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Does Anyone Else Think This Is A Good Idea?


LooAndRoo

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To each their own, it doesn't bother me. The only courtesy that I think is nice would be to identify the fact it is a copy in the name of the item. So if it was ... let's say a Canada coin, then call it "My Canada Coin COPY".

 

Why? When I am on vacation, if I have a choice between a cache that has a TB and one that doesn't, I will try to grab the TB cache. While I appreciate that the copy of the coin still wants to travel, I would rather help a real coin (so I can see the real deal) and/or a differnent TB. Again -- to each their own.

 

If I found such an item, it would be 50/50 as to whether I would move it.

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The only real coin I have logged was in a traveling cache and I put it as discovered since I never really grabbed it and took it anywhere. I saw some coins at a Meet, but never considered logging them as they were just a personal collection. I was told there was a list of coins I could log by attending the Meet, but that seemed extremely cheezy. I did take a laminated copy of a coin that I treated as a travel bug, the page clearly says it is a copy. I placed it in a cache recently. I guess I just don't get the coin thing anyway, so I probably won't search them out. If I do find one, I would probably grab and move it in the interest of helping it on it's mission, but I probably won't do any more copies.

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In the German forum we had a thread about these copies. Result: 23% would ignore the photo, 13% 'don't care as long as I can log it', 7% are not interested in geocoins, 19% 'great idea, if it's lost, send a new one', 33% 'a photo instead of a real coin?! I don't want to see such crap', 1% 'no opinion'..

 

Polls should be reported in order of majority. :laughing:

 

If you want to send coins and keep them for the collection, then buy 2 coins..

Exactly. You should do that anyway if you release coins, so you'll always have one for yourself.

 

Reminds me of a travel bug. Two so that you can keep one for your records.

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I think everyone wants to find real coins in caches. Unfortunately they don't just appear like manna from heaven and someone has to actually buy them and put them in there. Now since tens of thousands of trackable coins have been minted there actually are a few real coins out to be found even though they're still by no means abundant. I ran a query and found 3 actual coins that are supposed to be in caches within 50 miles from my location.

 

As someone who has lost about 20 real coins by turning them loose, (some of which never even made it to the second cache), I really don't understand why people find it so distasteful to have the chance to get the opportunity to claim a coin find by getting the tracking number out of an actual cache even though it's on paper and not metal. Most of the older and more rare coins will never be found in a cache. I bet many of these same people complaining have no problem going to an event and being handed a paper with a bunch of tracking numbers that they take home to log.

 

What would happen if the Jeep corporation decided to have a Red Jeep TB program with a red jeep icon and instead of having the little toy jeep attached to the travel bug they decided to use a laminated picture of a real red jeep? Would you turn up your nose at that too? I don't think so.

 

So long as the laminated copies are titled so as to show that they are replicas, I really don't understand all the complaining. If you don't want to find or log them, then just ignore them. You have to remember that there are an awful lot of casual cachers out there who have never had an opportunity to log any coin find at all and many of them would be happy at the idea of just getting a new icon.

Edited by Cache-bert
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It's funny. I have about 10 real coins out and 4 replicas that I sent out for really expensive coins I bought during the boom. I thought it was cool, I clearly labelled them as replicas in the name to warn others. Thought it was a neat way to share the icon and coin picture and save them from being ripped off, as 3 or 4 of my coins have been.

 

However, just this morning I went in search of a coin in a cache, not labelled as a replica in its name (it was in the description but I didn't read it, that was my fault not the owners), and got there to find a laminated card. I put in a newly activated real GCC coin and took the card. I logged it and will place it in another cache as wished, but it WAS suprisingly dissapointing.

 

Well, when I got home I emailed those who had my replicas to toss them in the trash and posted a note on those that are in caches to get rid of them.

 

Funny how views can quickly change. I think the practice is fine if people want to do it, I will continue to have nothing against it, I will even log those replicas I can help in their goal (If I move a traveler I will log it), but I won't be releasing any more and hopefully those I left out get destroyed pretty soon.

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Hey! A nice new Red Jeep TB :laughing: . That would be terrific. Even if there was no Jeep contest attached to it. Just the fact of chasing down the Jeep TBs was a lot of fun. A lot of people were just happy to find them and send them off on their travels. :)

 

Actually I've heard there really are new Jeeps coming out soon but they will be green. :(

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Hey! A nice new Red Jeep TB :) . That would be terrific. Even if there was no Jeep contest attached to it. Just the fact of chasing down the Jeep TBs was a lot of fun. A lot of people were just happy to find them and send them off on their travels. :(

 

Actually I've heard there really are new Jeeps coming out soon but they will be green. :)

 

I am green with envy..... Just wondering, is that signal green?

