Bench Mark

Wow! This is what I call geocaching! Congratulations!

Awesome guys! Thank you very much for the information!! I'll share it with you, so it will be immortalized here as well... Like it?

Hey guys, Today I retrieved (what I believe to be) a geocoin from the "Celebration Travel Bug Hotel" cache. It's not the normal geocoin, it doesn't have the typical hex code like Geocaching.com's coins. Instead of that, it has a 7 letter nickname for a code. The coin is in a transparent envelope next to a HogWildStuff.org card. The reverse of the coin says: "Midwest Geobash 07", and has this 7 letter nickname below. Te reverse of the card says: World Famous Geocoins by Hogwild Stuff Coin:________________ Number:______________ Code:________________ Code Retrieval: www.hogcode.com Is this a geocoin? What should I do with it?? Thank you very much in advance Best regards.

I guess everyone is free to do as they please. As far as I know there's no rule against proxies. That said. The whole idea of the trackable is to see how far an object can get in pursuit of a travelling goal. If you don't want to risk to lose a coin, then don't use a coin. Just buy a tracking code, print it, laminate it, and send it over to travel the world. So when people see that there's a trackable in a cache, they can know what to expect to find (a piece of laminated paper in this example). If a coin is too expensive to risk, then one shouldn't buy it, at least not to use it as intended. You could collect it and let people discover it. making people believe there's a coin somewhere and instead there's a piece of paper is lying. Yeah, it's just a game and the consequences are not that big (just making people lose their time, maybe), but in principle it's still lying. And makes the game less interesting. But again, anyone's free to do whatever, but they are responsible for their actions.

If you log it as "discovered", your profile gets the icon for the coin. So if you want those icons only when you held the actual coin, a note is what you'd do instead. You may use the term "Proxy" or "Coin Copy" or whatever, when making your note, if it's not clearly listed as a "Proxy". Many coins become laminated paper without the coin owner's knowledge, so your note may be important news. Cool. I didn't know the term proxy was the thing to search. Cheers. I ended up posting a note on the geocoin page, stating that I saw a photocopy of it in the cache. I think I'll take that road, and only discover or move real trackables. Makes more sense, it's more fun and it doesn't feel like cheating... Cheers! And thank you all for the quick responses!

Hey guys, I tried to find threads about this specifically, but couldn't. I'm sure it has been discussed before, sorry if it's a common topic. Today I found a cache with a photocopy of a Geocoin inside. It's the second time this happens to me. I know that virtual logging is viewed in the community as sort of "cheating". So I was wondering if this would fall under that category (virtual logging or tracking), since I haven't really discovered the geocoin, just a paper copy of it. I assume this was placed by the owner to avoid losing the coin eventually, but it's not really what the game is about, right?, since it's two different objects. One could as well buy a code of a piece of paper and keep the coin safe at home. Anyways, how is this activity viewed by the community? Should I log it as discovered, or just a note on the "geocoin's" page? Cheers! Bench Mark

I'm truly thankful for all the kind words and support. The Geocaching community is proving to be a virtuous one.

Thanks for the support IkeHurley13, makes me feel better. As I read your entry I realized I should have as a rule to only put trackables in caches with some history, that have proven effective before. I don't know why I though since it was a new cache that the coin would've been safer due to less activity in the area... facts proved me wrong in a horrible way.

Thanks a lot for your kind words. Means a lot, really.

First, thanks for the empathy. And thank you for your advice. In fact I thought of that, I might try it to see what happens. Just left the bad news on the Geocoin list http://coord.info/TB34EBM . I hope the owner doesn't get too sad. Here's a picture I took from this beautiful geocoin, lost by my actions:

That's a great observation! One of my caches is among some trees, and was invisible when I hid it (in late afternoon). I returned one morning, and noticed it really stands out at certain light angles. Each of my caches was in place long before I activated it -- just in case it was a popular hang-out and easily found by anymuggle. My first was in place for two months. Ask some local cachers why there's no cache in the spot you've selected. For two of mine, veteran cachers specifically mentioned how those spots were "familiar", and how previous caches were archived due to too much non-cacher activity (long before I joined Geocaching). That's a good piece of advice. Thank you. I never thought of leaving the empty container for a while to test the cache, that would've been a lot wiser. Also, good tip on contacting local cachers, I'm sure there must be a lot to learn from previous experiences. Thank you very much for your reply.

