Can we add a few more user-specified fields in the My Collection database?

Currently we have these fields:

It would be really handy if we could have a few more fields available. For example, I cannot find a specific note by serial number unless I first entered it into the “My Comment” field. 

The same applies to these attributes:

1. Whether the note has UVA fluorescence

2. Whether the note has UVC fluorescence

3. Whether the note has IR fluorescence

I appreciate that Numista cannot cater for all these fields, especially if they were to be named fields.

But what would help greatly is a situation where three or four more fields were added, with a generic title such as User-defined 1, User-defined 2 and User-defined 3 for example.

The cherry on top would be if those fields could be toggled so that that the contents can be viewed publicly if desired.

Currently I have a long-winded workaround involving multiple variables being entered into the “My Comments” field such as this. I make sure to use a comma as a field separator:

On export to Excel, this is what you get:

I can then separate those into their own columns using the “Text to columns” function in Excel.

Before I do that, I have to move the “Public comment” column to the end of the spreadsheet. That's because new columns are generated with the text to columns function and they will over-write the existing columns.

Here is the preview, note the comma is the field separator:

And the result:

But that's a lot of steps!

So far I have only done this properly for my Peru notes. If you look at my Peru notes it may make sense.

I forgot to add that I use 0 and 1 to denote whether a note has a UV or IR feature. So UVA1 means it fluoresces under UVA. If it was UVA0 it would mean no UVA fluorescence. 

The less common attributes like phosphorescence I add as a stand-alone variable, such as [PHOS] in the above example.

I use these others also, so far:

[Redlight] - hidden text under red light

[Bar] - watermark bars

[Perforated] - micro perforation holes

[BadUV] - contaminated UV appearances

[Seq] - Sequential notes (and number)

[Folder] - came in a presentation folder

[UV Watermark] - the watermark is a UV print

[Print Defect] - factory anomaly

I guess you can already add the field for banknotes serial numer (and a lot of other fields) in your account settings/collection fields. I don't need it so I have its hidden but see in the settings - there is option like this:

The serial number field is there but it isn't searchable, unfortunately. If it was, I would not have to write it also in the Public Comment field:

I don't see the sense of adding this field. If you want to see your own notes with unique number, you can find it on export Excel file as you do it today. The only case that this can be usefull is that you are colecting notes with specific serial number and want to see if anyone have this for swap…

And for search filters, we have much more avaliable, just swich to main page, not “my collection” (and select only coins in your collection):

Serial number can be exported directly in the Numista export function.

The searchable serial number is a way to find a note so I can update its attributes rather than having to open a spreadsheet all the time. I'm trying to get all the data into Numista first then output a spreadsheet only occasionally.

When I get banknotes, they are extensively imaged. They get scanned, UV photographed and infrared photographed. And I cannot do that all in one session, I have banknotes at different stages of imaging all the time. That's the addiction!

So having a searchable serial number has helped me in these ways:

1. Occasionally I don't recall even what country a note comes from. There's nothing on it but the serial number to identify it. Searching by serial number helps

2. I collect multiples of notes, especially when there are anomalies. I have about 25 of those 100 Rouble notes. What's nice about a searchable serial is it will let me get the note even if I put a partial number in. It doesn't require me to type the Cyrillic prefix

3. If I find out after doing the UV photos that it also fluoresces under UVC, it is nice to type the serial number in, click the note, update its attributes and go from there.

Now, let's not get too focused on the serial number. What would be useful is user-definable fields, so that I don't have to go through the ball-ache of splitting the one useful field there is in Excel, which is the Public Comments field.

If we had a few more of those, it would be useful for the collector and for anyone else looking at their collection. At a glance, you can see that a note has no UV activity, for example.

That's the main driver for it, is to spend more time on Numista entering data than continuously exporting to Excel and then manipulating columns on Excel.

By the way this is not about coins for me, it is more about banknotes. There seem to be more options for a coin collector on Numista.

One day when I am king, there will be a search function with all sorts of drop-downs so that you can find a banknote by:

1. Whether it has a watermark or not

2. Whether it has a segmented or solid security thread

3. Whether it has iridescent ink

4. Whether it has UVA activity

5. Whether it has UVC activity

6. Whether its IR appearances differ from ordinary mono photograph

7. Whether it has hidden features revealed by a certain colour light

8. Whether it has hidden features visible under backlight (some polymer notes have this)

9. Whether it has perforations

10. Whether it has hidden features which are obliquely detectable under ordinary light

There are more categories, I am sure!

But the thing that seems to apply to a large number of notes (paper, hybrid and polymer) is the UVA, UVC and IR features. Those are very common, especially the infrared. I'm surprised by how much a note can change under infrared.

Those are relevant from an identification point of view and they make the collecting of these notes very interesting.

I understand. I had my own suggestion for user defined searches. It went nowhere.

Ok, in general, it would be super nice if anyone can define own set of search fields that are usefull. And the rest of the fields can be hidden to not have too much on display (similar way as some fields can be customised for ‘my collection’).

I also miss some fields for the search and need to do some work around to get the wanted results.

With serial numbers being unique I see a filter as a relatively useless page addition. Just use ctrl+F if you want to find an individual note fast on your My collection page.