CoinsAndPins

Udate again: It has taken longer than expected working out engineering, and the dies will end up costing over $900.00. So we won't be able to have a prototype out until the first part of March. I wanted to have them ready for show at the Geocoinfest, but at least they will be ready well before GW5. Thank you.

I have the Caching Through the Pumpkin Patch geocoin with glow in the dark and it doesn't seem to have an epoxy coating. So is epoxy always necessary with glow in the dark enamel? Or does that coin have epoxy? GoJaybee stated (up above) that it is not necessary to have epoxy with glow in the dark. I have two sets of coins with glow in the dark and as far as I can tell, neither of them have epoxy either. That is why I was confused about whether it was required because Oakcoins told me that they always put an epoxy coating over their glow in the dark. I guess that means that if I go with Oakcoins and don't wany epoxy, I can't have glow in the dark. Hello, Oakcoins is trying to help you with quality, and I agree with thier recommendation. You can do soft enamel glowing without epoxy, but it should have it. Thank you. Edit to add "soft enamel"

Some clarification here: Chirsgun was looking for a "proof" like coin. That means a coin that looks like it has a flawless, smooth, mirrored background with frosted highlights (like the Greenman). This is a process CoinsAndPins does not do except on solid precious metal coins. Chrisgun's coin style was much better suited for a mint like NWTM (which there are only a few select mints in the world that do this type of process). There is a big style difference between logo type coins and proof coins, along with the price difference. Thank you.

I don't think they have been offered yet. At least I hope not, I missed it if they did. Hello, The "public" Geocoinfest coins will go up for sale in the first part of February. We will send an email to our mailing list on the exact date once it gets closer to that time. Thank you. Edit: Thanks Conerstone4. I guess we submitted our posts at the same time.

Edit: Sorry, I got this confused with another coin. Thank you

We have had some issues with getting wireless capability from some providers, but I think we may have finalized a deal with Palm technology. HP has also helped some with blue-tooth, but they want too much money. It will be the only geocoin with a tech support team. We are now accepting applications for tech support personnel and started a toll-free number so people can resolve bugs in the operating system. You will be able to get protective cases, ear-phones, and link the coin to your laptop GPS antenna to easily detect other coins in caches. No…not really.

Hello, I just wanted to give an update about this coin: We have worked out the hardest part of the coin design, but there are still some details to put together so it will work well. We are hoping to have samples ready in time for the GecoinFest if all goes according to plan. It could still fail, and my production manager isn't so sure about it . However, it won't be the first time we have pushed the limits. Thank you.

That is a loaded question, but we are asked it a lot. This all depends on how ready you are on what you want on the coin. It is critical to know what you want on the coin and how you want it laid out. Then also be prepared for the coin broker to tell you that a few design changes need to be made to make it work well on metal. Once you have that part done, then it will take about 1 week minimum for the broker to have die art completed. Sometimes this can happen a few days faster, but 1 week for the first draft of die art is good to expect. You might get told 2 or 4 days to get the die art back, but be ready for 1 week just incase. Then be prepared for the die art to have a few mistakes on it. Sometimes it is done correct the first time, but sometimes is it not. Allow another few days to get it fixed. Then there might be another mistake on the die art; you never know and we never know. Once the die art is completed and you are ready, it usually takes 3 weeks for production and 3 to 5 days for delivery. This comes to approximately a total of about 5 weeks to get the project completed and to your door IF ALL GOES WELL! There are plenty of variables that can increase this timeline: 1. You make changes (more days to complete the die art) 2. You want a pre-production photo sample 3. You want a pre-production sample 4. You want a very complicated design (more manufacturing labor) 5. Groundspeak is a little late getting the tracking numbers ready 6. Email system disconnects 5. A die breaks during production 6. The factory closes for a week for a holiday 7. Customs holds the package for inspection 8. Production flaws you discover after delivery (re-making the bad coins) 8. etc... Coin making is not a perfect process, so the best plan of action is to start at least 8 weeks out...9 or 10 is better. Nothing beats planning for delays. This way if they get done sooner, then you will be pleasantly surprised. If you think this is too long of a time to prepare for a project based on what you read on websites, then think about this: Coin brokers will typically advertise the perfect case scenario to get coins completed. Almost all coin brokers have the same delays that can possibly occur. We have had coin orders that took 19 days to fully complete and to the customer's door, but that is not typical. A big note here: If you are not sure what you want on a coin and are wishy-washy about it like, "I am not sure what I want on the coin, maybe something like this, go ahead and make some art and let me see what I think". Then you get it back and say, "Well...I don't know if I like that; let's try something different..." Then you can plan on the project taking 3, 4, maybe even 6 months to complete. That is no joke! Indecisiveness and frequent changes are the worst enemy on coin projects. It is best to know what you want and expect some art adjustments to make it fit well on a coin than it is to make a coin before you are really ready. Just being bluntly honest here to help eveyone out. It is now time to start the GW5 coins. Thank you.

