forthferalz

ooh i like this sort of comp 25° 20.848'S 131° 2.353'E I took my son to Uluru in a special year after big rains so the whole place smelt like honey - it was his birthday and we saw a BIG fireball across the night sky.

hehehe you can always get custom made out of chocolate easily in small batches ahem but for those seriously addicted to metal i have had the design thing for this one licked for some time - there is just the wee matter of getting approval and a mint and time and so on. Basically we make a nice generic coin but the centre area is left clean on one side and a photo image (just paper) is placed there either at home or someone can do it in small batches. Then it is sealed with special clear stuff. This is a technique used for jewelery so i know the stuff bonds to metal and looks ok, is readily available, not too pricey. A commercial mint would charge too much to do the custom centres but a custom engrave area would be an option with a pre-sale. Actually you could stick anything at all on and optionally cover it - tiny seashells or pressed flowers from a hike, lock of baby hair, plastic compass, gold nugget. I thought a birthstone on the backside would be nice so we could do a small run each month and spread the cost/labour. Should we do a batch in time for xmas? Is there anyone who wants to run with this?

85 trackable total far. There are some trackable lizards as well in the count i think i forgot about mentioning that - we'll make the final batch this month.

goodnews: we got 40 of them and are mailing out the last of the paid orders. Still 15 shy of 100 'paid and delivered' sales for the icon - Sorry couldn't get enough of the raw specialty glass at the one time. Should be fine to proceed once i have signed off on the others.

I couldn't get the kiln paper gunk perfectly off the back of the proof glassgeocoins with either vinegar, bicarb or toothpaste so Pabloturtle used a jewellers rouge to polish them up. this site has rouges for plastics and a contact you can ask for expert help http://www.craftics.com/products.cfm?Category=4 you don't want to abrade carelessly as that would make it even milkier like Aaron's although anything for teeth has to be fairly soft some toothpastes do more harm than good while whitening! the other common plastic is called 'polycarbonate' eg on headlights and ibooks this site which has a good discussion which covers polishing ipods warns to take care with your choice of cloth- "Apply these products according to the directions on the package, using a clean terry/cotton cloth, a Pec*Pad, or a non wood pulp-based polishing cloth like a WypAll pad. Paper products contain tiny splinters of wood and will haze your iPod finish with tiny scratches." http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/ipod/topic2419.html

there's stuff you can use on the clear fronts of mobile phones to get out scratches but you HAVE to know what the plastic is. I wonder if it is the same stuff they use on DVD's and cds to remove scratches? yu could check out your nearest movie rental place Sometimes the kits are sold as ibook cleaners. Basically it melts the acrylic a little and smooths it out. then you buff it you will find them for sale on amazon. Displex is one

yes who did design it? "This geocoin was created by a British geocacher who is a policeman and was looking for a police helmet geocoin. The wording on the back comes from the expression "It's a fair cop, Guv" which, years ago, villains conceded to the arresting police officer when they knew they were caught. In this case, you can place this coin in a geocache when you think it's a fair cache! Size: 42mm x 3.5mm http://www.oakcoins.com/activate/"

geeze - just buy a TB if you are so worried - why deface it? That's just insulting the finders imo. PSWelch if it goes missing I 'll shout you a replacement http://www.geocaching.com/track/log.aspx?L...e6-65a71d3cfcdc Drill a hole and let the thing go. The main thing is to add a tag which has the NUMBER nice and BIG on it , a mission and the DIRECT web address - to whit www.geocaching.com/track NZ is still a pretty safe bet -send it by post to keewee; it won't last forever but I think you'll have fun. These things are meant to travel a copy is just WET and unless it replaces a muggled coin I wouldn't bother moving it.

