brookbam
Member 
APS 236261
Posts: 235
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Mar 31, 2023 4:00:45 GMT
Alrighty, I decided I needed my own place in the forum for this for~ay that I got meself into.
For those of you just joining in, I bought a collection of 31,000 mostly US FDC from the Stamp Auction Network about a month ago. Here is the initial shipment:
Two nights ago, I started unboxing ONE box and dumped it out on a table that I already had two other projects going on because....well...why not?
So that get's the thread caught up to tonight where I'll get everyone updated. brookbam
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 235
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Mar 31, 2023 4:11:26 GMT
I ended up unboxing a second box and got that all sorted out. The two boxes sorted on an empty table looked like this:  Starting from the left is a row of ArtMaster, then a rwo of miscellaneous covers, an area where ArtCraft was (more on that later), then two big rows of Fleetwood, then the rest are other cachet makers and no name makers plus Air Mails and First Flights. That took me to last night. brookbam |
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 235
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Mar 31, 2023 4:20:39 GMT
Tonight I took the ArtCraft and sorted them down to the decade:  Starting at left we have two vertical piles of 1950s, then completing the "L" are two piles of 1940s, coming back up to the second row are two piles of 1960s, the third row is all 1970s, the larger pile in back are the heavy duplication that I pulled while I did the initial sort. It is all some Owl and Christmas covers. I'll have a few more to add later. Then we have two piles of 1980s, a small pile of 1990s, and a lone 1930s (1939 I think). I was a bit surprised of how heavy it was on the 1970s but I was also surprised how overall it was equal from the 1940s to the 1980s. There are quite a few plate blocks and blocks of fours in the lot. Unfortunately very few fancier first day cancels which I kind of suspected. But....I have 15 more boxes to go through... Stay tuned. Same bat channel. Same bat time. brookbam |
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 235
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Mar 31, 2023 4:35:13 GMT
I'm documenting this to give anyone else an idea of 1. the work involved in doing something like this (especially by yourself) and 2. give someone an idea of a process and how to do it. In a prior life (prior being before retirement), I ran a military maintenance supply operations. I was responsible for 1000s of lines of tools and parts and sometimes millions of dollars in equipment. I got really REALLY good at Microsoft Access databases and building inventory control programs and keeping track of budgets. I retired almost four years ago and I've been out of the supply room over 15 years and they are still using my tool inventory control program that I wrote way back when.
So processing these FDCs is right up my alley....at least that is what I'm hoping.
Next I'm going to do....hmmm...good question....
I haven't decided yet if I am going to leave these unsorted and uninventoried for now and just box them up by decade and move on to the Fleetwoods or ArtMasters or if I'll stop now, put these in clear First Day Cover Sleeves, tag them, add them to the inventory then box them in Scott number sequence.
If I wait until I have all 17 boxes opened and dumped, I'll have the whole collection sorted out by cachets and sorted down to decades. Then I can sort everything, sleeve it, tag, add to inventory and box in Scott number sequence all at once.
I'm going to sleep on that tonite. And dream of stamps running around in my head giving me ideas on that.
brookbam
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dorincard
Member
Posts: 1,627 
What I collect: My focus is on Wild Mammals on maximum cards. Occasionally, I get or create maximum cards with other animals, or any other topic.
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Post by dorincard on Mar 31, 2023 13:47:41 GMT
How much did you pay?
If you have a few maxicards and you don't care about them, you can gift them to somebody who cares.[*ahem*]
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philatelia
Member
Captain Jack - my best kiloware find ever!
Posts: 3,655
What I collect: Ireland, Japan, Scandy, USA, Venezuela, Vatican, Bermuda, Austria
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Post by philatelia on Mar 31, 2023 15:35:33 GMT
OMG what a project! You’re a worker, that’s for sure.
Are you going to set up an online store?
