Help Coding Stamp Scans, Please!

Over the past couple of years I've been moving my African stamp collection out of albums into Hagners. This has worked well as when I need to expand a country I don't need to move all the other stamps, but simply add a page. I've ordered them by various categories depending on the country rather than by date as this avoids having to look up a catalogue each time I get a new stamp. I've shown in the picture below how they are ordered.

Here is the full file as a word document. Feel free to copy it if it is useful.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16510164/Af...0Folders.doc
Here it is as a PDF if the word document is garbled.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16510164/Af...0Folders.pdf


I hope to start scanning these soon so that I can take the scans with me when I go to a stamp event and can fill in the gaps without getting a lot of duplicates.


The problem
How do I code these scans?

For my overprint collection I use a 2 letter & 2 digit code. For example, Greece starts at about GR07 and goes through to GR11, Grenada starting at GR12. This works fairly well (other suggestions or suggestions for refinements are appreciated). When I put a new page in for Greece I would move Grenada to GR14, leaving a spare number for Greece.

This wouldn't work for Africa as it is just too large and complicated. The overprints are in 12 smaller folders, Africa is in 11 large and 13 small folders and growing rapidly.

Hi peterethio

I assume that you are using Windows and anything from XP and up.

Why not use the system you now have? Perhaps go to a 3 letter code: http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/ctycodes.htm

I have some images of Colombia and Ecuador stamps. As a tree structure the images are stored in folders as:

Country
   Year
     COL01
       Year-COL01-01.jpg
       Year-COL01-02.jpg
     COL02
       Year-COL02-01.jpg
   Year
.
.

It takes a little more space on disk but every folder list is set to "Thumbnails". That way I can see up to 4 stamp images on the folder icon. It is important to set folder properties to "Do not cache thumbnails" to save some space.

In addition I have written a program to add properties to each image. That way when I hover the mouse over an image I get some properties (Note only jpg images can contain user properties):

When I start running out of disk space I transfer folders to a CD-RW.
I usually get 2 or 3 years on a disk, depending on how many stamps.

If you want the properties program e-mail me and I will send it to you (about 58KB).

Jerry B

Does anyone use anything like Stamp Manage or other similar programs for this? I have a program I use for my coin collection, because there is nothing I hate more than purchasing a $300 coin to find I have one already. This particular program also lets me upload my "collection" to the web so when I'm at a show I can see what I have or don't have from any device with an internet connection. I also have it exported as a PDF on my phone as well for when I can't access the net. It has been a great time saver and a big help on my pocket book. It still does not totally replace my leather bound diary that I have used for the past twenty years, but it is much faster than having to thumb through pages.

I'm sure you could also use access to both track your collection and store your pictures as well. Before I bought the program I took the "movie collection" database and modified it to fit my needs for my coins. It worked well and allows you to scan and store those scans directly from access.

Thanks Chief and Jerry. There are some good ideas here worth investigating. At present I scan my overprint collection one page at a time once per year and this serves as an electronic catalogue. It serves 2 purposes: allowing me to post pictures here and take my collection on computer to stamp shows . To put these overprint scans in order I use a 4 symbol code (2 letters & 2 digits). Hence, if I wanted to find an overprint from Finland I'd start looking at FI01. This works well.

The problem is I haven't thought of a way of extending this code to my African collection which is more complicated as it has more stamps in it.

Jerry, your idea of a three letter country code is good but I'm not sure what to do about some of the colonies (eg, British Central Africa, British East Africa, British Somaliland, British South African Company) and the souths (South Africa, South West Africa, Southern Nigeria, Southern Rhodesia) so that they stay in correct alphabetical order

Chief, your idea of a database is also a good one and achievable. Maybe at some time in the future I'll go this way but for the moment I'll stick with using the name of the JPEG as the index. Thanks for this idea Rod from a previous thread.

I'm getting somewhere. Thanks!

Thoughts so far:

• use a 3 letter code for the country
  
• use the first 3 letters for a theme
  
• use capital letters when categorising by the country name printed on the stamp. This will again be a three letter code
  
• use a one or two character code when categorising by currency
  
• use a full stop (or period if you're in Nth America ) as a separator between the parts of the code
  

For example, a stamp inscribed "Royaume du Burundi" with birds on it would be under bur.ROY.bir

Any thoughts? ideas? suggestions?

Wow... yeah... I think I would get lost in your stuff :) haha... I can see where you are going with this. So for instance I collect Germany stamps and I wanted to get a Danzig stamp from your collection I would look under GER.DA.94a? So GER for Germany, DA for Danzig, and 94a for the Scott #. At least this is what I'm picking up or am I wrong?

It does seem a good way to break them all apart, but getting them that way would be a nightmare. I have some 50 Y/O Islay in the pantry if you need some after doing all that. *grin*

Yes, Chief, that's pretty close. Thanks for the offer of your pantry, I'll let you know if I need to take you up, although it may take me a while to get there.

By the way, I collect Germany too. I agree that it is MUCH easier to organise, even with the occupations, territories, plebiscites, etc.

Sorry for the double post... Internet went poof down and up..

Jerry mentioned in an email that this can cause problems. Have decided to use a dash instead. Thanks Jerry for this and many many other pieces of advice. It is sooooo good to have thoughts from someone who has done this before.

I have two more overprint folders to scan before starting on Africa.

Two more things I've learnt along the way:

1. Put the Vario sheets in plastic pockets. That way I'm not worried about damaging the Vario sheets when they are turned.

2. I write the code of the sheet on a little tag which is tucked up into the overhang on the bottom of the sheet. If this is written in felt pen I can read it on the scan much better than if it is written in Biro.

You have excellent taste, Chief!

This has been a really useful thread. There is nothng more frustrating than rushing into setting up a system just to find halfway through that it doesn't do the job. Always worth spending some time thinking it through. Thanks for sharing your thought processes, Peterthio!

if you are looking for a possible standard for country and currency codes you could look at ISO codes e.g. USA = US = USD, Australia = AU = AUD

they are fairly easy to recognise when you get use to them but there are a couple of odd ones Switzerland = CH = CHF South Africa = ZA = ZAR


http://www.iso.org/iso/home.html

I did start a discussion on a certain other board and there seemed little interest in an 'open' cataloging system.
I also used ISO codes but have since reverted to using standard catalogue no's.

Gee, you fellas like to make things difficult.
Crikey, it's just so simple
Just name the image scan in common format of your choice.
That's it, no problems.

If you have a Windows explorer style image viewer
You're done.

Every stamp I have that is an overprint, I adopted [opt]
I go to my root folder and select [opt]
and it will return every opt amongst 400,000 stamps.

...or am I missing something?

don't know how I missed this thread, but ezstamp has a brother called ezcoin.
When ever I go to a show I always have my want list with me. I printed it awhile ago from ezstamp and check off the ones I have purchased.

How do you handle names such as Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat using a 3 letter code?