User-defined types of object

Recently the old classification of collectible objects in coins, banknotes and exonumia (exonumia included coin-like and banknote-like objects) was replace by a new classification of objects types (with coins, tokens, medals, banknotes and paper exonumia in the top-level and many intermediate and lower levels).

In Numista we are many collectors. Each person collects a type of object, and has an idea of what exonumia is or, for example, what is expected to be seen in the coins category.

Some problems related to this subject was published on the forum:

• Catalogue search https://en.numista.com/forum/topic151560.html
• My collection page https://en.numista.com/forum/topic152046.html
• Fantasy objects https://en.numista.com/forum/topic151560.html

A suggestion to create user-defined searches was published by @rsirian1, and I supported and developed it. But now I think this concept can be expanded and applied to other features in Numista (not just catalogue searches).

Ideally, everyone would agree on the types classification. But this is difficult… or impossible!

For example, the current coins classification includes these items. For me, only items marked (✔️ = sure; ❓= doubtful) are real coins, the others are tokens.

• Standard circulation coins ✔️
• Circulating commemorative coins ✔️
• Non-circulating coins ✔️
• Collector coins ❓
• Emergency coinage
  • Siege coins ✔️
  • Official necessity coins ✔️
  • Merchant tokens ❓
• Local coins ✔️
• Patterns
• Contemporary counterfeits
• Proto-coins ✔️

But this is just my opinion, based in my field of collecting!

My suggestion is add (for example in the member settings) the possibility of management groups of user-defined object types (with actions: add, modify, delete).

In my case, I could create a group:

• Name (text field): Coins (my idea)
• Types of object (multiple select, or check boxes):

Coins

✅ Standard circulation coins
✅ Circulating commemorative coins
✅ Non-circulating coins
✅ Collector coins
✅ Emergency coinage

✅ Siege coins
✅ Official necessity coins
✅ Merchant tokens

✅ Local coins
⭕ Patterns
⭕ Contemporary counterfeits
✅ Proto-coins

Tokens

⭕ …

Medals

⭕ …

Banknotes

⭕ …

Paper exonumia

⭕ …

The user-defined types of object can be used by Numista like another type of object, adding these to the select box of types of objects:

Types of object = SELECT BOX with options:

Coins

Tokens

Medals

Banknotes

Paper exonumia

User-defined

Coins (my idea)

…

if I select a user-defined type, it is equivalent to selecting all types included in the user-defined type.

The user-defined types can be used in catalogue search, swaps (when I look by user), my collection, export my collection, my swaps (when I search objects from my swap partner), my wishes…

Edit: I update examples with types from 27 May 2025.

This sounds like what is required to restore the previous functionality of the site. Those familiar with Microsoft Access might agree with me that what we need here is something equivalent to what are called “Forms” in Access. These allow the user to view the database in different ways with different filters applied. As I write this, it occurs to me that “quick and dirty” solution for me at present would be to have separate logins for coins and notes, each with their own default view.

I miss the objective categories from before.

Looks like everything is shady now, we add filters to search but if we don't find we need to change the filters and basically select all of them back, and then we need to check what filters are selected, knowing some basic knowledge like what is a Collector's Coin.

“Hey Geison, I can't find this coin”

“That's because you are with the incorrect filters”

We need a site to tell us what is a coin and what is not, if we need to customize for each collector defined rules, the numismatics will get very messy.

Numismatics is very messy.

The “Set as default selection” option was created a few months ago (I can not find the topic where it was announced), and I think the possibility of create user-defined types is more necessary.

The “Set as default selection” option is useful for users who always look for the same types, I do not deny it.

But in my case, I look for different types at any time. Mainly, look for standard/commemorative circulation coins (with these I can set a default selection, of course), but other times I want look for different types (emergency coinage, local coins, coin replicas, fantasy coins, coins+[contemporary counterfeits]… and the same for banknotes). If I set a new default selection (because I want to use it for a while) the other default selection is lost, and I have to set it again, and set the other one if I need it again...

I think this is also a problem for referees with more than one type, if they want review the different types of object in their scope, but with different searches. Or they could need two user-defined types: one with their scope as referees, and other with their scope as collectors.