Droo

Tenzin, the national flavour of geocoins you see relate to where they were produced. The volume of those coins, the sheer numbers of the different designs really relates to the head start American coin makers have had over other nationalities. Not to imply it's a race but European geocaching and geocoin production came about 6 years after the US. And the sheer production of geocoins is larger in the US so European vendours carry more US made coins than do US vendours with EU coins. Geocoin production is not cheap and selling off an entire stock is not guaranteed. So you may find that designs that have been made before, like the ones you say you look for, may not be tempted again because they've already been done and may not sell well if done again. Not all coin designs become Tranquilities with their 40-some editions and multiple production runs that are all highly collectable. it's really a gamble. Anyway, hope that helps and sheds slightly different light from what was wisely offered by previous posters.

There is but it's on the "Geocaching.com Web site Forum".... here, you're in the geocoin forum.

It should say somewhere on it "Trackable on Geocaching.com" or sum such variant. If it doesn't it's trackable on another site... and that site ought to be inscribed somewhere on your lil gem.

What you're referring to are commonly known as "Proxies". Sometimes they are photos of the front and back of the coin laminated together with a washer in between to give it some heft. Other times they are just cards as you describe. It's perfectly okay to put out a "Proxy" but if you don't want to stir the irritation of the cacher who was really really expecting to find the real deal it's advisable to include the word "Proxy" in the name as a fore-warning. However the use of both a Proxy and the original in the tracking system can be a problem. Trackables aren't supposed to be in multiple locations at the same time. If your proxy is a cache or someone's hand while you let folks log discoveries of the original hundreds of miles away you could be accused of running multiple travelers on the same tracking number and that's a no-no. If discovered your traveler's travel page can be frozen... permanently, by the powers that be. It's the equivalence of having that tracking number arrested and imprisoned. So, it's either one or the other but not both.

There are no "safer" options. If you're not willing to see it go or get lost you really ought not leave something "valuable" unattended in a tupperware container in the woods. If you think about it the whole notion of minting shiny colorful objects, or buying them, to leave in public places defies the increasingly common understanding of modern day human beings. Of course there are exceptions and all you can hope for is that those humans, the exceptions, are going to be the ones finding your "shiny pretty" and moving it/them along. And if you're an optimist you will release your "treasures" with the faith that those less considerate individuals are really few and far between and less likely to interfere with its travels. It's really a matter of personal perspective. Good luck.

Just delete the logs to the coins that aren't traveling. Apparently it's cool in Germany to log discoveries to randomly found tracking numbers. As for the missing ones... well, it's hard to prove they haven't seen the coins.

That it's being discovered by more than one individual seems to imply that either there is a coin out there sharing your tracking number or your tracking # has found its way onto a discovery list is being passed around. One ways around this is to delete all the logs and that should bring out the owner of the other coin with "your" tracking number and between the two of you find a way to reach the manufacturers (they are could easily be different coins/designs/etc). If no owner surfaces only upset discoverers you can ask them where or how they got the tracking # since the coin is warm and cozy at home with you.

Quite simple really. First one has to understand where geocoins come from (creationism or birds & bees thingie). Before geocoins find their way into caches they are designed and minted by individuals who do so for a variety of reasons. Primary of which is to get a return on the initial investment which can be steep. So they are sold either from online stores, from the e-marketplace, or even just through the forums here (the caveat being they have to be trackable on Gc.com to be sold or traded here). Once sold/bought the life of the geocoin can go in the different directions you alluded to. They can be activated and released in the wild to travel. Or they can be collected and traded with other collectors or re-sold at the e-marketplace. This is the legitimate path as tracking ownership goes with the coin. Once in the wild geocoins can be found by individuals who were either geocaching or who stumbled upon a poorly hidden cache. In the hands of total strangers the geocoin can be treated as intended and logged into the tracking system and moved to another cache OR can go the way that was not intended... into illegitimate collections. Coins found in these illegitimate collections cannot be legitimately sold or traded as ownership cannot be passed on to the receiver/buyer as the tracking ownership still lies with the person who activated and released the coin into the wilds. So there is really only two routes geocoins can take.... be created, sold/traded, collected and/or released legitimately OR found and pocketed with the expectation of selling/collecting/trading someone else's coin without getting caught... these folks are known a coin thieves.

Another way of thinking about this is that you can make anything trackable.... it's called a travel bug. To turn anything into a travel bug you need a travel bug tag which you can purchase from the Geocaching Store. What you get is two dog tags with a tracking number stamped on them- you attach one to the item you want to send traveling and keep the other as a copy or backup. There is nothing that says you can't just use the tracking number on the tags and just stamp it on your item. All you need to do is activate the tracking number which will take you to your bug's travel page where you can assign a mission, post a photo, set point of origin etc. Enjoy.