 

:laughing:

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Hey! A nice new Red Jeep TB :) . That would be terrific. Even if there was no Jeep contest attached to it. Just the fact of chasing down the Jeep TBs was a lot of fun. A lot of people were just happy to find them and send them off on their travels. :)

 

Actually I've heard there really are new Jeeps coming out soon but they will be green. :huh:

 

I am green with envy..... Just wondering, is that signal green?

 

:laughing:

 

Wow! That would be great. I don't care what color they come out with, like I said, They are fun to find and to drop in caches. :(

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I found a copy of a geoo coin on one of my first caches, i was really dissipointed afterall the time and effort i put into looking for it.

 

If you soo CHEAP that you can't send out the real coin or are so scared of a $10 token getting solen then keep you money in your pocket. or buy a cheeper travle bug or coin.

 

I personaly vow to throw out and copies of coins made.

 

personaly when i buy new coins if i am getting trackable ones i try and get a spair with no number on it, then i got to the mall and get the samew number as the first ingraved on it,

 

taa daaaa 2 of the same coin so if one goes missing you just send the second out.

 

alot of the ime i think you can choose if you want a coing to be trackable or not

 

 

anyone thinking of doing this is lame and taking away from peoples hunts!

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I don't understand why anyone feels like they've contributed to geocaching by placing a photo of a geocoin in a cache. If your claim is that you can't/won't pay the money to place a coin in a cache then don't. But don't feel like you're adding any value by putting a picture in the cache. The only person that has any chance of feeling good about this is the person that kept the coin to themselves.

 

Go buy some tracking numbers and assign them to photos of your favorite things and place those in caches. No difference. None. Nada. No need to bother minting any coins.

 

It stinks. And it's ridiculous.

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I am not real keen on this idea. I know some folks are. It is a crying shame that when real coins are released in the wild they are "captured' and not rereleased. (I use the term "captured" because I am one of those terrible folks that think legal ownership rights are forfeited when released, but that is the topic of another thread and I am not trying to hijack this one.) Unfortunately some folks don't have the same spirit for helping a coin along that other folks do.

 

However if you feel that you wish to keep your original and put out a picture of it please make sure that it is clearly labeled as a "Copy", "Facsimile" or "Duplicate". My goal to to find and log real coins only and I have go out of my way to find real coins and either "discover" them or retrieve and move along.

 

Maybe Geocaching.com can address the issue of copies and make it easier to identify on pocket queries and icons to save time when searching for coins on line. Though I doubt if they will they are concerned about perception and do not want to give any perception that is less than flattering and potentially affect their abililty to charge a premium price for tracking numbers.

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I personaly vow to throw out and copies of coins made.

 

Ok, there's a big difference between not agreeing with the way somebody does something and doing something over the edge. Taking and destroying something that is not yours is wrong - plain and simple.

 

While I personally don't think the "copy coins" is a good idea, neither is what you've stated.

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I have the same opinion on what I would do with a copy. Maybe I should qualify.

 

I think these copies will help promote theft. If it becomes accepted practise then it will make it easier for a coin thief to copy the practise and every one carries on blissfully unware.

 

Not mine?? No its not, but I would also class it as trash. It is not a coin. It is not a travel bug. It is not swag.

 

Geocaching is a very simple concept. Lets keep it simple. If you worry about a coin being lost don't let it go. If its stolen so be it, use the whining thread to vent. If your worried about the dollars you spend then don't. Spend that is.

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If you soo CHEAP that you can't send out the real coin or are so scared of a $10 token getting solen then keep you money in your pocket.

 

 

I'd advise anyone who wants to put out a USA or Canada geocoin or any other coin currently for sale at a reasonable price not to fool around with a copy but go buy the real thing to put out. It's a lot of aggravation to make a laminated copy with the right tracking # on it. However, what about the older, more rare coins that can't be purchased, like the Geowoodstock III? Exactly where do you get one of those real coins to put out? You can't buy one anywhere. You won't ever find a real one in a cache. If you did put a real one out it would be gone forever within a month. Does that mean that the only way for a new cacher to get that icon has to be just to go to an event and see one laying on a table? Then he or she gets that tracking number and several hundred others with really no effort. In my opinion that cheapens the sport a lot more than chasing down a real cache with the Geowoodstock III's tracking # in it, even if it's on a piece of paper.