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 235
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Mar 31, 2023 16:59:09 GMT
How much did you pay? If you have a few maxicards and you don't care about them, you can gift them to somebody who cares.[*ahem*] I got one lot of 21,000 for $375 and the other lot of 10,000 for $450. Total bid price was 825. But then add in the bidder fee, the credit card fee, and shipping and the total over doubled that amount. 17 boxes shipped from AZ to SD was around $600. I had entertained the notion over the course of two days of driving down and picking up the lot myself and then driving over to Los Angeles and seeing my son and his family for a few days. But SD was still too involved in winter and I have too many driveways that rely on me for snow removal.
I had to look up a few maxicards on ebay to get an idea what they were. I don't think I've seen any of those...yet.
You'll be the first to know if I find any!
brookbam
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 235
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Mar 31, 2023 17:17:38 GMT
OMG what a project! You’re a worker, that’s for sure. Are you going to set up an online store? Hmmmm....I never thought of that. I have a website already over at InMotion Hosting and I can set up five websites. I'm using three right now although only one is really being used and not much at that.
I'm already signed up at Stamporama. I'm looking at Delcampe too. I might post some of the collections on ebay.
I made a trip out to Walmart this morning to get some labels for my printer to label the fdc sleeves and I got everything but what I went out there for. Now I need to go back and it will probably be busy. I dread that but no one else in town will have them. Mike
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Post by dgdecker on Apr 1, 2023 2:23:06 GMT
I would be in heaven in your place. I love sorting and organizing projects like that. Though I work best when I have ample space. Please keep adding photos as you proceed. Quite the job ahead of you.
David
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 235
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Apr 2, 2023 5:31:51 GMT
I would be in heaven in your place. I love sorting and organizing projects like that. Though I work best when I have ample space. Please keep adding photos as you proceed. Quite the job ahead of you. David If I moved some LPs off of one table, that would give me another table to work off of but it gets too far away from the computer and I'd have to move back and forth. I'd lose interest too fast because I have a lot of sciatic nerve pain. Sitting too long...moving too much....both aggravates it.
Coming up...I need to get the seven laptops in the one picture rebuilt and on ebay. The hard drives came in today. At some point, I need to stop and do some much needed repairs and upgrades on this computer (upgraded video card so I can run 3-4 monitors instead of just 2 and upgrade to Windows 10 and Office 2019) and then I think I'm going to build my own inventory program to track these FDCs to keep this stuff separated from my regular collection.
Lots of projects. I've been working on cataloging part of what I've posted earlier. I'll get some updated pics on that posted now that I think I have a system down on what I am going to do with these. brookbam
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dorincard
Member
Posts: 1,627
What I collect: My focus is on Wild Mammals on maximum cards. Occasionally, I get or create maximum cards with other animals, or any other topic.
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Post by dorincard on Apr 2, 2023 12:37:54 GMT
You're a titan (super worker)!
Just don't eat too much...iceberg lettuce.
😉
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 235
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Apr 21, 2023 3:57:24 GMT
You're a titan (super worker)! Just don't eat too much...iceberg lettuce. 😉 LOL. I have no idea where the reference is from for the iceberg lettuce but I'll just roll with it.
I actually like iceberg lettuce. Unfortunately I like it with a lot of various kinds of salad dressings which doesn't exactly agree with the waistline...which doesn't make the doc happy....
brookbam
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 235
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Apr 21, 2023 4:12:37 GMT
Ok...quick update...no pics....they are coming. I promise.
I got an inventory control program built out of Microsoft Access that seems to be doing what I want it to do.
I bought a different computer on ebay because I got one with the video card I could use and the upgraded memory cheaper than what it was going to cost to rebuild mine. And I moved up from a HP Z400 to a Z800...but I wished I went for the Z840 instead. Maybe next time. It's still in what's left of the living room (remodeling) and still in the shipping box. It came in two weeks ago. I have one computer on the bench and another one on the way for the church that I attend and I need to get both of them built and out of here before I get my stuff on the bench. I was hoping the second one was going to be here tomorrow (Friday) but no such luck...looking like Monday.