"God_of_Caching" doesn't know? I'm so disappointed.

You're on the wrong site if you want to trade geotags. They are not a sanctioned Geocaching.com item so kinda unmentionable here. In fact this thread might get shut down before you can even see this reply.

Yes, what you are talking about is making a Proxy for the missing coin. Be sure to make that clear in the title and description so if and when the original re-appears (it could!!) your intent is there for all to see. The problem as you foresaw is multiples traveling on the same tracking code so just be sure if that happens that you contact whoever logged the proxy last that they destroy it. Then change the name again to reflect that it is the original that is being tracked again.

Yup Promotionals are nothing new. If you go to the Trackables Page you'll notice after Geocoins and Travel Bugs a category entirely dedicated to them and links to the various and sundry varieties that have been made and released. I believe the Jeep4x4s were the first or pretty darned close. Also many have made geocoins to promote their website or other such enterprise but I digress as these don't fall under the Promotional group. Anyway the links make for interesting reading if you're curious about the development of this side of geocaching.

Opinions will vary because, as Nevadanick has said, there are no "rules" to this; missions are just wishes and most cachers don't even see/read them. And just as a GPS will not lead you directly to a cache but will have you zig zagging around it for a while so travels a tb/gc on its journeys. The beauty is to see how it gets there not that it gets there, otherwise why rely on geocachers when the USPS is more efficient. There are enough pressures on travelers to stay in the game without adding to them. If I were you I'd be grateful it is being logged properly, you are tracking it and it is moving. Eventually it will get back on the track you had hoped for it but in the meantime just enjoy the journey.

Could you post the TB# from the coin's travel page so one can take a look at the coin's logs and see where the problem might be? NOT the tracking code that's on the coin (which is to remain secret except for those who have physically handled the coin) but its public reference number. I looked over your last dozen or so adequately sized caches found and the trackables in your profile and couldn't find the coin in question anywhere.

A trackable geocoin MUST have stamped/embossed on it "Trackable on Geocaching.com" or some variant of that. If it doesn't say that it's not trackable on geocaching.com. Eazy peazy.

Is this a reservation or a pre-sale. From the looks of the FB thread you're not asking for money up front.

Coin And Pins has/had

First of all it's really nice of you to contact the owners and take responsibility for their loss and doubly so for thinking of and wanting to replace the items you lost. But I wouldn't count on being able to find something that can pick up where these left off. That's not going to happen. Replace the one you can find and ask the owner of the one you can't find in an online store if they have a preference for replacement and give them some choices. Misfortunes happen but it's what you do to rectify the situation that makes it more acceptable. Good luck.

The rule of thumb is never put anything in a tupperware container in the woods you don't wish to lose.

Have you tried CoinsandPins? Edit to add.... never mind, most start with the 100th.

DO NOT check the collectible box if you are going to set it traveling. It will only encourage the less informed to think they can collect it.

FWIW... not all trackable coins are trackable on geocaching.com. If they are they have to say so right on the coin. As others have said the website where this coin is tracked was right under your nose and you didn't know it. When you're looking for something it's always in the last place you look and you just weren't done looking yet. Thanks for posting pics so it could be easily understood where the misunderstanding was.

Just sounds like a virtual log, that is someone managed to get the tracking code without seeing/finding your coin and went to log a discovery/find as though they did. Since the coin is still in your possession there is no doubt this person is being dishonest and you have every right to delete the log from the coin's tracking page. By doing so the offending account also loses the icon that was ill begotten from the bogus discovery. Since this is a brand new account with no other finds I wouldn't bother even wasting time emailing it and explaining your action. If it was a serious cacher with a number of finds under their belt then an explanation of their offense might be in order (I typically explain it as logging cache finds without ever leaving home to search for them).

Hello GP, If the coin was ever in the system it still is... no need to get it back in there. If wasn't in the system, and has a tracking number (2 letters followed by 4 alphanumerics typically) but your friend found it in a cache it could be unactivated but unlikely - unactivated coins are extremely rare. If that is the case you would need an activation code to get it into the system so it can start to be tracked. But it's also likely that it is not trackable, or trackable on a site different than geocaching.com. Phew, it gets very confusing. Also, if the letters of the tracking number on the coin are really small you may need a magnifying lens to be sure you are not confusing a 0 for an O, a 1 for an I, an S for a 5, a Z for a 2, an 8 for a B.... etc etc ... and vice versa. That is probably the number 1 error most of us make when we can't get to a coin's tracking page. Good luck.