"Your idea is a good one and it has been done - although not a lot. I am not sure of any out now like that. Immediately I think of Tools of the Trade (which was a Geocoin Club design) and there was one with two nickels on it. Am sure some of the others here can help complete the list" The increased numbers of coins for a double set guarantees a lower price ( but not for handmade coins! ) the original 4 balloon set worked out to 1000 as 250 sets ie around $5 each so it is a great idea especially it creates less anxiety for kids. The hogwild Nickels coin set was subsidised - mine went missing in South Africa on it's second cache so it was great to have the one at home Crake released a couple of coin/magnet sets beginning with three roses coin, followed by the swallowtail butterfly - not sure how many butterflies were created as sets. http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=167494 There are quite a few unintentional sets due to the mint errors being remade with same tracking number welsh dragon, satellite coin v4 has a little orbiting satellite - ours still travelling i think, mr mrs loggerhead - never released as kid and i had a tussle over which one to keep - he liked the error coin!, australia 2007,

just FYI sharing a caching article about a coin which i found quite moving. I don't know the coin but don't think this one is a specially made memorial coin http://onlinegeocacher.com/issue/real_time...eth-ritter-guth

goodnews - we are 2/3 rds of the way through the list more deliveries next week badnews - the studio is moving premises **again**; goodnews - this means she will have her own place and not have to share it - which was apparently part of the problem, not being able to access working space at will. ps. if anyone wants to know how to turn a glasscoin into a beaded cabachon i have linked in the patterns i used here http://feralcaching.wordpress.com/2009/06/...scoin-necklace/

hi landsharkz - if you want a quick german travel coin post them to travelingviking pm him - he's perfectly reliable and loves all tb's. I have a coin headed via caches to go live in his geocoin museum/display in Hannover - it was getting pretty close then somehow detouring via norway!

oh dang again - any one want to trade?

thanks for the hint. they certainly are lighter. but i think the quality certainly need not suffer though - the geocaching dragon v2 was zinc specifically to get teh sharpness of detail out of the die ( die filled and spun like for cast jewelery making not die stamped blank i think is how it goes - someone clarify?) I believe the early german coins from ron de haan were among those that used zinc -at least they were always criticized for being light in the hand - however I loved those coins! not easy being green - I have read that zinc is much dirtier in the mining process and nickel is preferrable. Ditto gold - heavy on the environment, working conditions atrocious in some countries.

my appologies for failing to see the original thread - anyway glad the thread has had a bump! ps you had better check this coin wiki page of mine for correctness too http://trackablegeocoins.wetpaint.com/page...ndspeak+Lackeys thx

yeah ok - it is all flooding back now- this is why i cane to the forum in the first place - i didn't know where to buy geocoins ( ie was scammed ). We are not supposed to put in links in a post to websites that sell coins without asking permission first ( now done ) ***sigh*** Groundspeak is still sort of aiding and abetting unauthorised ebay resellers by making the geocoin purchasing thing convoluted or obscure: lackey coin is not advertised on the frontpage, and bizarrly Groundspeak is not even listed as a geocoin reseller on the trackables page Maybe it was mentioned on the other coin forums - i rarely look at those now

because i didn't know it was on the GS shop site! as they never bothered to announce it here - not sure whyeee you'd think it would have been a courtesy. or is it contary to rules- any way i thought some of you might like to know. the international distributors are here: http://shop.Groundspeak.com/shipping.cfm and i'll try get a hi res pic up on the wiki so you can name that lackey

http://www.cacheboxstore.com/trackables/ge...eaklackeys.html has anyone else noticed this? I have a 2007 now so can resist this little where's Wally coin which btw is the first to not feature the names - perhaps we can get a little map for that?

HUGS! You need to get better soon - there is a wombat in need of attention Oh yes, and events to attend thank you but no not me, check facebook for status. I was alluding to others ( plural ) whom I know have had treatment for life threatening problems. So yes if you wonder - just a friendly hoy, missed you in the forums should be welcome. I miss some of those popcorn icon threads ( where do you get that icon btw?) although I'm sure the mods don't!

hi Renegade Knight, I looked into purchasing carbon offsets - a lot of it looked a little scammy but i trust world vision australia. Basically getting out into my paddock and putting in 6m of bush is guaranteed, cheaper and it needed doing for environmental reasons - the coins give me a little added incentive. errrr - should I fess up? hmmmm if you know how to collect local native seed ( join a landcare group to do it properly) www.understorey-network.org.au is where i learnt you can then just fling them around bare weedy nasty spots and pray! or raise a batch of seedlings to give away .... cost minimal. I also walk with a five weeds out for each walk - not a lot but a bit. They tend to pop up in the cleared spaces like the carpark and beginning of a track.

