Loadstar 128 16/q16.d81/t.numismatist

Text File | 2022-08-28 | 5KB | 95 lines

                        T H E    N U M I S M A T I S T

                              by Barbara Schulak


     Coin-collecting is a time-honored hobby that has been around as long as
coins have -- since the 8th Century B.C.  If you look in an encyclopedia
under "numismatics", the study of coins and medals, you'll find a wealth of
information and lore about it.  What could be more interesting than cold,
hard cash?

     There are many reasons for collecting old coins.  They aren't fragile
like stamps or photographs, they have intrinsic value since they are often
made with precious metals like gold or silver, and they are usually the
epitome of the engraving art at the time they were made.  But how do you
keep your collection organized?  With a dedicated database like THE
NUMISMATIST, of course.

      There are several details about coins that make them unique, like the
date and the place where they were made.  Serious numismatists undoubtedly
have dozens of "parameters" about coins that they are aware of.  This
program allows you to list the most important things about your coins, but
doesn't pretend to be the ultimate database for the serious collector.  The
fields that THE NUMISMATIST covers are:

  The date - usually stamped on the coin
  The mint - also stamped on the coin, often just an initial
  The description - Indian Head, Mercury, etc.
  The quantity - the number of them you have
  The condition - fine, mint, worn, etc.  These terms are well-defined by
       serious collectors.
  The value - the going rate for a particular coin

     There are instructions in the program, and this is the third of Barbara
Schulak's databases which uses the same techniques, so I don't think you'll
have any problem getting into the program.  The Main Menu's first option,
Create/Extend File, is the first thing to do when you begin to enter your
collection.  If you have 100 coins, enter 120 or 150 when asked for the
number of New Records.  Each file will hold up to 450 records.  If you need
more, just divide your collection into logical categories and save each with
its own file.

     Load, save, edit and print work as in any databases.  You may use
wildcards when loading a file.  The edit function displays each record and
allows you to flip through them, "flag" the record, and search through the
database for any word or phrase.  Flagging a record is just a way of marking
it for your own use later on.  When the file is saved, the flag is saved,
too.

     There's a file on the disk called "pocket change" for you to use as a
demo file.  Load it and go to the Edit File option and see what it's like
moving from record to record.

     When editing a record that has already been entered, the cursor appears
right after the field entry.  To change that entry, use DEL to move the
cursor to the start of the field and start typing.

     The "Set Defaults" option merits some explanation.  If you are entering
a bunch of coins and some of their fields are the same, you can use this
option to cut down on the amount of data entry.  Let's say you are on record
#13 and you realize that the next twenty coins to enter are all from the
Denver mint and are in Fine condition.  Go to record #13 (if you're not
there already) and then go to the Main Menu.  Choose "Set Defaults" and the
press M for Mint.  Then enter D for Denver and all of the records from #13
on up will have D in their Mint field.  Then press C for Condition and enter
Fine.  All records from #13 on up will have Fine in their condition field.

      The thing to remember is that Set Defaults works from the current
record on up, and that it will change every record in that range.  The time
to use Set Defaults is when you are initially entering your data -- be
careful with it later, or you might write over fields that have been
previously entered.

     Disk Utilities allows you to do disk housekeeping like formatting disks
(be careful!), renaming files, validating disks, etc.  You may also set your
drive number and drive type.  If you are going to change the drive number or
type, do it before you load or edit a file.  If you have multiple drives,
you can change drive numbers anytime.

     The printout for THE NUMISMATIST is formatted for regular size paper.
Set the print head at the perforation so the skip over the perf will be at
the right place.  Note that the total value of your collection is the sum of
the values of all of the coins you ACTUALLY HAVE.  You will probably want to
enter coins into the database that you want but don't have yet.  The Total
will not reflect those.

     After reading up on Numismatics I can see that the study of coins can
be as complicated as you want to make it.  You may want to change field
sizes or names.  I've been through the code for this program many times and
it is in Barbara's clean, concise style.  If you can do a little programming
you can easily modify the program and make it more suited to your needs.

FT
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