The Excel Spreadsheet Project

Following pricing trends?
a quick alt/pntscreen
name it with a leading "1929"
and you have a dated example of real-time prices
Do that once a year and you have your trends.

Thank you Rod; I will need to study this some more.
For those interested I checked the ACDSee website and there is now a free version at
http://www.acdsee.com/en/products/acdsee-free
I have downloaded it and will begin to study it.

Thanks Conker,
a little long winded, but hope you get the drift.
Set your ACDSee up to mimic windows explorer.

The Best ACDSee is the old free model (ACDSee 3.1)
That is worth searching for
Its light and powerful, but must have "plugins"
for contact sheets and album generators.

In windows explorer mode, you can have 1 button change between
image view and database mode.(4 choices)



Just post if you need further clarification.

Heads up!
hope not too late..Free versions of ACDSee are heavily infected
with viruses, be careful.

Do I understand that Scott preclude quoting their catalogue numbers?

What idiots, off to Stanley Gibbons we should go.

I think a catalogue number comparison is very important so if you are using Michel or Yvert or Gibbons you make a quick reference check to other catalogues (helps searching ebay too).

You're not allowed to use ANYBODY'S Catalog numbers on something like this.

Clearly lawyers don't understand the benefit of brand reinforcement.

It just emphasizes the need for a third party open, unencumbered numbering system. There have been a number of systems proposed, but nothing has ever caught on. I would love to be able to buy stamps using some type of universal numbering system. As it stands now, I use Scott for US, Stanley Gibbons for Ireland and Michel for Ukraine. Really annoying.

This is what should be used.
8 digit date of issue numbering system
eg : 20121220
Unknown dates can have an approx date with asterisk.

Question about legality of using Scott numbers.

If a spreadsheet/database is being constructed, and scott #'s are to be used as a reference in the spreadsheet, if the spreadsheet is not being sold, but is constructed for personal use, how is it illegal to use the Scott numbers?

It is illegal to use Scott numbers in anything that could be construed as a cataloguing system, including a free spreadsheet, free database, or even a free stamp album. I've been through this with Amos legal. To use their numbering system in anything other than a sales listing, you need to obtain a license, and they won't grant you one for anything they consider a competitor to one of their products.

If you want to be sneaky, you could post the spreadsheet without the Scott numbers and then post the column with the numbers as a separate spreadsheet and say something silly like "It's amazing how both spreadsheets have the exact same number of rows. Someone should try and cut and paste and see what happens!"

apastuszak, you're too funny. Such a high level of propietary paranoia with Scott, we should call Julian Assange at WikiLeaks, see if he'll take up the cause to free those numbers!

You don't need to free those numbers. You need to compete against them. I wish one of these free alternative numbering schemes that are created by Internet philatelists would take off.

The real problem with other schemes is minor varieties. Even Scott, SG and Michel cannot agree on proper minor varieties for classic US stamps.

Andy, I just found this thread. I just completed 3 years on that spreadsheet. I can type pretty fast. Got it through 1964. Are you still working on it, cause I will be more than happy to help. I downloaded it before I started and after and it seems to have saved what I entered. Thanks for starting it. :-) - Pat

You might save a huge amount of time by buying and using "Dragon Naturally Speaking" speech recognition software. It is quite sophisticated now, and not very expensive. Very minimal typing.

Later versions will recognize software commands too, like "Tab" in Excel, or "Enter" in Word.