Author Topic: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?  (Read 15492 times)

Online Monster_A_GoGo

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Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« on: October 04, 2016, 03:47:39 PM »
I have just moved back into my house and I have boxes and boxes of posters. I also have lots of printed (and digital) "receipts" from various auctions over the years  (printed out/screen shots of closed auction pages). I'd like to make a list of what I have, what I paid, etc. I've never used a spread sheet (which I'm guessing is the best way to do this). Any pointers or suggestions for which software to use, etc? I really appreciate it--and thank you for the help. Also, if I posted this in the wrong area, please feel free to move it.

Thanks & cheers!
Let me introduce myself: http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9291.0.html View my collection thread (if you DARE!!!):  http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9480.0.html  See it on my blog (withOUT Photobucket watermarks) here:  https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5730339618306790065#allposts/src=sidebar CHEERS!

Offline jayn_j

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2016, 03:56:30 PM »
I use an excel spreadsheet.  I have to be very careful to log items as they come in or they tend to get "lost".  I have to following columns defined:
Movie name
Type (1-sh, 3-sh, Insert, 1/2-sh, LC etc)
Card # (for lobby cards only)
Year
Condition
NSS #
Folded/Rolled
Notes
Date Bought
Seller
Price

I freeze the top row with the titles, and select the auto-filter function in data.  That way, I can select all inserts sold by emovie, or some other combination.

Hopefully that helps.  It works for me.

-Jay-

Online Monster_A_GoGo

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2016, 04:05:03 PM »
That is AWESOME info. Thank you. I don't suppose you can do a quick screen shot---just so I can see if I'm doing it right when I start mine. If not, I understand. But THANK YOU so much for your help. It gives me a place to start.
Let me introduce myself: http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9291.0.html View my collection thread (if you DARE!!!):  http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9480.0.html  See it on my blog (withOUT Photobucket watermarks) here:  https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5730339618306790065#allposts/src=sidebar CHEERS!

Offline ddilts399

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2016, 04:05:29 PM »
Sigh.. if Ed would just all give us his wordpress template.

I wrote this in VB like an eternity ago with an MS access backend, the problem then was access had storage limits so the images in the DB had to be actually the directory on the drive pointer.



Now the past few weeks, I dual entry, desktop as above and http://movieposters4u.com/Default.aspx?page=1  .

Now..
a) I know the website is not really prod ready, but I dont care. I wanted to get something online.
b) I didnt build any of my "selling" into the website.
c) built with asp.net (c#) ms sqlserver backend. Costs like $6 a month is all.
d) I need Ted to come to IA to reshoot my entire collection and put it into the website when he is done reshooting his. Anyone remember the kodak dc20? I have several hundred/thousand?? photos taken with that beauty  :-\ or lazy me stock photos.

I imagine I will have passed on before everything gets transferred from desktop to web, but one can always hope.

Web is really the way to go even if you just use plain ol' html based pages, I wish I would have done it years ago.

Offline jayn_j

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2016, 04:10:24 PM »
That is AWESOME info. Thank you. I don't suppose you can do a quick screen shot---just so I can see if I'm doing it right when I start mine. If not, I understand. But THANK YOU so much for your help. It gives me a place to start.

It will have to be tonight as I don't have ftp access to my home directory from work.  One thing I would like to add is a pointer into my image directory.  I usually save the sales listings in a directory.
-Jay-

Online Monster_A_GoGo

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2016, 04:17:57 PM »
ddilts399:  That is spectacular--as is your website. However I am not tech savvy. What you described went completely over my head. You wrote it in VB with an MS access backhand? Oh my... I'm clueless. But thank you.

JAY: If you can post a screen shot--great. If not, not worries.

THANK YOU both.

CHEERS!
Let me introduce myself: http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9291.0.html View my collection thread (if you DARE!!!):  http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9480.0.html  See it on my blog (withOUT Photobucket watermarks) here:  https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5730339618306790065#allposts/src=sidebar CHEERS!

Offline jayn_j

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2016, 11:19:55 PM »
OK, here you go

-Jay-

Offline erik1925

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2016, 11:59:24 PM »
Nice database, Jay. Clean, simple, gives all the pertinent info and easy to read.  thumbsup.gif


-Jeff

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #8 on: October 05, 2016, 01:13:00 AM »
Nice database, Jay. Clean, simple, gives all the pertinent info and easy to read.  thumbsup.gif

Yes Jay---Thank you. Jeff summed it up for me entirely. That looks like something I can do. THANK YOU VERY MUCH for sharing yours.
Let me introduce myself: http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9291.0.html View my collection thread (if you DARE!!!):  http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9480.0.html  See it on my blog (withOUT Photobucket watermarks) here:  https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5730339618306790065#allposts/src=sidebar CHEERS!

Offline Simes

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #9 on: October 05, 2016, 04:26:51 AM »
Spread sheet with a Menu at top all bookmarked so I can click to the relevant subsection.  (Lobby Cards, 1 Sheets, FLH etc.)

I don't carry as much info as Dale, but I maintain a current assessment of worth so the Insurance company knows where it's at.

Offline jayn_j

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #10 on: October 05, 2016, 08:16:04 AM »
Hmmm.  The "C's" are not my best letter.  I thought I had done the capture elsewhere.  Care Bears 2.  Sheesh  :-[
-Jay-

Offline Tob

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #11 on: October 05, 2016, 08:52:21 AM »




I like this a lot, Dale (although it'll mean adding a boat load of posters to my want list) - when are you adding the rest of the collection?

Offline ddilts399

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #12 on: October 05, 2016, 09:13:15 AM »
good question.. i have I am guessing close to 1000 titles around here to ADD to start with, then I would work backwards. I really want to shoot everything as well, so probably no time soon. 

