The_Geomonkeys

From a technical standpoint it could be done but it must be done as a photo print. These illusions work because of micro-sicades that are made by your eyes at they adjust and scan the environment. (those of you who do not see motion simply make fewer of these eye movements that the rest of us). If you were to do this with the enamel process the raised metal would in fact stop the illusion from working. Also the selection of colors is important. Often you will see that they must be oppositional colors (red/blue). Yeah, I feel like a geek now...but that's what I get for spending 11+ weeks studying these types of illusions and how they are perceived.

I was excited to find that I had a 3 wise monkeys coin with yellow bananas in the mail from Tooey in the UK. Thanks so much! Not the actual coin, but a representation of one from an on line auction site...

Google answered the question: activation codes at coincodes.com

Got our turtles in the mailbox yesterday. Wow, these are some amazing coins. I usually like the nickel coins but the gold really look great! A silly question, but where can I get the activation codes for these little guys and girls so I can send them to go play with others?

Awesome! I'd love to see photos of the samples, and please tell us that you are willing to do a reservation for the set of coins? I'd hate to have them sell out and miss them.

we had a bunch of beautiful earth turtles swim into our mailbox today along with a few pathtags from overseas!

Tsun: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do a reservation for the babies as well! I'm so happy that reservations were open for a week or so on these earth turtles. Without reservations I usually miss out due to school and work. That said, I'm off to the post office to see if the turtles have arrived in Oregon! Thanks again

Lazer, unfortunately pre-orders are complete and none are available to order at this time. They may have some extras when they arrive but it is unknown if there will be any for sale. I'm sure someone has ordered extras and would be willing to work out a trade with you. Also, I sent an email to Mike and he let me know that they have not arrived yet and he will be contacting the mint on Monday (tomorrow) to find out what's going on and get an update.

there was a geocoin made commerating this factory it has the coordinates of the factory on it they are - N 23° 04.170 and E 113° 43.735 Doh, I even own one of those coins...forgot there were coords on the back. According to Google Earth those coords are near Canton near Hong Kong. So much for my visit to the factory. Guess I'll just have to settle for trying to find cool swag to bring back along with some great memories and photos (were allowed!)

This is very true. Not to mention I have to find out if it is in an area that a tourist visa allows us to enter. Hence the reason I am trying to start the research process now. I tried to find out about some good maps of China for my Map60 CSx and found out that while maps are available, the location will be off by up to 500M! Turns out the Chinese Government has allowed maps to be created and sold in China for the Garmin units but there is an offset for security reasons. The only way to correct for the offset is with custom firmware in the unit that is only available if you purchase a new gps unit in china as well. Basic map it is...so much for the street map I was hoping for!

It is? That is my understanding yes. While there are a few mints in the US and Canada, the vast majority of geocoins (especially the ones with color) are made in China and in talking to various vendors at GW6 the comment was made that it's all from the same mint as well.

Next summer my wife and I will be spending about 12 days in China (Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an). It's common knowledge that most of the geocoins are minted at the same factory in China. But does anyone know where this factory is located? If it's in one of the cities we will be visiting we thought it would be fun to get some photos to bring back and share with everyone here. If you don't know could someone touch bases with their contact at the mint and try to find out...?

Nice coin...however I have to pass...my geocoin budget beyond what has already been pre-ordered is on indefinite hold so we can go to China next summer...Best of luck with your coin!

Any updates on this coin? According to the website they are expected to release on Jul-18-2008. Is this still accurate?

Payment sent for 6 of the cute little guys....and likewise I would love to trade for a V1 if anyone has one...those were so cute...and I missed them!

Sweet! We may be monkeys but we have room at HQ for some turtles as well. Can't wait to get my invoice! They look great, thanks for doing a preorder so we could get some!

Yeah, what a bummer. This was a really unique idea that I was really looking forward to. Sorry that the mint didn't get you the right info. Best of luck with your future projects. Big Eared Monkey The_Geomonkeys

There is some mix-up going on with the birthday mission. I've sent an email to ~tasia to try to get some clarity. You see, we were given the September mission for your daughter for her 13.5 birthday...but that package has not been shipped. As a matter of fact it's not even complete and it is sitting in our dining room! Something is amiss in the land of birthday missions, hopefully ~tasia will be able to track down any problems and get this straightened out.

While I can make no promises, I worked for a Law Office a few summers back and I believe I still have some boilerplate templates for these types of business agreements. However I am not sure they are applicable to interstate / international commercial transactions. Nor how they may be formally recognized without signatures and a notary. (I'll look into this deeper) It is clear from this topic that it is in the best interest of the buyer and seller/artist to have a formal agreement that clearly defines terms and the repercussions for violation of the terms. While it would be wonderful to be able to simply trust that all will work out I believe that it is also naive. Even Judge Judy reccomends basic contracts for things like wedding photography, DJs, limos, and every other thing on the face of the planet. That said, I do not wish to address the specifics of this particular series of transactions other than to say that I hope we are able to learn from these experiences and come away as a stronger more respectful community. *not throwing poo for once* Big Eared Monkey The_Geomonkeys

I completely agree with this. While it annoys some cachers that a real coin is not to be had I think it's a fair move to release a proxy coin of some type (laminated paper, photocopied coin in a plastic case, heck I even once saw an empty coin case with the tracking number written on it). But be sure to indicate in the coin description that it is a proxy or a copy. I wish I could afford to buy multiple copies of coins (one to trade, one to keep, one to travel) but on a student's budget that just isn't going to happen. Until the coin thief of our area is caught I'm not willing to turn loose the real deal. That said, If you ever decide to release the coin after having a proxy out there all you have to do is wait for someone to log that they picked it up...contact them and ask them to destroy the proxy. Then mail the actual coin out for them to move on. I also like the drill a hole and attach a tag via cable idea. However I have been unable to find the proper equipment around here. Can anyone with experience in this area point me in the right direction to find the needed gear? What to ask for? etc?

Looks like a cute start...and given that she is a monkey we must have one in our collection. I look forward to watching the progress.

Thanks for the replies. It was intentionally written to ask many simple questions in order to help make some things clear from the outset for anyone who is new or still lurking. Both responses highlight some interesting things that have helped to clarify some thoughts in my head as I proceed with my project. It almost seems like the ideal minting would be doing a personal non-trackable in a smaller quantity (depending on personal need) and to mint anything with a tracking number in at least an initial run of 250. I can appreciate the reasoning behind the desirability of something limited/rare/unique/valuable. I do also appreciate the variety created by minting in different metals and color combinations. Hence the reason for sample coins.... When most of you started what size runs did you produce? Anything you would have done differently as you started to mint your designs? Did you mint enough...too much? I know, I'm full of questions all of a sudden but at the same time I wanted to actually talk about geocoins and the process of minting them. I'm sure that things change over time and come on...who doesn't like talking about the creation of these pieces of art!

Good decision to sell the complete sets. DBSO Monkey prides herself on being the Trivial Pursuit master of the household...I want a rematch...and what better to play with than custom geocoins! Despite the dwindling coin budget...reservation placed...

RE: Black Nickel Good to know that there are some issues with this metal finish. I've seen various quality in BN on some coins as well. Is there any particular finish that seems to do better than others? I've also seen some minor spotting on a polished nickel coin that was traveling a while back...

Yep, sounds like it could be a very nice idea for a coin. I look forward to seeing the artwork as your project progresses. Best of luck.