The Excel Spreadsheet Project

Where do we find a host to do so?

Just make a Google Spreadsheet like I did. The service is free, and you can export your spreadsheet as a Excel file, Libreoffice or CSV file.

OK, if anyone is currently using a spreadsheet and wants to donate it to the cause, I will do the necessary cutting and pasting.

I have stamps through 1960 done. Let me know if you think we need to add any columns.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...BbUtmeE1MdUE

apastuszak, thank you for the spreadsheet. If I find the time, I will try to complete more of it for your project.

Hi apastuszak

Take a look at the numbering schema that WNS uses
http://www.wnsstamps.ch/en/

For instance
CO039.11: CO = Colombia 039 = 39th stamp issued in year 2011

The 2 letter country code should be 3 and is an ISO standard:
http://www.nationsonline.org/onewor...ode_list.htm

The stamp number and year should be 4 digits. Therefore proposed numbering schema, using the above:

COL-0039.2011 or COL-0039-2011 (dashes for clarity).

SOTW (Stamps of the World) is doing what you propose but not as an EXCEL spreadsheet. I did the input spread sheets for SOTW for Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia. I could do the same countries for this project. I could do all Latin America but I only have catalogs to 2003 in the house.

I do not have EXCEL but the MS WORKS spreadsheet pretty much does the same job. The output file can be EXCEL format. That is what I did for SOTW.

I agree with barhata as to the information needed. It may have to be 'tweaked' a little.

Jerry B

Just a quick thought; agreement would be needed on appropriate 3-letter codes for "dead" countries. I don't see the ISO code for Fiume for example! There are many hundreds of these now non-existent stamp issuing entities so it is not a trivial issue
Good luck but I am presently with Rod222 on this. A single field seems to do the same job, when linked with the users choice of catalogue.

There are a number of third party numbering schemes. We should be able to include them all, if someone is willing to go through the effort.

The spreadsheet I have local on my PC has Scott catalog numbers in it. I can't, however, post these numbers on the Internet, since Amos legal will just make me take it down.

apastuszak, thank you for your effort. I will try to start contributing. I GET the value in this.

Sorry. I work in Excel all the time. I have a Google acount with Google Docs but don't know my way around very well. I don't seem to be able to edit the spreadsheet at all.

Is anyone aware of this effort done by others?

http://www.vfthomas.com/stampcollectinghome.htm

After 10 years of using Stanley Gibbons as my
primary code reference, I have changed over to
8 digit "Date of Issue" this has been a major boost to a very satisfactory database.

This discharges the reliance on backword current Cataloging
by all the major brands. eg "semi postal" "air" "charity"
etc ad nauseum.

Within the single field code "rev" etc is all that is needed
to isolate a subset.

What a delight it is to insert the text string "1931"
and EVERY stamp issued in that country arrives,
revenue, cinderella or what have you.

Caveat. one drawback is stamps of say 1972
may arrive in the subset if the catalogue num was SG1931 etc :)
but these are easily recognised and dispensed with,
they also append the subset.

This also assists with inclusion of "variety" or "EFO"
mapping, I can include diagrams with little or no keyboard work,
which is the beauty of the windows explorer route.

Renaming was easy by placing the 8 digit code in front.

Rod, would you be able to share a few examples of your new naming?
As a disciple of your previous image naming within Windows Explorer folders, I am most interested in your new approach.
How much work to do all that renaming on your prodigious quantities of images? (Your quotation "Renaming was easy by placing the 8 digit code in front.")
Thanks.

Conker, I'll get to the renaming in a minute.
Firstly, we have a problem,
I am a world wide collector, and need a naming system, that can provide slots for
"varieties" and other required information (pricing trends etc) in my database hiearchy.

My original naming system, just mirrored Stanley Gibbons,
My image database then looked like a stamp album, very nice.

eg
SG0458 (1970) T0252 05c grasslands congress [1m4].jpg
SG0459 (1970) T0253 05c captain cook bicentenary [0m3].jpg
SG0459 (1970) T0253 05c captain cook bicentenary [5m0].jpg

However, I realised I had a problem with detecting varieties.
If, say, I was sorting 1932 Australian stamps, I needed a quick reference to the "oddballs"
(eg perf varieties) that was easily recognised when I opened the database.

Up till then I had varities in a different folder.

That was easily rectified by joining ALL the folders, and re naming the file with preceding year

eg
1970SG0458 (1970) T0252 05c grasslands congress [1m4].jpg
1970SG0459 (1970) T0253 05c captain cook bicentenary [0m3].jpg
1970SG0459 (1970) T0253 05c captain cook bicentenary [5m0].jpg

NOW all I had to do with a new 1970 stamp image, was to name it "1970"
and it will slot immediately into the sub set.
(ie no typing except for 1970, 4 keystrokes)

As you see that's fine for the 4 digit precursor, but not 8
My 8 digit is only for Romania where I know issue dates.
For the rest of the world, I have to use 4, otherwise stamps fall out of sequence. (Ugh!)

RE-NAMING.
Fairly simple, ( 4 keystrokes IIRC) I use ACDSee as my image viewer, and it renames
I select the (say 200 stamp images) Hit F3, type in 1970 *, and enter
Done in a fraction of a second.

This is the end result....
My database now has stamps in order with varieties included, and word documents included.

Example Australia 1929
there are 2 stamps issued in 1929
I have 14 images and documents concerning the original stamps, the varieties and notes.


My Database (windows explorer) in DETAILS VIEW




My Database in IMAGE View