Droo

Check Ebay every now and then as that coin's at least 3 years old and may pop up sometime.

I think you're being too hard on ... events. 2 of your coins are currently only out of the tracking system, that is they are not where they are logged in as being. This is quite common with all the newbs around and the ability to cache by smartphone. It seems people are a lot less invested in the game than they used to be. What once cost several hundreds of dollars for a GPS receiver to get started is now a simple app away. So newbs come and go without learning the ins and outs of how the game is played so they make up their own rules. And just as quickly they drop out forgetting the trackables they picked up along the way. It's not uncommon for travelers relegated to that "unknown location" to find their way back. I totally understand your frustration with the (alleged) 12 year old (username - CJCaching) but I doubt he is what he claims to be. There are a lot of rotten people everywhere and the interwebz is one place they can leave their mark. Please don't be too discouraged by just one rotten apple of the kind one can generally avoid in real life but who easily find a way to get in your face online.

Common mistakes with tracking numbers are transcription errors, including sequential numbering hyphenated beside the tracking number or trying to track a coin not trackable on Geocaching.com. A geocoin trackable on Geocaching.com must have it stamped somewhere "Trackable on Geocaching.com" or some variation on that. Tracking code should only be 6 alphanumeric digits long. Often it is easy to confuse a 1 for an I, a 0 for an O, a 2 for a Z, an 8 for a B, etc etc, and vice versa. Good luck.

Love the simplicity of the design, especially the first one.

Yes, and don't get hung up on sticking religiously to the traveler's mission or goal as you don't typically see those until you get home and read the tracking page. The most important thing is to help the tb/gc move along.

David, why do you want to delete your trackable? There may be a way to get where you are trying to get without removing the tracking code from the tracking system.

Be sure to name it a proxy. Suggestions made above to claim it's a proxy in the tracking page may not reach the ear/eye of the expectant finder who may lose control of themselves in their disappointment at not finding the real thing. But if it's in the name... well, it's right there on the cache page next to the coin icon.

Does it say "Trackable on Geocaching.com", or something to that effect? Check the edge. If it doesn't it's not a geocoin, or at least not a traveler trackable on the geocaching site.

Travelers trackable on other sites aren't discussed here... only those trackable on geocaching.com.

It used to be that you would email the company (Oakcoins for example) to request the activation codes with photos of the coin showing the tracking code. The pic is a proof of possession and since it's unactivated you have it because you rightfully own it. Have you tried the activation retrieval here on Geocaching.com? Sorry, I don't have a link to make your search easier.

There are a ton of coins out there and not all are geocoins. For trackability on the geocaching site look for "Trackable on Geocaching.com" etched or imprinted on the coin.

That's known as stealing, not collecting. There are no subtle differences.

I've heard of TB Hotels at airports but feel they are just waiting to be muggled due to the suspicious nature of being stealthy at an airport. In fact a coin of mine that had just reached Germany was placed in such a cache and was never heard from again. Rather than being strict in your adherence to the coin's mission I would imagine the owner would be happier that the coin was dropped in a safe cache, one that was well hidden and less likely to be muggled, than be lost while sticking to the mission. I would.

If it has another website domain name it's probably trackable on that site not Geocaching.com. It gets coinfusing when not all coin shaped items/swag in caches are not geocoins.

If it says "Trackable on Geocaching.com" it's legit GEOCOIN. Otherwise it might be trackable elsewhere or part of a different game.

If I'm not mistaken the two kinds of coins were made to please the purists with a traditional round coin and the progressives who liked the advent of the shaped coin. Hogwild Stuff made several coins (Nat. Park series, capital cities - Rome, London, Sydney) in both the traditional and shaped configuration.

What kunarion said... and was doing such a good job I wish they'd gone on a little longer. Also people like pretty things that are shiny and with no one looking larceny creeps into the heart of the uncivilized barbarian, or just the poorly raised (see reason #6).

Be careful of pointing fingers as they also point back to you. Go ahead, take a look. Extend your index finger and look where all your other fingers are pointing. 3 of them point right back to you. I think "bflentje" has a point. But then you're not too far off the mark either... especially about the 'logging the cache find but not the trackable' bit. Be that as it may... you're both right and you're both wrong in that you both lacked the civility to work this out without resorting to name calling, judgments and ego bashing. My question to both of you is why are you in such a hurry? And why can't you have the consideration to hurry it up a little more? Opposite sides of the same coin... no pun intended. I'm not going to tell you what to do. But you may want to slow down a wee bit and let others catch up so you don't get so knotted up inside yourself. Just a thought...

If a coin does not say "trackable on geocaching.com" or some such variance it is not a trackable geocoin but swag, to be traded for with something of equal or greater value. On some coins you'd have to check the edge or side of the coin for tracking information. For more information on logging and handling geocoins ...

Print a front and back photo and crop and size it to match as close as possible the dimensions of the real coin. Glue to a washer the same size or something similar to give it a bit of heft then seal in a plastic coin holder. Voila'. Not your typical coin but with the weight and "feel" of one. Be sure to name it appropriately as a Proxy or finders will be seriously disappointed at being duped and will take it out on your construction... god forbid we should be raised to handle disappointments without resorting to temper tantrums!! Just don't expect nice emails expressing joy and kindness at moving your proxy traveller... well, maybe once in a while.

I've never seen such a list. Many names have come up over the years who have done this as an aside to their regular work/careers but there is no list of geocoin dedicated graphic designers familiar with Groundspeak requirements. What's often suggested is to reach out to the owner/designer of a coin you like and ask them who they might recommend. The advantage of using a manufacturer/vendour to produce your coin is they have the design team and the production team who will work with the mints in China to deliver the product you hired them for.

If you find a trackable, either a travel bug or geocoin, in a cache it is a traveler and is owned by someone. As a geocacher you can move trackables from one cache to another and log the movements on the trackable's tracking page. When you do so an icon for that coin is added to a list in your profile.... or you can discover the coin without moving it and also get that icon. As others have said it should be clearly stamped somewhere on the coin that it is trackable on geocaching.com for it to be a geocaching trackable (some items are trackable on other sites but I digress). Many coins are used as swag, or trade items but not all are geocoins though some will argue otherwise - semantics. On the issue of collections... to build a collection you must purchase the coins you wish to collect. If you activate them you become the registered owner and if you release them your proof of ownership is right at the top of the trackable's tracking page. DO NOT COLLECT coins from caches as that is considered coin theft. EDIT TO ADD... swag or trade items ought to be traded for with something of equal or greater value. Travelers DO NOT need to be traded for, just moved (and logged).

EXMAN EXMAN EXMAN... clearly you did not understand my question. You said....

Why would a "den of thieves" watch a proxy coin to pounce on to steal? I don't understand that. There are many ways of searching for specific coins and hunting them down cache by cache, if that is what you're after. Why steal a proxy when you trade for or buy on the aftermarket the real deal?

I'm not sure I understand the question. Has anyone had coins stolen? The answer is yes... anyone who has released coins as travelers has suffered a high percentage of loss through theft, carelessness and muggleage. But on the question of seeing the thieving happen, I'm not sure what that means. What have you seen?