Hi all,

I have a column of mixed data that sorts like this:

001 abc
10,000 abc
10.5 abc
2001 def
28 def
300 ghi
36 ghi
3rd ghi
a xyz
ab abc

I would like it to sort thus:

001 abc
3rd ghi
10.5 abc
28 def
36 ghi
300 ghi
2001 def
10,000 abc
ab abc
a xyz

In other words, the number-first entries to sort in true numerical order and the text entries to sort alpha ignoring spaces. I looked at Creating Custom Sort List (Excel 2007) but I'm not sure how to go about it. Can I use a few examples like the ones above or do I have to make a copy of all 3000 entries, sort them the way I want them and then give it a custom name? Or, am I just going about it all wrong?

Thanks for any help!