 

I think I'd be disappointed too if I saw a coin listed in a cache and found out when I got there it was a copy but it wasn't titled that way. But if it said "CacherX's Simulated (or Replicated, or Copy) Lackey Coin" and I didn't have a Lackey icon, off I'd go. I bet some of the rest of you would too, even if it was a laminated copy.

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There was a time where I was thinking of putting a laminated copy of my coins in caches, but I changed my mind. I have started putting out a few coins other than the USA or Canada coins.

 

I've noticed that coins are starting to show up in our area and I don't know if it is because people have only started caching seriously here in Quebec since the last year or two. Anyway, coins don't seem to disappear as fast as they do in other parts of the country. I'm hoping that this trend will go on, and that's the reason for my putting out a few of my regular coins in caches.

 

Just to illustrate my point, there is presently a Moun10bike which was found and released the same day by one of our cachers, that coin is still on the mountain where it was first hidden . Other cachers here in Quebec have been putting out their geocoins and they are still running strong. I personally found a 2005 Colorado in a cache this winter and released it elsewhere and last April 28th, I also had the luck to actually hold a GeoWoodstock III that had been dropped in a cache :) . I picked it up for the icon and then left it in the cache for others to find. Those coins are still moving. I know I may be dreaming but like I said, hopefully this trend will continue. It was a real thrill to actually find those rare coins in the wild. ;)

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This is why I love the CA Micro and now the Kansas Sunshine Micro. They are bought in 10 packs and the price is under $4.00 each. You cant beat that!

 

I pre-ordered a 10 pack and might bump that up to a 20 pack. People like finding coins and this is a reasonable way of doing it.

 

And for those that do make 'copies', please just put it in the title. I am not against it but would like to know before making a long journey.

 

thanks!

 

nielsenc

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I personaly vow to throw out and copies of coins made.

 

 

Please don't even think of doing this. It is not yours to remove and destroy. It's also poor sportsmanship. How could this offend you so much that you would even consider it? A lot of travellers are sent out by children who just want to watch them move and read the stories. You would only be hurting someone and not helping in any way. Play nice. It's just a game.

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I found a copy of a geoo coin on one of my first caches, i was really dissipointed afterall the time and effort i put into looking for it.

 

If you soo CHEAP that you can't send out the real coin or are so scared of a $10 token getting solen then keep you money in your pocket. or buy a cheeper travle bug or coin.

 

I personaly vow to throw out and copies of coins made.

 

personaly when i buy new coins if i am getting trackable ones i try and get a spair with no number on it, then i got to the mall and get the samew number as the first ingraved on it,

 

taa daaaa 2 of the same coin so if one goes missing you just send the second out.

 

alot of the ime i think you can choose if you want a coing to be trackable or not

 

 

anyone thinking of doing this is lame and taking away from peoples hunts!

After you lose a few of your own (and it will happen) you may not feel the same. It would be nice if people could release the real coin, but it wouldn't matter if coins didn't disappear faster than snow in July...

 

As for "anyone thinking of doing this is lame and taking away from peoples hunts!"

People that want to find a real coin in a cache, should go some down on ebay and buy it for themselves. That way they can find exactly what they want, when they want it, and it will 100% cool.

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After you lose a few of your own (and it will happen) you may not feel the same.

...

People that want to find a real coin in a cache, should go some down on ebay and buy it for themselves.

Again - this is not a solution that is beneficial to the caching community.

 

People that want to see a picture of a coin can do that in the comfort of their own home (check Ebay - there are usually pictures posted)

 

If you need an icon, send me an email. I'll see what I can do :( <don't even threaten the virtual-logging penalty - logging a coin after seeing a picture of it in a cache is no different than someone emailing a number to someone else>

 

I would hope that the overwhelming sensible arguments against this nonsensical behavior would discourage it.

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After you lose a few of your own (and it will happen) you may not feel the same.

...

People that want to find a real coin in a cache, should go some down on ebay and buy it for themselves.

Again - this is not a solution that is beneficial to the caching community.

