Numismaster revisited

coinpictures

I complained long and hard about the Numismaster interface when they rolled out the product. I sent them constructive input at the time, but they never fixed anything... and they still haven't.

But you know, I've been using it in lieu of lugging around huge tomes for about 2 years now, and despite its interface shortcomings, I'm sold for several reasons:

1. Portability. I can access it from my home computer, my work computer, my laptop, heck I've even used it on my cellphone.

2. Timeliness. Prices get updated on a more frequent basis than the printed volumes. No more waiting 2-5 years for some of the volumes to get the next edition.

3. Value. When they first brought out the product, the annual cost for the "All-Access Pass" was a ludicrous $149 per year, if I recall correctly. At that price it was a no-go, but since they have brought the annual price down to a reasonable level (see below), it's easily worthwhile, IMO.

The key is to *NOT* subscribe through Numismaster, where it shows $109.95 per year.

What you want to do is purchase a membership to the ShopNumismaster "VIP Club".

A "VIP Club" membership gets you the following (U.S. residents):

1. A one-year subscription to the print edition of Numismatic News (52 weekly issues, usually $29.99/year).

2. A one-year subscription to the digital edition of World Coin News (12 monthly issues, usually $22.99/year).

3. A one-year subscription to the "All-Access Pass" at Numismaster (normally $109.95/year), which includes the online equivalent of the following printed catalogs:

North American Coins & Prices (U.S. & Canada)
Standard Catalog of World Coins (1601-1700)
Standard Catalog of World Coins (1701-1800)
Standard Catalog of World Coins (1801-1900)
Standard Catalog of World Coins (1901-2000)
Standard Catalog of World Coins (2001+)
Unusual World Coins

4. 10% automatic discount on future shopnumismaster orders (does not apply to future VIP renewals)

5. Free shipping on any shopnumismaster orders over $40.

All that for.... $39.98 per year. Hell, that's worth it just for the Numismaster alone, and all the other stuff is just gravy IMO.

Better yet, you can frequently find online coupon codes the bring down the cost even further. Right now, code REDTAG10NM gets you an additional 10% off, bringing it down to $35.98 per year + sales tax.

At $36 per year, it's hard to go wrong.

Link to VIP Club:

http://www.shopnumismaster.com/numismaster-vip-club

By upping the quantity, you can extend out all the included subscriptions additional years. For under $80 after tax, I recently extended all my subscriptions out through mid-2015 (and confirmed it within Numismaster that my membership was indeed extended).

It's not for everyone, but I find it to be a heck of a value.

P.S. The extending of existing subscriptions and activation of a new membership appears to be a human-processed task, not automated, so it may take a day or two to see the activation/extension, so don't panic.

hockeyfan9

Thank You so much! I have been trying to figure out a better way than lugging my books around! I appreciate it! Mark

LochNESS

So, it's an online book service? do they have smartphone apps, or just the website?

Have you tried using PDF files on iPad or smartphone? How does this compare?

coinpictures

<< <i>So, it's an online book service? do they have smartphone apps, or just the website?

Have you tried using PDF files on iPad or smartphone? How does this compare? >>



No it's not actually a book service. The information is not presented as PDFs but as an online database. It is completely browser-based, so if your device has a web browser, you can use it. I use it on my Android smartphone occasionally.

Here are some screenshots of the user experience once you log in.

Here is the main search screen. The denominations become selectable as you select a country (or type one in):




Clicking the "Find My Coin" button then takes you to the general search results screen shown below. This is one of the problems I have with the product: even if I selected the denomination from the list on the prior page, it still treats ALL query results as partial matches, in this case showing all denominations that have "Rupie" in them rather than just Rupies.




From the above screen you can click the "View details link at right" and get the details on that KM#.




If you notice, on both the preceding screens there are either "Add to Want List" or "Add to Portfolio" links, which take you to screens like that shown below. Presumably you could use this to track your collection and pricing/value would be updated as updates to the Krause catalogs are made. I don't use this aspect of the product.

LochNESS

I see, very detailed! So basically, for $36/yr, you can access all the Krause catalogs instead of having to buy each volume (which would cost way more than $36).

So if I had Wi-Fi connection, on the bourse floor, I could look-up coins before purchasing. But if there is no connection, I need the book (or PDF file)

I wonder what was the incentive for Krause to partner with this website?

Thanks for posting those detailed screen shots that is very helpful. If you don't have time to answer any more questions I understand; you have already done a lot

coinpictures

<< <i>I see, very detailed! So basically, for $36/yr, you can access all the Krause catalogs instead of having to buy each volume (which would cost way more than $36). >>



That is correct, although you likely would not be purchasing every printed book every year. It's still a considerable savings though.



<< <i>So if I had Wi-Fi connection, on the bourse floor, I could look-up coins before purchasing. But if there is no connection, I need the book (or PDF file) >>



Either Wi-Fi or 3G/4G cellular data connection. If you want PDFs you'd also have to purchase the DVD (which I don't think is being offered any more) or somehow have the printed books broken down and scanned to PDF, which would be a daunting task.

If you want up-to-date price data at your fingertips, I don't know of a better method.



<< <i>I wonder what was the incentive for Krause to partner with this website? >>



They saw the handwriting on the wall... paper catalogs being phased out in favor of digital versions.

LochNESS

<< <i>That is correct, although you likely would not be purchasing every printed book every year. It's still a considerable savings though. >>


That's exactly my point. Instead of purchasing one year's catalogs and, as the years advance, using outdated info

ormandh

I guess that I am forever banned for complaining to them a year ago.

Maybe sometimes it is good to keep your thoughts to yourself.

-Dan

daOnlyBG

Thanks for the info, coinpictures. I'm going to look further into their offer.

coinpictures

<< <i>I guess that I am forever banned for complaining to them a year ago.

Maybe sometimes it is good to keep your thoughts to yourself.

-Dan >>



I feel your pain. They are utterly unreceptive to suggestions for interface, functionality, and accessibility improvements.

The product is what it is. You have to buy into it (or shun it) for its current capabilities, not what it should be or might be.

AuroraRarities

I really appreciate this tip!

I am confused by the fact that there are separate logins for Numismaster where I would presumably use the price guides and ShopNumismaster where I buy the $36 subscription deal. I can't login to these with the same username and ID so how are they going to make the info available to me?

Thanks again