Stamp Management Software?

I track those of my stamps with some value (£10 or more by Gibbons) in Excel spreadsheets. That works perfectly for me.

But I'm afraid I completely fail to understand why anyone needs a computer program to manage their stamps. My stamps are for looking at and enjoying. I can't see why I might want to manage them by computer.

Is it just because I'm not an obsessive organiser? (A boss once gave me a copy of The One Minute Manager; as soon as she was out of sight, I binned it.) Am I missing something here?

The software allows you to inventory your stamps. You can then print reports, etc...
It also helps because you don't have to type in all the information for a stamp. It is already there.
Anytime I want to know what is in my collection, I can run any number of reports that will give me all the info I could want. Used/New Grade, purchase price, CV used or new...etc...
Unless your spreadsheet data is complete and you have pivot tables, there is no way you can get that kind of reporting.

Maybe I just want to Hoard... Virtually?

You want to be a stamp collector!!

Stampvirgin, it could well be that I'm showing my age , but as I'm not a dealer, the only sort of report that interests me enough to be bothered is on increase in value.

My spreadsheets cover my Indian States collection, and run from the 2002 to 2011 (Gibbons) catalogue years, and I also have 2000, 1998, 1984 and 1955 figures. (The latter two are patchy because so many items weren't recognised back then.) This lets me see trends and patterns in prices, and suggests States I should be paying attention to.

I set the bar at £10 cat. value because I reckon anything less isn't really worth the effort of following. For valuation purposes, and for my heirs' purposes, items below £10 are essentially worthless.

I could include price paid data, but it would be so patchy as to be of little value. How do you value items acquired in collections? And even if I could record price paid data for everything, what's the point? The money's been paid; the stamp's in my collection. My collection isn't part of my retirement planning, for tax purposes anyway.

It seems to come back to this: time I spent fiddling around with stamp management programs is time I wouldn't be spending with my collection

But Tony... you're only 13! Way too young to be showing your age :)

bfranton
I don't have a software. I use Excel and make spreadsheet with 4 columns:Scott number, MNH, MH and used. For a big collection it's very long to search Scott values. But for my Europa collection I don't think there is a software with all the data. It keep you busy for a while to find value for more than a thousand sets. In the end you know what is the total Scott value of your collection. So i'm like Tony I can do without a software.

Barb, would that it were so - but as I turned 10 in the year Melbourne had the Olympic Games ...

:)
Love you guys... all of you.

nice to have an excel sheet to do your inventory of your stamps.

warm wishes.

Thanks Daryl, Do I need to wait to get the upgrade for Microsoft 7 if I haven't gotten my new computer yet? I know that's where I'll be going, but I'm trying to limp along with the computer I've got another month or so for tax return :) If I can get older software now, get update in a couple of months, so much the better.

you can get the current version anytime, the newest version is for 64-bit operating systems.
If you order it, I suggest the cd 1 A&B that covers us and Canada, possessions and BOB.
tell him you are on this forum and give him my name and the code 10DL, get's you discounts.

I have had StampManage for several years. The database is built mostly by users adding images and stamp information, so there are errors, but it is easy to correct them. Got it first for my Canada stamps. The recent versions have a lot more stamp varieties than I need for Canada and U.S. but as previously stated much of the rest of the world is quite thin. This winter I started putting my world stamps in it (I'm well into the B's). For many countries I have to add information from Scott and scan in my stamps. But whenever I have 2-300 new ones entered I email my database and images to the company to help build the database for everyone else.
As to why I use a program, I guess its just my need to organize, often started but rarely finished.
Brian

Perhaps there is a disproportionate correlation between bean counters (accountant and finance types) and philatelists which would generate suppport for stamp accounting software. Nerds of the world unite.

Hello brianh, welcome! Good to add to the general knowledge base, wonderful job.

Remember to head on over to the Introduce Yourself thread and say Hi to all the members here.