Toy Car Collection Tracking
If you collect diecast toy cars like Hot Wheels, Autoart and Matchbox, you probably need a way to keep your collection organized. If you are a car collector, you probably love the automotive industry, and have a keen interest in different makes and models of passenger vehicles, including everything from traditional gasoline and diesel cargo trucks all the way to newer electric sedans. In fact, once you start to collect toy cars, it may be hard to stop, considering the wide variety of models that are available, both new and second hand. Whether you are a home collector with a small collection, a flea store operator, an online seller, a toy store owner or an individual with a huge collection, software can help you get the most out of your collection. And it doesn’t matter if you collect American Muscle Cars, remote-control off-road plastic 4x4 trucks, Lego technic kits, classic metal antique vehicles, or exotic diecast European sports cars. All types of collectors can benefit equally from software that keeps track of their collections, whether you are in the hobby for fun or profit.
Many people use spreadsheets or word processors to keep track of their hobby items. Using these programs will allow you to record your inventory in a list, but otherwise these general-purpose solutions are quite limited. At most you be able to alphabetize your collection, or perform a text search. And keeping track of images may be nearly impossible. In fact, if your collection grows beyond a few hundred items, storing it in a list could prove to be quite cumbersome. On the other hand, a more sophisticated database system may offer numerous benefits over a simple spreadsheet or text editor. This type of system does not necessarily require a huge amount of technical knowledge to setup. And it can also be quite inexpensive. So don’t worry if you don’t know what a database table is, or you don’t understand data types, or you don’t know how an SQL query works. The right software will take care of everything for you, and will hide all of the complexity under the hood.
One example of a database system designed to keep track of your Toy Cars is our Tracker Ten for Toy Cars inventory database program. You can install on our program on most Windows computer systems in just a couple of minutes using an automated installer. With our system, not only can you store your collection, you can also easily search for items, compare items and generate reports. And using our intuitive menu driven user interface, you can be up and running with our system in minutes (and if you do need help, we include a detailed online help file). And using the built-in HTML report generation features you can publish all or parts of your collection to your website. These types of reporting features are great if you want to share your collection with others, or if you wish put your collection on sale at a local flea market or online on a site like eBay or Kijiji.
With our system you can keep track of brands (like Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Majorette, Tomica Pocket Cars, Bburago, Maisto), scales (like 1/8, 1/24, 1/32, 1/18, 1/64), colors, car types (like Chevrolet, Dodge, Datsun, Toyota, BMW, Audi etc.), car styles (like wagon, sedan, van, SUV, pickup,) condition, country of origin, values, date of manufacture, item locations, and more. You can also include multiple pictures of each item in your collection, from all different angles, including exterior and interior shots. Our database also offers numerous user defined fields that can be setup to suit your exact needs. So, if you like tracking something a bit more obscure, like automotive engineer names, you could setup a field to track this information. And unlike a spreadsheet you can easily perform sophisticated queries on your inventory. For example, you could search for all 1/64 Chevrolet Corvette scale models made by matchbox that were made between 1965-1990. Or you could search for all convertibles in your collection that are worth more then $100, or all red Ford Mustangs regardless of manufacturer. Basically, any combination you can think of, you can search for. Being able to perform these types of searches gives you insights into your collection that would be almost impossible without computer software.
In fact, using inventory software lets you have a complete picture of your collection at your finger tips. If you ever decide to part with your collection (or you pass your collection on to somebody else), you will know exactly what you have and where it’s stored. If you keep track of your purchase price, and your sale price you can also quickly figure out how much money you’ve made. And having a complete inventory can also save you money in the long run – for example if you know exactly what you have you are less likely to purchase unneeded duplicates. Alternatively, you will be able to see what your collection is missing at a glance. And in the unfortunate case of theft, you will have a complete record of your collection for insurance inventory. These types of record are especially important considering that classic and antique toy car models can range in price from a few dollars to several hundred dollars. If you have been collecting for a number of years, your collection could be worth thousands of dollars!
Using searching and reporting features you can also compare items in your collection side by side. So, for example you could see pictures of a 1969 Dodge Challenger along side a 2019 Dodge Challenger; an old and a new Ford Bronco to compare body styles; Porsche 911 along side a Ferrari or Lamborghini to compare size; or a Hummer along side a Jeep to compare ground clearance. In fact, you may be able to see how the automotive industry has evolved, using models from just your personal inventory. Having a collection is great, but if you really want to maximize the enjoyment you get from your collection, get it organized today!
