Using QR codes with Corpus Nummorum

Maybe you have noticed that our web site is using QR codes frequently. They look like this:

What they are for and how to use them?

The QR code encodes the link to the web page with the report - the very same web page that you can see it on. If you print the web page with the report (print directly from your browser - it is pretty good), you can later navigate easily to the same web page by scanning the code with your smart phone.

You will need some QR scanner application for it, I use QR Droid, but there is many to chose from. 

Another use it to tag coins in your collection. For example if your coin is Czechoslovakia gold ducat KM#14, use the QR code from the bibliography, find appropriate catalog number as on the picture below, then just right click on QR code and save it to your PC - you can print it later together with other codes.

This way you don't need to put any details on your coin holder, like pricing info, simply scan the code with your smart phone and it will bring you to the page where you can check the latest sales for the very same catalog item.

In the future we are planning to improve this so you can create a list of codes you want to print without the need to save it to your PC first, or print codes for the whole catalog or for your inventory.

Try it and you will be surprised how easy they are to use.

Just another coin auctions archive?

Couple of days ago we released the first experimental version of our auctions archive. So why another archive and how is this archive different from existing ones?

Here is a list of some features that makes it unique:

• the archive currently contains more than 20 million auction lots from more than 200 auction houses including auction countries like Japan, Korea, Russia, China, India or Eastern Europe
• we developed a system which can connect main numismatic resources - auctions and bibliography. Special algorithms are analyzing auction lots description for bibliography references. If a known reference is found, the link is created. Links can be also edited and created manually
• For public domain works we plan to publish more details from catalogs. For copyright protected works we try to get permission from authors and publishers to show at least catalog structure and catalog numbers - we have already permission for many important catalogs.
• where available, book has a link to Amazon, so collectors can buy the book with few clicks
• bibliography database is linked to political-geography database, so if the auction lot has a reference to bibliography and bibliography has reference to country, auction lot will be automatically indexed by country and/or ruler
• political-geography database contains relation links between entities so one can traverse through predecessors or successors
• we have in preparation other types of indexes, for example inscriptions, iconography etc.
• users will be able to watch for specific item to appear on auctions and will be automatically notified if it appear on the auction
• the archive is using search engine with very advanced search syntax. Advanced user can do a very specific searches that helps to narrow down search result.
• search accept all accented characters of European languages as well as Russian, Greek and other alphabets. An experimental search in Chinese, Japanese and Korean is available too.

And the most important...

• we are developing collection and inventory software for your local devices (Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android) and also for Web, which will use this auction archive as primary source of information

So stay tuned, more news are coming up soon...