 

People that want to see a picture of a coin can do that in the comfort of their own home (check Ebay - there are usually pictures posted)

 

If you need an icon, send me an email. I'll see what I can do :( <don't even threaten the virtual-logging penalty - logging a coin after seeing a picture of it in a cache is no different than someone emailing a number to someone else>

 

I would hope that the overwhelming sensible arguments against this nonsensical behavior would discourage it.

You're right, ebay is terriable and noone should use it for coins.

 

So don't use a picture, make a very cheap copy of the coin from foam, wood, plastic, a fender washer, whatever.

 

Thanks but I don't log numbers, I log travelers I've moved. Whatever number it uses, whatever icon it has attached is just icing.

 

Come up with a way for the next wave of coins to not get lost (I'd have to check but I think it was 4of5 gone in <3 months) and i'll do that way. And yes I realize that attrition claims travelers, and I should expect that. But it should NOT be that high, that fast!

In some ways it seems the whole concept of making trackable coins is flawed. I think it was BlueDuece that pointed out that geocoins violate several of the 'rules' from snoogan's longevity clinic. They're cute even with holes drilled in them, they can be expensive/difficult to replace, the owners seem to care if it gets lost.

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Again - this is not a solution that is beneficial to the caching community.

 

 

That's quite a blanket statement. Perhaps it depends on the area of the country someone's in whether this idea makes sense or not. In some of the more affluent regions where geocaching has been well established for years, maybe it's possible to routinely find and move real coins. Maybe even the idea of a replicated coin being in a cache would lessen the experience for the geocaching connoisseurs in those areas. I guess it would be like someone wanting to play golf in jeans at Augusta National and it just isn't done.

 

In other areas, where real coins in caches are very, very scarce and don't last very long out in the wild, copies aren't the horrible idea some people make it out to be. I had about a dozen copies out for six months or so and they were logged, moved, and generally appreciated. For most cachers, the copies were the only chance they'd ever had to claim a coin find from a cache. Only one person who ever found one made a log entry expressing his disappointment that it wasn't the real thing (even though it said "Simulated" in the title). I'd have to say that overall they were beneficial in that they provided the opportunity to find something interesting in the cache that wouldn't have been there otherwise. I'm sure it was more rewarding than just being handed a list at an event.

 

I'd suggest if someone's in an area where there are plenty of coins in caches, then don't bother with copies. However, if someone's in a place where there practically aren't any coins at all for anyone to find and real coins just disappear like dew on a sunny day, it really wouldn't hurt anything to experiment a little and put out a nicely done copy of one or two of your favorite coins and just see for yourself what happens. It's true that the copies aren't nearly as good to find as the real thing but they are better than nothing to find at all. Generally the people reading and posting on this forum have become so accustomed to real coins that they forget that the majority of cachers still have never seen a real coin (or even a copy) in a cache.

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I'd suggest if someone's in an area where there are plenty of coins in caches, then don't bother with copies. However, if someone's in a place where there practically aren't any coins at all for anyone to find and real coins just disappear like dew on a sunny day, it really wouldn't hurt anything to experiment a little and put out a nicely done copy of one or two of your favorite coins and just see for yourself what happens. It's true that the copies aren't nearly as good to find as the real thing but they are better than nothing to find at all. Generally the people reading and posting on this forum have become so accustomed to real coins that they forget that the majority of cachers still have never seen a real coin (or even a copy) in a cache.

 

I think this post sums it up nicely. I my geographic area (Northern VA), real coins disappear quickly, unfortunately. Same problem last year with many White Jeep TB's that came through the area.

 

I think "virtual" geocoins are a great alternative. You can find something tangible that still travels from cache to cache, with little risk of theft. So, other cachers who may never find a geocoin -- not to mention a rare geocoin -- get to log the find and yes, get a cool icon. The bonus is that if the virtual disappears, it's easy to make a new one.

 

With a few guidelines, virtual coins seem to me to be a great idea.

 

Peace,

Ron (TeamRJJO)

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I'd suggest if someone's in an area where there are plenty of coins in caches, then don't bother with copies. However, if someone's in a place where there practically aren't any coins at all for anyone to find and real coins just disappear like dew on a sunny day, it really wouldn't hurt anything to experiment a little and put out a nicely done copy of one or two of your favorite coins and just see for yourself what happens. It's true that the copies aren't nearly as good to find as the real thing but they are better than nothing to find at all. Generally the people reading and posting on this forum have become so accustomed to real coins that they forget that the majority of cachers still have never seen a real coin (or even a copy) in a cache.

