what is the best software to track, inventory, categorize and value a collection?
I use an Excel spreadsheet for my inventory. I find that it’s easy to classify rolling stock by whatever categories needed. There is the capability of using multiple spreadsheets in the same file for various uses. For instance, my main spreadsheet is the entire inventory which I can sort by Car Type, Road Name or Manufacturer. The attached second sheet is ONLY my ‘F’ unit roster, which I have been culling and adding to with upgraded units. You could easily add a column for value, enter formulas to track totals, and so on. My two cents worth!
Like the previous comment, I use my own. I wrote a little database in Access, but that only works if you are comfortable (and have) Access.