haysonics

Not all geocoins are trackable. Those that aren't trackable can be discussed in the forums and traded but can't be sold in the fourms or linked to an outside sale.. True, but I am looking ahead to the future and assuming that a "geocoin" will be something with a Groundspeak tracking number on it. It may not even look like a coin or be made of metal.

Just for the topic of discussion, why is that? Outside of the sale of tracking numbers and various on-site logging guidelines, what does gc.com have to do with design and manufacturing of geocoins? Have a look at the "Worst idea for a geocoin" thread to see what geocoins would be available if Groundspeak were not in the picture

A lot of the geocoin forum involves the geocoin market. IMO, Geocoins are not questionable products, it is their value that is questionable, due to the wildly fluctutating prices they fetch on epay. Geocoins are more in line with the art market than the commodities market. IMO, the Geocoin market is ideally suited to regulation for many reasons; The overwhelming majority of current geocoin vendors are honest. Its a small market. Geocoins are trackable which means their design and manufacture have to fit within certain parameters set by Groundspeak.

Thanks The Night Cacher for bringing this issue to our attention. A few days ago I noticed the "Activated coins for sale. Submit your offer if interested" thread. My eyebrows lifted when I saw "If you are outbid I will email or PM you." I was tempted to post something along the lines of "let the buyer beware" but decided against it as I had no experience of this person and was concerned that I might be slandering their reputation. This thread now brings that reputation into question based on a number of cachers experiences and so I will now mention my concern for an auction where bidders are unable to verify the bids of other bidders. I agree that this thread is justified AND that we need to be careful with the language we use. The mods walk a grey line between the duty of disclosure and the protection of reputations. I am pleased to see that the majority of the posts have been statements of peoples experiences rather than calling people names like "scammer" (which is flaming). I can understand peoples frustrations. It is acceptable to say "I think/feel I have been cheated". Its ok to state how you think and feel about something but its not ok to say "X is a cheat". Please be mindful of this as it often is the difference between whether a thread stays open or is closed down. Personally I can't understand why any person would risk their long standing reputation for the cost of a couple of coins.

Yes, 75 went to G.C.F. and the other 25 were sold through the site. Edit to cover up my mathematical ineptitude (and the fact I shouldn't be doing this at work)

The nickel has the edge on the antique silver but probably doesn't warrant the price it gets on epay (unless you are a templar nut like me). IMO the pick of the bunch is the Two Tone. I agree that the other knight themed coins around are good but not as special. As far as obtaining the coins you like, I'd suggest buying an extra coin or two at a presale and then trading. Have a look at www.geocoincollection.com/cointrade/ Trading is a great way of getting to know the community.

Welcome to the wonderful world of geocoins. The Knights Templar was the geocoin that got me started. The antique silver will probably be back on that site in a month or so. There are 3 RE's (regular editions) of that geocoin; antique silver, antique gold and antique copper. Regular editions have no limit on the numbers that are minted. The Knights Templar were released in 2007 and reminted in 2008. There were also 4 LE's (limited editions); Nickel (looks like foggy/polished silver), Foggy Gold, Black Nickel, and a Two Tone (2 metals, gold and silver). The LE's are sold out and highly cherished (I am looking for the black nickel). They were designed by a cacher called mambomania who is also a vendor (its his site). On the site you will find RE's of other geocoins designed by other cachers such as the Teutonic Knights and Excalibur. Again the LE's are sold out. Some of the RE's are awaiting remint. There are many designers and vendors producing great geocoins. The cheapest option is to watch out for previews of upcoming geocoins both here and on the vendors' sites. There is often a presale where you can order coins you like in advance. Some geocoins are only available as part of a presale, the numbers that are minted reflecting the numbers that are ordered. This makes them limited editions as well even though they may not be labelled as an LE. In Geocoin terminology an LE or an XLE means a specific number of coins (25, 50, 75, etc). If you come late to a presale and miss out on an LE don't be put off as there will probably only be a couple hundred of the other versions minted (its a relatively small community). BTW, the Poor Knights Of The Temple Of King Soloman never produced their own coins. They used the currency of whatever country they were in. They issued 'script' to pilgrims which could be cashed in for local currency at Templar lodges thoughout Europe and the Middle East, making them the first international bankers. I would also love to own a Knights Templar travellers cheque

Yeah, like you need another tranq. You really have them all. Slight colour differences with different mintings of the same metal is a sub sub subcategory. Kind of like scratches. Well this one has a scratch here but on this one .... For awhile I was really keen to find out as I love the colours of the DG but wish they were a bit lighter. Thought maybe my DG was from the first minting and that maybe the later edition might be a bit lighter. I have gotten over it now Anyway posting my DG to you for comparison wouldn't work as yours might be the same minting.

I just looked again at your photo, the 3D is amazing ! Is there any difference in the enamels between the different mintings of the Dark Gold ?

Ditto ! Well done Coins And Pins and Groundspeak !

Is there any difference in the colour of the enamels between the gold and nickel versions ?

Ohh...that works? Many Thanks for your answer. Greetings, Heiko It should work thanks to Groundspeak who are changing their website to allow a different type of tracking number to be used.

The activation codes on the coins will become the tracking numbers. New activation codes will be emailed out to all coin holders. Sounds like a good solution. Just need to wait a couple of weeks.

