Building a Custom Headless CMS: Engineering Insights from a ‘Belly Button’ Coin Anomaly

Why Headless CMS Architecture Works Differently (And Better)

Having built CMS solutions for major brands and high-traffic platforms, I’ve noticed something fascinating: great content systems share DNA with rare coin collecting. Take the 1885-O Morgan dollar’s famous “belly button” flaw – that tiny die error makes certain coins extraordinary. Building headless CMS systems requires similar attention to detail when handling unique content needs. Let’s explore why this approach matters.

Crafting Your Headless CMS Foundation

Where Traditional CMS Systems Struggle

Standard CMS platforms often feel like trying to store rare coins in cheap plastic holders – they simply weren’t built for specialized needs:

• Presentation restrictions (like WordPress templates fighting your design)
• Database limitations (Drupal’s sometimes rigid field structures)
• Performance walls as traffic grows

That’s why API-first systems have become the gold standard.

Essential Headless Building Blocks

A proper headless setup needs three core components (coin pun absolutely intended):

// Architecture diagram in code form
const headlessCMS = {
contentRepo: 'Strapi/Sanity/Contentful',
deliveryAPI: 'GraphQL/REST',
frontend: 'Next.js/Gatsby',
deployment: 'Vercel/Netlify/Cloudflare'
};

Choosing Your CMS Press: Platform Showdown

Contentful – The Precision Striker

Ideal when you need reliability at scale:

• Global CDN distribution
• Detailed user permissions
• Transparent scaling costs

Setting up a coin specification model:

// Create content model via CLI
contentful space generate \
--name 'CoinSpec' \
--fields 'mintMark=Text, year=Number, anomaly=Object'

Strapi – The Custom Workshop

Perfect for projects like our coin anomaly database needing heavy customization:

• Complete hosting control
• Expandable plugin system
• Database flexibility

Creating custom fields for coin analysis:

// Custom coin anomaly field in Strapi
module.exports = {
attributes: {
bellyButtonDepth: {
type: 'decimal',
required: true
},
dieCracks: {
collection: 'diecrack',
via: 'coin'
}
}
};

Sanity.io – The Detail Artist

When content needs creative freedom:

• Real-time collaborative editing
• Rich text control
• GROQ query precision

Finding similar coin anomalies:

// GROQ query for coin anomalies
*[_type == 'coin' && anomalyType == 'bellyButton'] {
mintMark,
year,
'images': images[].asset->url
}

Displaying Your Digital Collection

Next.js for Living Catalogs

Using Incremental Static Regeneration keeps coin data fresh:

// Next.js page with On-Demand ISR
export async function getStaticProps({ params }) {
const coinData = await fetchCMSData(params.vamId);
return {
props: { coinData },
revalidate: 3600 // Refresh hourly
};
}

Gatsby for Crystal-Clear Displays

Essential for high-resolution coin imagery:

• Automatically optimized images
• Smart asset handling
• Blazing-fast performance

Connecting to your CMS:

// gatsby-config.js CMS integration
{
resolve: 'gatsby-source-contentful',
options: {
spaceId: process.env.CONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID,
accessToken: process.env.CONTENTFUL_ACCESS_TOKEN
}
}

Smart Content Distribution

Real-Time Processing Webhooks

Automating coin analysis workflows:

// Express webhook handler
app.post('/webhooks/coin-analysis', async (req, res) => {
await validateDieCracks(req.body.images);
await generate3DModel(req.body);
res.status(200).send('Processing');
});

Multi-Platform Content Delivery

Your content isn’t just for websites:

• Mobile apps (React Native)
• Museum displays
• AR/VR experiences

Consistent API structure for all devices:

// Standardized API output
{
"metadata": {
"mint": "New Orleans",
"year": 1885
},
"anomalies": [
{
"type": "bellyButton",
"measurements": {
"depth": 0.75,
"diameter": 1.2
}
}
]
}

Future-Proofing Your Content

Like preserving rare coins, protecting content requires smart architecture:

• Content versioning (Sanity’s revision history)
• Safe publishing (Contentful’s environment branches)
• Distributed backups

The Takeaway: Build With Collector’s Care

Creating headless CMS solutions mirrors analyzing coin anomalies – both require patience, specialized tools, and appreciation for unique details. That “belly button” flaw teaches us:

• Match platforms to your content’s specific needs
• Use robust APIs as your connection layer
• Optimize displays with static generators

When you build content systems with the same care numismatists apply to grading rare coins, you create digital assets that maintain value for years.

Related Resources

You might also find these related articles helpful:

• How I Engineered a 287% Lead Boost Using Coin Collector Precision in B2B Tech – Marketing Magic from Unexpected Places Let me share something surprising: my journey from writing code to generating lea…
• The 1885-O Morgan ‘Belly Button’ Principle: A Technical Playbook for Shopify & Magento E-commerce Optimization – Why Your E-commerce Platform Needs Coin Collector-Level Precision Site speed and reliability aren’t just technical…
• 3 MarTech Development Lessons from Coin Collectors That Will Transform Your Stack – The MarTech Landscape Is Competitive – Here’s How to Build Better Tools After 15 years of building marketing…