No photo manipulating for this contest. However, an interesting idea if people are interested, we can start another contest later on for a 2007 Compass Rose manipulated photo contest.? A different coin will be the prize of course. For this contest the entire coin does not have to be in the photograph, but at least 60% of it does, for those who are trying some different photographing techniques. The coin must be recognizable in the photo.

So how do you do it now? $5,000 later in trial and error of equipment and thousands of trial and error pics. Photos of coins have been the most troublesome photography I have done. I am not some big professional photographer, but it was faster to learn how to fix a jet engine than it took to learn how to take a professional coin photo. I even consulted with other photographers and equipment specialists. They advised against using the equipment I am using now, but I found it to work great. One note about coin photos is that if you want consistent results, then use the camera's manual settings and find the right setting you like. The automatic settings will give inconsistent results.

Lots of contests, but what the hey… Announcing the 2007 Compass Rose geocoin photo contest! One 2007 Compass Rose geocoin will be given away to the winner. This coin will be made with a special finish that no other 2007 Compass Rose coin will be made with; a real one-of-a-kind. Best part is, the winner can do whatever they want with the coin since it will be theirs; no strings attached! Sell it on an e-place; we don't care. Although a charity sale would be great. Objective: Post a photograph of any compass rose coin(s) made by us with a theme pertaining to compasses, compass use, navigation, and/or exploration. The photos will be judged on uniqueness, creativity, and relevance. Personal and club coins made with one of the compass rose dies are authorized. The winning photograph will be picked by a panel of 5 judges. The judges will remain confidential to prevent any so called coin kissing or geo-bribery. The judges are not allowed to participate with submissions. Relevant testimonials may be submitted with the photo and may possibly be used as part of the judging. It is preferred you post your submissions in this thread, but you may email them directly to us, but posting them here is preferred. Did I mention that posting them here is preferred? Rules: 1. Photos must not exceed 500 pixels in height and/or length, and not to exceed 70K file size. Let's help save band width and download time; help save the computer animals and robots. 2. The compass rose coin (compass side) must be visible in the photo. (changed 1/23/07) 3. Photographs only. No graphics or photo shopped/altered pictures. Cropping, straightening, and sharpening is acceptable. 4. The entire coin does not have to be in the photograph, but at least 60% of it does, for those who are trying some different photographing techniques. (added 10 Jan) 5. No copyrighted photographs 6. Maximum of one photo per week per caching name. Leave your hands out of your socks. 7. Randomly selected picture submission may be posted on our website, so don't submit anything you don't want made public; only family friendly please. If you don't want it posted on the web, then don't submit. 8. Fun pictures are cool. Intellectual pictures are cool too. Fun and intellectual pictures are also cool. 9. Check back here for any updates to the rules. We reserve the right to adjust the rules to preserve the integrity of the contest. 10. The winner must provide all contact information to us within 10 days of the winning notification or the runner up will receive winning status. This contest is intended for fun and to test your creativity on this subject matter. Some of you are extremely creative; flaunt it. The contest will end on April 30, 2007. Changed 3/6/07 Thank you and happy picture shooting. Edit: Clarified rules by request of the OP

You're probably gonna want your own insert opposite of the coin in the little plastic flip too aren't ya! Nope, don't want my insert with the coin. That space is rightfully for the coin broker.

I would like to have my name on there. Thank you.

Hello everyone, The problem is getting worked. This is the second time our hosting company has done this to us. We can't wait to get the new website up and running in late January. Thank you for your concerns.

This is very close to the same method I used for a log time and worked great. There are still a couple of coins on my website that were photographed with this method. I used to prop my coins up with washers and nuts taped together to lift the coin off of the fabric. I do it much differently now, but the Sir Zman style is the best for the least amount of money and time.

Well...it is confirmed that I had another coin stolen and another that showed up missing, but that is OK; I have another 15 I activated to go in their place. Revenge will be mine - Bwahahahaha! No - really I just to get these coins out of my house and moving.

No need to replace a lost or stolen coin; just put out another in it's place and start over. Loosing a coin is the risk taken when leaving them in the middle of the woods, a guard rail, etc. Lost or not, geocoins serve their purpose in caches instead of in collections.

Hello, The details of how these coins are distributed will not be released; however I will mention that they are not strictly just for clients, and they are not for sale.