Hey guys, So I was so excited I had found a good spot for a Geocache, and hid my first one (http://coord.info/GC3V2YV) last night. I was very happy because it was the center of a very nice area of the city and the spot allowed to hide a small (almost regular) size container. So I got the best container I could, created my own personalized logbook and labels, and filled it with nice goodies and a Geocoin! (someone else's). This morning I go back to the area to take a picture, and the cache is gone, someone took the stuff that was covering it and took it. I'm almost certain that I was unlucky enough to have hidden it in a spot where some homeless guy hides his stuff, because there was a bag next to where the container was. Of course, a nice waterproof container can be life-saving for a homeless person, and the goodies would have been a real treasure. So if that's the case, well, at least it has done some good. But what I regret is having placed someone else's geocoin there, before the cache proved to be effective. I'll attach some pictures so that at least I can share the cache with you guys this way. On the technical side, I already disabled the listing, but I need to know how to proceed with the Geocoin issue. What I have planned is contact the owner, tell him the situation, and set the trackable as missing. Anything else I should do? Remembering... My home made LogBook: The container filled with goodies (for adults and kids), AND a GeoCoin The cache (just hidden) behind the rock (we never saw that blue bag to the right) The next morning... gone! What I learned from this experience. 1) If it's a good hide, and in a city, it's probable that people who live on the streets might use it to hide their stuff. 2) Don't hide at night. What looks invisible might be evident during daylight. Plus, don't use a flashlight, obviously it draws attention. 3) Don't place a trackable in a cache that hasn't yet proved to be effective. More so if it's not yours. 4) Don't put a lot of hope in your first hide. Open to criticisms and tips. Cya guys, I'll go cry for a while Bench Mark

To nieprawda. Coś bym o tym wiedział :-).Faktycznie. W rzeczywistości są platynowe Ja słyszałem, że z Ambergolda. Wasn't it supposed to be on the 18th??

Same problem here...

Thanks a lot MrsB! I actually learnt about this today reading the thread Braytography referred me to. It sounds logical and I agree with that. So far I'm finding this GeoCaching game very cool. I'll leave now, I got some caches to find (seriously, going to Pedestrian Bridge (BUE) Cache in a moment) Cheers!

Or we can all flag it as stolen property on ebay

@Gitchee-Gummee: Thank you very much for the answers!! When I meant collector I meant "Virtual Collector", that is having the icons to my finds and taking pictures of the stuff I discover or move. (Not keeping the trackables). So if I know I can move the trackable I would take it, if not just discover it. Would you still say to stay away from this behaviour, or was it just because you thought I meant physically collecting the items? (thanks a million again) @Braytography: Thank you very much! All of the answers seem to be there. Will read it all. Cheers!

Brilliant response

How would you identify what's a signature item and what not? I mean, if you find a lapel pin or something, how do you konw if that's someone's signature item or not (sorry I'm new and I still have basic doubts like this) Cheers! Bench Mark

How would you identify what's a signature item and what not? I mean, if you find a lapel pin or something, how do you konw if that's someone's signature item or not (sorry I'm new and I still have basic doubts like this) Cheers! Bench Mark

Hey guys, I'm a new to GC, and I'm already hooked. I've been reading all I could for a week now, and there are still a couple of lose ends for me. One of them is about trackables etiquette: I find it really cool to virtually (not physically) "collect" trackables in GeoCaching.com, so I'm trying to be aware if there are trackables in my surroundings so I can discover, or move them. Now, here's my doubt: How is this attitude seen in the community? I mean, 1) is it OK to go to a cache you already found just to visit or move a trackable? 2) If it is. Is this common, or am I an incurable collector? lol 3) If I go back to an already found cache, and take a trackable to move it, should I place a note in the cache's log to make sure the mileage is being counted, or is there a better way to do it? I appreciate any help. I posted this here since it seemed more appropriate than in the "getting started" section. Cheers. Bench Mark

LOL I had a good laugh reading your entry! Thanks lol (the action figure without limbs made it for me hahaha)