Does A Geocoin Need To Be Trackable?

[+crake]

So, if a new coin is minted, what are the implications for being (or not being) trackable? I've heard the following:

 

"It HAS to be trackable - or why bother?"

"If its trackable on geocaching.com, it has to be sold AT COST!"

"Trackable doesn't mean a lot, afterall they never end up in caches"

"Its the quality and design that counts"

"Trackable makes it YOURS"

 

So, what's the story on tracking? Is it a requirement?

[+Dreamin'Eagle]

keep reading you'll find that some people are icon addicts, they want it to be trackable for the icon. some people dont care either way. some buy coins and some only trade. its all a matter of opinion. noone is wrong and noone is right. to each their own.

[+HerrK & Friends]

"Its the quality and design that counts"

That's my position about geocoins!

[+Marky]

I wrote my own tracking site, back before they allowed personal coins to be tracked on gc.com. Since I already have the tracking site, that's probably the way I would go since it is free.

 

--Marky

[+Fundamental]

I buy only gc.com trackable coins because I place my coins to caches.

[+IceCreamMan]

If a coins is trackable, it increases the demand for it because many people who are not collectors will also want the coin. From my observations on ebay, trackable coins bring 50 to 100 percent more than non-trackable over time. Since someone is unlikely to pay fifty buck to drop a coin in a cache, that indicates collectors prefer trackable as well. I've also observed that the icon coins hold their value.

[+Nomad and the Librarians]

"Its the quality and design that counts"

 

That's my position about geocoins!

How does one determine the "quality" of geocoins? I haven't seen a coin yet that stood out from the pack either as particularly good or particularly bad. My boss likes the coins with color. I prefer the all metal one. The designs are all attractive and clever. The coins are different sizes, have different edges, cost different amounts. What is the standard of "quality" when judging these coins.

 

The fact that every minting is unique gives even an "ugly" (whatever that means) coin a significant value as a collectable. Even a virtually blank coin would be unique.

 

Nomad

of Nomad and the Librarians

[SCP-173]

If you're thinking about making a coin tracking isn't really that important. If it's trackable you'll sell out in minutes. If it's not trackable it might take a whole day to sell out, but it's going to happen regardless. Me, I go more for the non trackable coins.

[+Shasties]

"Its the quality and design that counts"

 

That's my position about geocoins!

How does one determine the "quality" of geocoins? I haven't seen a coin yet that stood out from the pack either as particularly good or particularly bad. My boss likes the coins with color. I prefer the all metal one. The designs are all attractive and clever. The coins are different sizes, have different edges, cost different amounts. What is the standard of "quality" when judging these coins.

 

The fact that every minting is unique gives even an "ugly" (whatever that means) coin a significant value as a collectable. Even a virtually blank coin would be unique.

 

Nomad

of Nomad and the Librarians

What makes one painting more desirable than another? Some people like Rembrandt, some Monet, others Van Gogh. Are any of them better than the others? Some may think so because they have their own preferences.

 

I just like collecting coins. I particularly like coins that are simple with little color (Alaska). Others like a lot of color (Joe Frog). Still others like an intricate coin like military coins. Some people think a coin is a waste of time if it's not trackable. Some icon collectors take it one step farther and want that individualized icon, not the personal 'cents' icon. I've seen coins that are not trackable in demand (a lot of personal coins) and state coins that are trackable, that I just can't trade away. It also has to do with availability. Why are MiGO seasonal coins in such demand? They're nice looking, but I've seen nicer (again, personal opinion). Because there's only 100 made? There are others that there were only 100 made that are nowhere near as in demand. Big? Small? The 'high demand' coins I've seen, in general are

 

- 1 1/2" to 1 3/4" diameter

- Some color, but not completely covered

- Between 300 and 500 available

- GC Trackable

- 'Elegant' is the only word I can think of to describe the design (think of Moun10bikes cycler - simple but easily recognizable)

 

There are always exceptions and I'm not knocking someones coin that doesn't fit the above. Again, it's like paintings; some people like one thing, others like something else. If that weren't the case, someone would make one coin and everyone would be happy with it. If you can figure out what makes certain coins collectable and others not, you've got a jump on everyone else.

[+HerrK & Friends]

"Its the quality and design that counts"

 

That's my position about geocoins!

How does one determine the "quality" of geocoins? I haven't seen a coin yet that stood out from the pack either as particularly good or particularly bad. My boss likes the coins with color. I prefer the all metal one. The designs are all attractive and clever. The coins are different sizes, have different edges, cost different amounts. What is the standard of "quality" when judging these coins.

 

The fact that every minting is unique gives even an "ugly" (whatever that means) coin a significant value as a collectable. Even a virtually blank coin would be unique.

 

Nomad

of Nomad and the Librarians

Jep, that's my position...and i see no problem with this, because this is my personal position.

 

I wrote nothing about...how judge a "Qualitity" as good!

I wrote nothing about...how a design must looks like for a good design!

 

I love every coin with a (for me) cool design or specially (for me) quality features,

like a special form or a special metal.

So keep cool and sorry for my really bad english grammar!

[+crake]

Well, my design is at the shop getting quoted, and I asked about tracking options. If it all turns out ok, I'll probably be offering a coin sometime in early 2006. And if THAT turns out, I'll do a coin every few months.

[+joefrog]

Mine isn't trackable, just numbered. People seem to like it just fine!

[Rupert2]

It's all good...

 

Who cares what the coin is worth in 5 years? They will all be traded away by that time. Make it personal, the rest is fluff.

[+ShowStop]

If you make it trackable, I'll buy it. If its not trackable, I'm not interested.