I love to find coins in caches, and I love putting them in caches. However, some coins will come up missing when put in caches. This should not discourage you from releasing them. At the time of this writing I have put about 180 coins into caches. I met another cacher who has about 500 coins traveling. When a coin turns up missing I know the first feelings that come about are you have been robbed or taken advantage of. I think some cachers get very protective of their coins to the point they feel that if one comes up missing then it is definitely stolen instead of thinking about other circumstances that come up. So, let’s look into the possible reasons why they are gone and what can be done to counteract it. A good expectation is a 10% missing rate. Some will experience more and some will experience less. I have experienced about an 8% missing rate and could climb to 12% or 15% in the next year. Most of that 8% is due to a new cacher that on her first day went out with cacher friends that were showing her the ropes and she found the coins. She emailed me later and asked how to log them. I explained the process to her and never heard back. I think she quit caching after that; so the coins are probably sitting in her house somewhere or thrown out. This kind of thing is expected to happen since some people get really excited about caching on their first day, and then later realize the game is not for them or they just don’t have the time to play. I have also had coins come up missing due to kids taking them from caches and keeping them, not knowing they are trackable. It is one of those situations where the parents are busy signing the log and handling their caching administration and not paying attention to what items the kids are trading with (normal practice and not really an issue). Luckily a few parents have caught it in time and kept the coins moving. I have also had some military people pick up coins with the intention of moving them, but they were sent on a deployment before they could place them; so those will be in limbo for a few months to over a year. This also happens with civilian jobs that move people on short notice. Some people find the coins, want to do something with them, but then life’s circumstances take over that prevent them from getting around to it. It’s not that they want to keep the coin, but there are sometimes more important things to tend to than moving coins. Other times there are people that loose the coins. They may have pulled it from a cache, put it somewhere, and then when trying to log it they can’t find it. They may be too embarrassed to tell the owner. Other coins come up missing due to cache container problems such as: 1. Missing cache. Let’s face it, we have all encountered many caches that are not taken care of by the cache owner. A problem comes up with a cache after your visit and the owner doesn’t even know about the problem for months (depending on how often it is visited by other cachers). 2. Water in the cache. A cache that gets soaked and another cacher or the owner just throws away everything inside without going through the contents. I can’t blame them with how trashed the insides of some caches get when wet. 3. Cache tips over. Sometimes we all get a little clumsy and accidentally tip the container. The contents go everywhere including under leaves, branches, in holes, etc. If it is while opening the cache, then the person probably didn’t know the coin was in it and some of those items may get lost and never seen again, even with a thorough search. 4. And many more scenarios. All those kinds of situations I can understand and have no problem with. I think only one of my coins has been stolen that I can speculate for sure, but the others are problems due to some kind of caching mistake, unexpected circumstance, or muggle. That is why I don't deface them; While there are a couple of thieves, I feel most cachers will do the right thing and move coins if they know what it is for and have the time. There are over 1 million cachers in the world, so a large percentage of them (especially new ones) will have no idea what geocoins are. How to compensate: Put out more coins!!! With so many people playing the game, and with so many caches around the entire world, things are bound to happen. Don’t fret over a missing or stolen coin, just put more out. I consider it a numbers game: the more you have traveling, the more that will get around to their goals and not end up missing. Placing 5 coins into the wild could easily all come up missing; place 50 coins out there and the remaining 45 coins could end up traveling to hundreds of caches (90%). Even if you have a 20% loss, you will still have coins traveling. After all, traveling is what trackable geocoins are for. I usually give an inactive coin 4 to 6 months before I archive it; then hopefully it will turn up again some day. I probably should give them more time. There are times when people need to be given a little time before they are emailed about the status of the coin. A little time could mean several months. Keep in mind, there are many cachers that don’t cache very often and they have the right to take long breaks. They also have the right to take care of life before taking care of a coin.

These are all great designs, but if I have to pick one then I line them up, close my eyes, and throw a dart at #3.

Hello, I did not see a category for military ground equipment static displays, but I did find one for aircraft static displays. I also noticed that people started to mark these kinds of displays and put them into the Military installations category instead of somewhere more appropriate and specific. So, I have started a group for marking military ground equipment such as tanks, artillery, APCs, supply trucks, communications equipment, etc. I didn't want it to interfere with any kind of civil war or pre-20th century categories and I didn't want it to consist of equipment which did not have quite the technological advances the 20th century had. You can view it in the "Requiring review" link. Three of the officers consist of former and current military. Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions for improvement.

If memory serves me right: I am pretty sure that coinsandpins would not be remaking the dies for FREE if they did not have to, we are also making the 3D effect on the front of the coin a bit more deeper to make it stand out more. Coinsandpins has been great to work with from start especially Elyssa putting up with my daily emails and changing my mind every other week.... I am very happy that I chose coinsandpins for our minting as they have been great to work with! Either way the dies do have to be remade I just wanted to keep everybody who has purchased a coin infromed that there was going to be a slight delay. AtlantaGal I appreciate your post but I can assure you my chain is not being jerked...

Yeah, I know. Seen lots of that lately. It is only because I am slower with my projects instead of trying to rush them.

Take a look around at peoples collections. That is the best way to see the options available and to see which companies have the styles you would like for your coin. Most collectors are familiar with which coin brokers have made each coin.

This is correct, there are several coin brokers that use the same mint, but each broker also has their own style they use to administer the die art and production. This can change the quality of the coin style. It is best to take the time to look through other peoples collections to see what kinds of options and art styles you would like. For the most part, many of the people that have been collecting custom coins for a while can tell which coin was made by which broker based on the different techniques each company uses.