Entering Collection Information

How to create collections and items in NeoCollect, including importing item information from an Excel spreadsheet.
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Welcome to NeoCollect. 

As you saw in the Overview video, NeoCollect is the new way for collectors of fine and decorative arts, antiques and other valuable collectibles to manage and showcase their collections, to connect with other serious collectors and to share their expertise. 

To get started using NeoCollect, you first create a new collection, provide whatever description you would like, and decide whether to keep the default Private setting, so only you will be able to view it, or mark it Public for others to appreciate. 

To add an item to this collection, click on the Add an Item button, begin by entering basic item information such as the title and upload the representative images and other photographs. 

Again, decide whether to keep the default Private setting, so that only you will be able to view this item, even within a publicly viewable collection, or mark the item Public for others to appreciate. 

If you set up more than one collection, or sub-collections within your overall collection, an item can be included in more than one collection, such as this Tiffany medal that is also a school award medal, this item will then be displayed in both collections. 

Each item can be assigned a status such as currently owned, previously owned, owned but available for sale or trade, and you can even include rare items that you do not own but would like to acquire. 

By linking this collection to a NeoCollect community, such as Medal Collectors, you can include your wanted and for sale items in a classified listing section of NeoCollect for others to browse, to help you build and refine your collection. 

You can then enter the physical details such as the item’s composition, dimensions and weight, the condition and history of prior ownership, detailed descriptions, information about the various artists and others who created the item, and the private information for only your use. 

Many of these NeoCollect input fields contain handy drop-down menus where you can choose from among a limited number of repeated used descriptive terms, while others allow you to enter whatever numbers or text makes sense. 

Some fields are set up to for rich text, allowing you to type the text in various formats and include links to other items in your collection and even other relevant internet websites. 

You can then save the item to your NeoCollect collection and add another, or save it and go back to the item listing, or all the way back to the collection to see how the item looks in its new NeoCollect setting. 

If you made a mistake or later decide to enter additional information, you can always go back to view what you entered any change anything, or fill in new fields.   

If you need to track information that doesn’t fit into any of the pre-defined fields, you can create a custom item type.  To access this feature, click on Settings and then Customized Item Types. 

If you currently keep an inventory of your collection in another program such as Microsoft Excel, you can upload a spreadsheet file.  Just click on “import items into this collection from a spreadsheet” and you’ll be prompted to choose a file to upload, then click the Upload and Review button.  You simply indicate which columns correspond to which NeoCollect input fields, and un-check any rows you do not want to import.  Then, click the Import Items button.  The entire set of information is automatically moved to the correct fields.  

NeoCollect is also set up to let you export your collection and item data into XML computer code in the VRA Core 4.0 standard, a format developed by the Visual Resources Association.  Some of the most advanced museums and archives use this format to exchange computerized collection information. 

Your NeoCollect collections and items are organized in a tree hierarchy, much like the file system on your computer’s hard drive. 

You can set up and reorganize your collection however you like, moving sub-collections and items around in the hierarchy.  When viewing one of your own collections, you can use the handy green arrows to change the order of items. 

Once you have entered several items into NeoCollect, you can arrange selected items in a slide show or shared catalogue. 

You can also invite others to collaborate with you in creating a catalogue, each contributing items and information which can be shared more broadly on NeoCollect and eventually published in physical book form. 

This NeoCollect pilot website is currently set up for medals only, but we will soon be adding templates for tokens, ancient coins, and eventually for a broad spectrum of fine art, antiques and other valuable collectibles. 

You’re now ready to start using NeoCollect to manage and showcase your collection, connect with other serious collectors and share your expertise. 

Please e-mail or call us if you need help or more information. 

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