I am still looking for a black nickel templar. I would work out a nice trade for one

As you are not listed on geocoincollection I'd suggest posting a list or a link to a list here as you'd probably find buyers. As far as market stalls go, some people will buy your stuff and others won't. To improve sales, place the coins on a silk cloth and place an A4 size piece of paper in a polished silver frame next to the coins with a printed description done in a nice font explaining Geocoins. If your coins are limited edition you should mention the numbers and their matching colour. Once people start matching the colours to the numbers their brains will move from Alpha into Beta which helps with sales. Disco flashing lights will move them into theta which is even better but you would need to be subtle and place the stobe light under the stand (set to about 144 BPM). Id also splash some expensive perfume on your cloth so people will subconsciously associate the coins with value. Music is also important. Ask your lady friends what they think is the sexiest music and play that (but at a low volume).

Interesting idea. A cheap memory chip like those 32meg ones included with digital cameras would also do the trick. Bet there are many who have them sitting in a drawer at home. Stick it in your camera, take a pic, take it out, post it on.

Hi Mike, In your post an antique gold is mentioned but it didn't appear on the reservations page yesterday. Edit: Maybe I wasnt quick enough off the mark. Was it an LE ?

The Microsoft museum would be ideal as they are more than likely to have the funds going into the future to grow a collection. With your support they could seek to set a realistic value on individual coins rather than the lottery which is ebay. This would help those needing to sell their collections in the future get both a fair price and the knowledge that they could sell their coins to a museum so as to be available for everyone to see. The main question you may need to ask yourselves is whether you want to see a real explosion of interest in geocoins that could occur with the publicity of a new collection. Will this be good for the sport of geocaching ? I don't know the answer to that. Also, you might need to redifine your thinking on numbers. With the new popularity, a LE geocoin run of say 75 coins may become a LE run of 750. With a tenfold increase in interest to match, the ratio of interest to available coins should remain the same meaning the value of an LE should remain the same. I say "should" as it is hard to predict. In the art world a limited run often numbers into the thousands but the market forces seem to work in the same way as it currently does with geocoins.

I think it is a great idea. The only problem I have with the Academy is that I don't think vendors should be in the academy. The two vendors involved have done really cool coins this year. I would hope their coins are considered, but I think there is an obvious conflict. I also think coin designers should not be members, and for the same reason. 1 - How can vendors be on the academy? If a vendor's coin is nominated does the vendor then remove him/herself from the round table discussion? 2 - Mr Yime, you are a fantastic designer ! Are you prepared to wait 20 years until you produce a Schindler's List geocoin before you win? Sound ridiculous? Well that is what springs into my mind when I hear the word Academy. Sounds like the Academy Awards. Maybe some of you are not aware, but outside of the USA they are treated as a JOKE. We watch the Academy Awards for fun but we watch the BAFTA's to see what films actually were the best. Have an Academy by all means but please don't automatically assume anyone outside the USA will grant the idea respect. 3- Its nothing personal ! Having a vibrant debate about the form voting should take should be welcomed with open arms. For goodness sakes, you are talking about the geocoin equivalent of a CONSTITUTION. What you are proposing with an Academy is a system based on a PARTY COMMITEE system like they have in China ! Good grief, you have just had a historic election. Do you think you would have OBAMA if you had an Academy? Who doesn't get this? Your founding fathers would turn over in the grave if they heard you :0) 4 - When PLnauta started this thread it was about nominating categories for a DEMOCRATIC vote. 1 person, 1 vote (with the ability to nominate a coin in several categories). That was the topic of the thread wasn't it ?

I am reasonably new to geocoins. Found out about them in March while researching whether any Freemason lodges had ever done a Knights Templar charity coin. Ended up on epay. My jaw dropped. The designs were incredible. I thought "I'll just get those Templars". A week later I thought "I'll just get that Rosetta Stone I also saw". Of course that was the moment I crossed the line. We have a show in Australia called Collectors and the presenter says that you get 1 thing because you like it and then you get a 2nd thing so that you have a matching pair BUT if you get 3rd, well, that's the start of a collection and there is no going back. Its basically all your fault :0) Its your great designs. Up until this year I mainly collected "practical" things like books and cd's with the exception of the occasional bit of art. I like modern design and art such as Dali, Koons and Kostabi but its expensive on my salary. Geocoins are affordable art. They can also be great art. Stamps and regular coins just didn't do it for me. I always liked the idea of finding treasure. I get excited by shiny metals, translucent colours and intricate designs. Look at it this way, because I am a relative newbe who doesn't appreciate the older simpler designs, well, that means there is more of those for you :0) Finally and most importantly, I have found the overwhelming majority of the geocoin community to be very friendly and generous !

Hi René, Sorry to hear you are having troubles with ebay. I find drinking COCA COLA helps with problems. You have certainly come to the right place for help with your ebay issue. I am drinking COCA COLA right now. Please don't be discouraged by the cynical posters who are suggesting you are using the forum as a cheap form of advertising. Drinking COCA COLA makes life fun. Rest assured, I have no problems seeing your coins. Women find men that drink COCA COLA sexy. I wish you the best of luck with your sale. Edit to say COCA COLA

The stakeout geocoin. Has a tracking chip placed in it. The first truly trackable geocoin ! After delivery, you publish the tracking code on the net and ask people to help find your lost dog. Make sure to mention that you think someone has taken him. When you finally end up in court you can say that you clearly stated the coin was trackable

Me thinks Lara may soon have a new obsession

Thanks Lemon Fresh Dog !

Die Signal Die ! Geocoin (Signal is tied to a railway track and a train approaches) I love pathtags ! Geocoin (with multiple holes stamped in it) Jaa Jaa Brinks Geocoin Hitler/Stalin Geocoin Paris Hilton Geocoin New Kids On The Block Geocoin Windows Vista Geocoin Edit to apologise if I have crossed over the line with the Vista geocoin