I had to order batteries for the laptops and they came in so those need to get on the bench for ebay sales. Sometime before/after mine....those make me money...my upgrade doesn't....
I'm getting procedures down on how I'm going to store the FDCs. I've changed that a a few times but I think I've finalized now.
I've also been at my shop getting it cleaned out from winter storage and getting it ready for my summer fun. Just a hobby shop to work on my car projects. You have no idea the projects I have there....
More to come.
Stay tuned. Same bat time. Same bat channel.
brookbam
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dorincard
Member
Posts: 1,627
What I collect: My focus is on Wild Mammals on maximum cards. Occasionally, I get or create maximum cards with other animals, or any other topic.
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Post by dorincard on Apr 21, 2023 11:40:23 GMT
You're a titan (super worker)! Just don't eat too much...iceberg lettuce. 😉 LOL. I have no idea where the reference is from for the iceberg lettuce but I'll just roll with it. You are a titan. Titanic. Iceberg. Lettuce. Mystery solved. 😉 |
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 235
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Apr 21, 2023 14:11:44 GMT
LOL. I have no idea where the reference is from for the iceberg lettuce but I'll just roll with it.
You are a titan. Titanic. Iceberg. Lettuce. Mystery solved. 😉 Ahhh...That's kind of funny in a way too...I'm a huge Titanic history nut. I'm also a model maker. I've been looking at getting the 1/200th scale model of the Titanic along with a bunch of the detail sets. But like stamp collecting...all of that can cost a lot of money....along with a lot of time....of which both are a valuable item right now for me. brookbam |
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 235
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on May 5, 2023 16:33:26 GMT
Linda...in another thread you had asked about the design of databases. I'm going to post mine here. This one is pretty simple. Just two tables, two queries, and two forms with one of them acting as the subform to the main input form which is below.
At the very top right is a quick search tab. It drops down and I can scroll through and find a Scott Number that I've already typed in. Then I just add that FDC to the inventory in the subform on the bottom part (the larger square).
If I don't have it in the database, then I add it, I have to fill in the top part first then I can add the inventory part. It is that Inventory part we're going to discuss.
There are some changes I've been working on. 1. I'd like to break down the tbl_Inventory down further because I am afraid once I get a few more thousand FDCs in this thing, it is going to bog down. Here is the issue:
I need all of those Yes/No fields broken into three other tables. One named tbl_Cache for all the cache makers. Right now there are only three: ArtCraft, Fleetwood, and ArtMaster. There are probably six or eight more to input.
I also want all the groups (Misc, Christmas, Space, People, etc...) into a table called tbl_Groups.
Finally, I'd like to have all the types (Single, Pairs, Setof3, etc....) into a table called tbl_Types
That will take out almost all the Yes/No fields and just leave: the five currency fields
the one date field a Yes/No field to denote sold the linked ScottNumber field from tbl_ScottNumber
The problem. I only have the Scott Number field to link to. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get that many tables to get the relationships set up so all the data is talking to each other. If I have 2000 completed records, by the time I get done, I'd end up with 9000 or some other goofy number. No...once everything is linked, I should have 2000 records across all...what...five total tables.
I'm 20 years past writing any VisualBasic or SQL. I've looked at all the Joins and I can't figure them out let alone how to write the SQL statement to get the joins to work. I can only do everything through the graphical interface:
This is my backup database that I've been messing around with. I've had more tables in there and having the two tables works...it's adding #3 an #4 where things go screwy. Right now the relationship on that table is on the IDs. Putting it on the ScottNumber screws it up just as bad. I wish I had added a table to that query posted above...
Anyway # Linda ...there is my database in all its naked glory. tobben63 or anyone else for that matter....please feel free and jump in with ideas on how to fix this...or whether it even needs fixing. Mike
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