What I really like about the website is I built it to pull from API's, so when I enter a poster it will grab all the cast and crew, release dates all that good stuff. All I have to do is search on the title and select the country. Enter the qty and style and it is good to go. The images are clickable to pull up the details. I do have a fix to get in soon, if there is no trailer present anywhere from the pull sites, the page crashes.  Anyway, the vision is to make the cast and crew boxes clickable at some point to launch searches as well, and filter by country.

I really applaud Ed and T as well, I dont have it in me to put the details on each item they do.

Here are the admin step hopefully no one can get to  :-\  (sorry to thread hijack!)

End result would be - http://movieposters4u.com/Pages/PosterDetail.aspx?posterid=1071   detail page

Step1


Step2


Step3


Step4


Step5 (images are actually stored in the DB now, not links which I prefer)

Offline Tob

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #13 on: October 05, 2016, 09:36:26 AM »
That's impressive, quite a nice interface and you'll get some good consistency there I think. End result is cool, the trailer is a nice touch too.

The site I'm cobbling together is low-fi - for each image I upload I have a single 'title' field. I'm populating this from a spreadsheet which is a concatenation of a few columns (Title, year, director, actor, format etc). The search then picks out terms from that title (e.g. if I type Carpenter, it will probably find John Carpenter films and any actors or poster designers named Carpenter too!). The photos I've taken are pretty dreadful, but they'll do. The time consuming bit is going back and populating a spreadsheet like Jay's one above, it's taking me a long time and is quite monotonous (I sometimes think to myself "why am I doing this for such crappy posters??"). I think that once it's done, keeping it updated with new acquisitions will be ok though.

Offline Chris9000

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #14 on: October 05, 2016, 05:55:34 PM »

That is impressive, Dale! Simple, but thorough layout and info!

I might have missed it, but are these posters you are selling or are you logging your collection via the site?

Offline ddilts399

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #15 on: October 05, 2016, 07:52:36 PM »
Thanks, just mine right now. The plan was to add purchasing at some point, but not sure an e-tail with personal collection mingling would mix well. Problem is the backlog of about 11K posters in the desktop database that need to be transferred.

Offline Chris9000

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #16 on: October 05, 2016, 09:28:17 PM »
Ha, that makes sense for sure.

I asked b/c that Melanie Laurent, Basterds jumped out at me when I took a visit... I need to grab that.

Looking good man.

Offline erik1925

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #17 on: February 13, 2017, 01:43:26 PM »
Shawn, what system, spreadsheet or layout did you finally decide upon? If you picked one, how's it all working out, as far as getting things/receipts/etc sorted and organized?
« Last Edit: February 13, 2017, 01:45:25 PM by erik1925 »


-Jeff

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #18 on: February 13, 2017, 01:49:57 PM »
Uh...I have NOT started that project yet. Life has just been too busy and I've had way too much company (I feel like a hotel) since I moved back into the house. I still have NOT unpacked / gone through most of my boxes of crap. The posters I've only briefly flirted with when time has come up. I have company booked through Feb 24th. I have trips planned in late March, mid-April and early May...maybe I can get on in between those this spring? I'll post something when I finally get started. Cheers!
Let me introduce myself: http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9291.0.html View my collection thread (if you DARE!!!):  http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9480.0.html  See it on my blog (withOUT Photobucket watermarks) here:  https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5730339618306790065#allposts/src=sidebar CHEERS!

Offline paul waines

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #19 on: February 13, 2017, 04:31:22 PM »
I did have all mine set out like Jays, but a virus wiped the lot off, and no, I didn't back it up, thought it was safe...

The thought of having to start again is what has stopped me doing another spread sheet. :-\
It's more than a Hobby...

Offline DekeThornton

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #20 on: February 13, 2017, 04:54:49 PM »
Anyone using airtable?

I played with it a bit and it seemed very intuitive for keeping track of a personal collection.

But I did not experiment with trying to export the contents in a way that they could be published on a website.

I, too, like many of you aspire to share my collection on a website. But the task of data entry and photography is pretty daunting.  One day...

If anyone else has a system they are really happy with to maintain data on their collection and publish it, I'd love to hear it.

Offline jayn_j

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #21 on: February 13, 2017, 05:57:21 PM »
I did have all mine set out like Jays, but a virus wiped the lot off, and no, I didn't back it up, thought it was safe...

The thought of having to start again is what has stopped me doing another spread sheet. :-\

I save a backup to my work computer and to my memory stick.  Just takes a second, and then the sheet is available wherever I need it.
It is tough to have a virus mess up the home copy as it is hosted on a Mac, and excel Mac doesn't support visual basic.
-Jay-

Offline gargoyle67

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #22 on: August 05, 2017, 07:30:13 AM »
I've posted this before, I've found Movie collector by collectorz.com to be a very handy tool and it even scrapes trailers/pics/info from the net, plus it has cloud backup service.
« Last Edit: August 05, 2017, 07:35:55 AM by gargoyle67 »

Offline Chris9000

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #23 on: August 05, 2017, 07:46:23 PM »
I've posted this before, I've found Movie collector by collectorz.com to be a very handy tool and it even scrapes trailers/pics/info from the net, plus it has cloud backup service.

Can you export to a spreadsheet, or is it proprietary?

Offline gargoyle67

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Re: Spread sheets--or how do you keep track of what you have?
« Reply #24 on: August 07, 2017, 04:24:59 PM »
Yes you can>HTML,XML,Text,ipod notes,Palm/pocket pc.

« Last Edit: August 07, 2017, 04:33:01 PM by gargoyle67 »