305 Ammunition through 30mm
1310 Ammunition over 30mm up to 75mm
1315 Ammunition, 75mm through 125mm
1320 Ammunition over 125mm
1325 Bombs and Components
1330 Grenades
1336 Guided Missile Warheads and Explosive Components
1337 Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Explosive Propulsion Units, Solid Fuel and Components
1340 Rockets
1345 Land Mines
1351 Underwater Mine Explosive Components
1356 Torpedo Explosive Components
1361 Depth Charge Explosive Components
1365 Military Chemical Agents
1370 Pyrotechnics
1375 Demolition Materials
1376 Bulk Explosives
1377 Cartridge and Propellant Actuated Devices
1390 Fuzes (less bomb fuzes) and Primers
1395 Miscellaneous Ammunition
1410 Guided Missiles

For each item I have a column with Description, Quantity, Component, Markings, Verification of Inert Status and Refernce. So the description would be the overall item, ie Cartridge 6 PR 7 CWT AP Shot, Quantity 1, Component - there would be line for each component, projectile, cartridge case, primer, Markings would have any pertinent markings for each component, and verification of inert status would have information on how each item was determined to be inert, ie projectile is solid AP Shot and tracer cavity is empty, cartridge case is empty, primer is functioned, primer magazine is empty. Reference is any publication that I have that supports the information I have used to verify an item or identify an item.

I also produce a Free From Explosive Certification that identifies the item and has pictures showing how the item was verified inert, so for No. 36 Grenades as an example I have photos of the grenade disassembled. One photo which shows the body is empty. I will photograph these sheets when I get a chance and post them if you are interested in seeing them.
 
Thank you, very helpful and yes I would like to see an example.
I have taken photos of all my items along with any stampings too. Was debating how to add these to spreadsheet/database.

Andrew
 
I collect SAA, and a long time ago I wrote an Access program to catalogue and store my collection. It is searchable by calibre, load, manufacturer and Mark Number and can store all details plus photographs.

It does all I need it to do and is simple to maintain. Shown below is a screen snapshot of a typical page.

Regards
TonyE
 

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Ammocat,

Yes, please attach examples of each of your documents from your database.
 
Tonye, that was the sort of idea I had in mind.
Probably just the fields for me, but the photo is important. I had a look at Excel earlier but it doesn't really do images very well.
Was it fairly straightforward to setup in Access?
Did you use different table for the fields etc? This is what causes me headaches. Lol

Andrew
 
Hello Andrew! I provided my data sheets in Exel. Goes very simply. Harry EK has the same.
 

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ajf.350d said:
Tonye, that was the sort of idea I had in mind.
Probably just the fields for me, but the photo is important. I had a look at Excel earlier but it doesn't really do images very well.
Was it fairly straightforward to setup in Access?
Did you use different table for the fields etc? This is what causes me headaches. Lol

Andrew
Click to expand...

At the time I wrote it about fifteen years ago I was doing a lot of Access work so it was relatively straightforward for me.

Recently I installed Office 2010 and some of the old macros I had written back then would not work with Access 2010, so I had to do a rapid crash course in the new features to get it all working again. It is all fine now and I have added some features to the database as well.

With regards to your question about tables, in addition to the main table of the cartridges there are separate tables for calibre, manufacturer, load, mark, bullet type, envelope material, annulus colour, tip colour, bullet securement etc. There are also sorted and unsorted versions so that new entries can be made and then sorted so that they appear in the correct order in the drop down menus.

There is also an excelent cataloguing program available that matches into the ECRA database. Google "MSELECT" to have a look.

Regards
TonyE
 
Well, mine is certainly not as impressive as TonyEs Access program (I need to learn Access), but my collection is very small. I have an info sheet for each item in Word and an Excel spreadsheet for each stock class.

DSC04793.jpgDSC04796.jpgDSC04797.jpg
 
I also document my collection in word. Im always researching the history of my stuff so its easy to add additional info as it becomes available. Its definitely worth doing, especially if you had a theft, insurance claim or were just selling items.

Fred
 
Hi,
When I started collecting SAA seriously, about 30 years ago, I started using a large A4 notebook, as computers were nowhere near as versatile and (relatively) cheap as they are today, and am still carrying on with this system today, although I should really re-do it using a system like TonyE's.

The precise set-up you eventually use will depend on the type of items you collect, but whichever system you use, I would advise a place to enter date and price of acquisition, and also its "current value" so that the total value of your collection can be calculated for insurance purposes.

R.
 
I made a spreadsheet, This has a startpage (tab). you can select a catagory, like shells, Navy or FLAK. It will open another tab, with all ammo in the collection within the catagory, p.e all navy cases. By clicking on the item you want to see, it opens the datasheet about that object. In this object tab, you can click on a hyperlink, to go to a website, where the item is discussed.
 

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Thank you very much again to everyone who has responded.
There are some useful and interesting ideas there so I will think about what is the best for me.
thekees: Your spreadsheet looks very good. Looks like you have spent a lot of time making that work.
I might look at a basic spreadsheet just to keep track of what I have for purchasing purposes then maybe use the datasheet idea for more detailed info and maybe grow it as required.
One thing I think I need to understand more is headstamps too, but that's another thing!

Andrew
 
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