hi P&K I'll respond to some of your points: 1. "cop out realists" - ( is there a kinder term? Pragmatists? ) not a bad way to go as long as they are educated, well informed and of good heart because it is ultimately the herd purchasing power that drives the direction we go in as long as we have choices - and choice largely means having either political clout or money. Poor disenfranchised people have no choice. Eat today even if it is next year's seed. Cleverer people will and do create solutions a bucket loads of them all the time! I am in awe of these people and I love purchasing their stuff. Change is both a lot slower and a lot faster than I imagined as a teenager - not so much a steady slope as a kind of exponential curve.... SO as a teacher you have such a huge influence on the next generation. For every child you teach the ripple effect is enormous. edit: actually at the risk of blowing my own trumpet in case you need concrete evidence- http://www.landcareheroes.com/profile/devo...an-school/6/14/ Now this is cleverer persons at work - but i like to think I helped start it by introducing the lady who is the driving force behind it to the clever folk with the methods for it when we were homeschoolers. It's not her only project - there's another wetlands in the local area being revived and of course there is a cache there 2. The mint in China DOES care about conditions both when there is economic incentive and when there isn't (there are some enamel finishes they will not generally use fullstop.) For instance we preferentially do not import silver coloured beads containing lead as kids can swallow them, ditto the glazing on ceramics that are imported .... it's not critical with geocoins but the blanks are not lead cored. I don't think my glasscoins are outright toxic if you accidentally swallow them or drop it in your coke (acid will leach metals out!) but we have to wear masks and wash wash wash paws when cutting the raw material ( ps for those who are worried puleeze do not use crystal beads/glasses/decanters ) Some of these restrictions are mediated at govt. levels. 3. if you purchase from a US geocoin designer I guess 100% of artwork, tracking and icon costs and about half your money overall, stays in the US - not sure what you can buy that is better than that? Even the petrol costs for getting my food to me means some of all my purchasing goes offshore. Large mint might like to comment

shameless plug for trackablegeocoins.wetpaint.com - PLEASE list your stats there - it will be an easily searched referenced source newbies can refer to to find the original sales information. HTF often just means obscurely buried on the internet ...

Penny and Kona raised a goodpoint that i think deserves its own thread. How do you mitigate your geocoin footprint? Geocaching is certainly not primarily about conservation although to keep enjoying the great outdoors it's a obviously hand in glove so spreading the joy of it and reaching out to strangers is ultimately beneficial imho. When creating coins for sale/trade i was well aware of the problem of using resources for a fairly frivolous pastime but since I am not going to find the cure for cancer and must make my minor contributions to the general good elswhere while enjoying my time on the planet I decided that the greater good was indeed served by making the money go round. In minting offshore I help think i do help to raise the standard of living in China - I certainly help to keep the aussie posties employed and they are ever so thankful! so even in these less properous times we are going ahead with the australia 2009 coin rather than bunkering down. Poor people can't afford to be clean and green -they have to use cheap dirty fuel, low yielding crops, lousy health care .... what I don't buy as frequently anymore now is dressy clothes, makeup, takeaway food, books, newspapers - and we now choose local produce, sorry won't buy USA oranges. I have always mitigated my coins air freight quietly with a carbon offset planting calculated loosely at 6 square metres of bush regeneration per delivery - i forget what database i used for that but it was surprisingly not a lot. For those without a big backyard there's plenty of local and international groups grateful for a donation if you have a modest profit http://www.carbonfootprint.com/plantingtreesinkenya.html donations wildlife conservation groups are likewise quitely disbursed.

if you miss them reach out with a pm - illness has taken a toll on some.

My reply of sorts to another post bemoaning the lack of passion in posts and the loss of the old voices in this forum. Please post to this thread an example of your passion and a link to a post pre-2009 that has caught your fancy eg. 1. The geocoin wiki wiki one up in smoke with a few years worth of work ..... so I'm restarting it one coin at a time for our collecting pleasure hoping it will be better than before 2. two old timers in this very funny post #29 prntr1 and amagrud