[+Bambi&Thumper]

Some people think a coin is a waste of time if it's not trackable. Some icon collectors take it one step farther and want that individualized icon, not the personal 'cents' icon.

 

I object to being called an "icon collector"!!!

 

Seriously, we're in it for trackable coins, primarily ones with icons, so that we can release them and share them with other cachers in our area and the rest of the UK. We keep one each of all the coins I buy too, but really only so that we have a record of what we've released. In an ideal world, we'd collect everything and keep one and release one, but we have to eat, so we can't! We have to draw the line somewhere, so this is where we choose to. It's not all about the icons, but we do think they are cool and by doing this, we get to engage with other cachers in a different way (we also find that our coins travel further and faster than conventional TBs).

 

Bambi.

 

PS What are the coins you can't trade? We are always interested in new coins, but we don't have much to give you in exchange... If you fancy releasing them, you could sent them to us and we'll tag them and release them here on your behalf... Drop us a line if you are interested!

[+Shasties]

Some people think a coin is a waste of time if it's not trackable. Some icon collectors take it one step farther and want that individualized icon, not the personal 'cents' icon.

 

I object to being called an "icon collector"!!!

 

Bambi.

 

PS What are the coins you can't trade? We are always interested in new coins, but we don't have much to give you in exchange... If you fancy releasing them, you could sent them to us and we'll tag them and release them here on your behalf... Drop us a line if you are interested!

I hope you didn't think I consider 'Icon Collector' a bad term. Far from that. I've show my coin collection to some people who look at my like I'm crazy for spending money on those things. "You've spent how much on... coins? I think each person finds their own 'niche' in this game. That's the idea.

 

As far as coins I can't trade away , that was a bit of an overstatement. I have coins in my 'to trade' collection that I have had for a long time; Calgary, Texas, Alaska that are more 'slow movers' than anything. Texas and Alaska are trackable but not 'GC trackable', so that cuts the demand for them. The Calgary coin is numbered, but not trackable at all.

 

I recently took a nontrackable MiGO coin, drilled a hole in it and attached a TB tag to it, just to get it out into the wild. It's been picked up but not released yet .

 

I also sent a New Jersey, a New Mexico, and a MiGO coin to the Czech Republic to be released to travel Europe. Hopefully they'll last a little longer over there. We'll see.

 

As you can guess, my faith in coins lasting any length of time in the wild is about zero.

[+Ladycacher]

What's the point if they are trackable now that gc.com is looking at making them unloggable unless you find the coin in a cache - and that's not gonna happen because they get "taken". I know - I have one that was stolen, oops, I mean "taken with out premission". Now I see that coin as a waste of 5 bucks and a donation to a thief, oops, "unhonest geocacher".

[Rupert2]

IMHO, a waste of money. Oh boy, my coins follow me around to event caches. What is the point?

[+Marky]

I recently took a nontrackable MiGO coin, drilled a hole in it and attached a TB tag to it, just to get it out into the wild. It's been picked up but not released yet .

It is sad that I'm not even surprised. You would think that drilling a hole in it would reduce the collectibility of the coin enough to where it wouldn't get picked up. Soon, we will see a "Special MIGO geocoin Necklace, One of a Kind" on ebay.

 

--Marky

[+nielsenc]

I have only found 1 Geocoin in the wild to date. I was with another cacher as he picked one up. The other Geocoin I have on my page is my Brothers he gave to me to drop in Singapore.

 

I really want to see more geocoins in the wild. Of my personal ones, this one has moved the furthest:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=212594

 

the one geocoin which has travled the most miles:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=157166

 

I had this one travel 7000 miles just in the US:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=157521

 

So do I like trackable, yes. Is it worth it? Lets see after a year and hoe many are still moving!

 

nielsenc

[+crake]

Well, I just got the quote in. I had no idea it costs $2 to add GC tracking (etch and to get the numbers) . That adds up to some serious cash. Its about a 40% increase in coin cost (example $5/coin and $7/coin).

 

Of course, it does make each coin unique, and most of the money goes to gc.com, which helps keep the lights on I suppose.

[+pdxmarathonman]

Well, I just got the quote in. I had no idea it costs $2 to add GC tracking (etch and to get the numbers) . That adds up to some serious cash. Its about a 40% increase in coin cost (example $5/coin and $7/coin).

 

Of course, it does make each coin unique, and most of the money goes to gc.com, which helps keep the lights on I suppose.

You can do the sequential numbering for the $.40 or $.50 the mints charge and keep the $1.50 gc.com wants in your pocket. Then each coin is unique and you've saved quite a bit.

[+MR & MRS PotatoHead]

I think it depends on what you want the coins to do. Totally your decision. Trackable probably would have more value now and as time passes. But a short run of nontrackable could be worth a bunch in 20 years when all you can find are trackable coins. You can't outguess the future on this though.

[+welch]

So, what's the story on tracking? Is it a requirement?

Nope.

A geocoin is yours, whatever you want to make.

It might might be numbers, might be trackable, might be trackable on gc.com, or might have none of those things.

 

 

As for your other questions:

If you make it trackable at gc.com you have to follow the rules Groundspeak has, like let them approve the design, and include geocaching.com on the coin.

If you use the forum search a little more you'll find out the debate over the value of tracking has gone on for a while... before gc.com sold the numbers, it was how/where to track them, and if it was worth the cost. Now its more about is the cost of $1.50 worth it, and is $150 worth it for a group, and what's a group?....

[57chevy]

"Its the quality and design that counts"

That's my position about geocoins!

I have to agree that the quality and design are the most important aspects of a unique fun coin. How do you make a unique coin? ..... Ya gotta be reaaaly quiet and then u nique up on it. No applause needed just throw geocoins. ouch maybe just mail em'