 

I think this post sums it up nicely. I my geographic area (Northern VA), real coins disappear quickly, unfortunately. Same problem last year with many White Jeep TB's that came through the area.

 

I think "virtual" geocoins are a great alternative. You can find something tangible that still travels from cache to cache, with little risk of theft. So, other cachers who may never find a geocoin -- not to mention a rare geocoin -- get to log the find and yes, get a cool icon. The bonus is that if the virtual disappears, it's easy to make a new one.

 

With a few guidelines, virtual coins seem to me to be a great idea.

 

Peace,

Ron (TeamRJJO)

 

Just to be clear, "Virtual" TB's as well as "Virtual" coins are not allowed. "Copy" coins, while disappointing to some, are allowed.

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Just to be clear, "Virtual" TB's as well as "Virtual" coins are not allowed. "Copy" coins, while disappointing to some, are allowed.

 

Sorry for any confusion....I was using the terms interchangably in my above post. By "virtual" geocoin, I mean a laminated card with a picture of the coin and the code used to track it on the web site.

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It's a great idea and I have begun doing it, if you are spending $10+ or $20+ for a collectable coin(s) and don't want it ripped off I see no problem with doing this at all.

 

No offense, but the idea stinks. Who wants to go after, much less move a copy of a geocoin? It is pathetic. If you're not going to release the coin, don't bother. If you'll notice, copies of coins rarely get moved...why? No one is interested in them!! Like another poster said, how would you feel if you scouted out a difficult cache with supposedly a geocoin in it...found the cache...and all you found was a laminated piece of paper? If it were me, I'd be sorely tempted to pitch it...but I'd never do that. What I do, though, is make a notation on a cache that the coin is a fake (replica) so beware.

 

I say before going the pathetic route of releasing paper copies, deface the coin to make it uncollectible...punch a hole in it and put a tag on it...stuff like that.

 

If you want to send coins and keep them for the collection, then buy 2 coins..

 

Exactly. You should do that anyway if you release coins, so you'll always have one for yourself.

 

No Offense, but if you want to spend alot of your money on coins for people to steal, and they have been stealing them quite a bit here, then you go right on ahead and throw away your money. In the meantime I will share icon with those that want it, and deprive a thief of money spent on geocoins. please continue to spend your money and have your coins stolen if you desire.

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No Offense, but if you want to spend alot of your money on coins for people to steal, and they have been stealing them quite a bit here, then you go right on ahead and throw away your money. In the meantime I will share icon with those that want it, and deprive a thief of money spent on geocoins. please continue to spend your money and have your coins stolen if you desire.

 

So because some coin go missing we shouldn't release any?

 

Finding an imitation to me is just that - finding an imitation.

Would you go and see a replica of "The Last Supper" or other works of art? (Sorry, DaVinci Code just came out and that was the first reference that came to mind)

 

It seems to me that it's a way of getting something you normally wouldn't get. How is that enjoyable? Getting things that are hard to obtain is part of the fun, no? How special would a Moun10Bike coin or an APE cache be if there were copycats everywhere to get.

 

I just don't get it....

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No offence in return. But if you don't want to share your geocoin but your icon then there are already standard ways to do that and they all fall within acceptable practice.

 

If there are areas that do not have geocoins then the practice of making copies and putting them out there does not solve that. The people finding a copy still haven't found a geocoin.

 

In time, my belief is that the practice of copying a coin and getting that practice accepted as normal will ultimately put all real coins in greater jeopardy.

 

Why not just stick with what we have. It is a risk. Every other reason mentioned so far, although couched in terms of the finders, has only been for the coin owners benefit. Instead of continually telling every one to play the game their own way how about we attempt to play the game the way it was meant to be played instead. And get passionate about that.

 

It is very simple game and I think if we spent long enough we could come up with a few hundred reasons and excuses to continually dilute the simple concept. But why??? How about if you don't like this simple game and the way it’s played you don't play.

 

I will make one concession to my previous posts. I will not intentionally fly to the USA on a crusade to rid caches of these copies. However if one comes within cooee of me it will be in trouble. If I upset a child into the bargain then I will have it out with my Maker at the appropriate time.

Edited by BelKen
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Would you go and see a replica of "The Last Supper" or other works of art?

 

I think you might have just made the point....not having ever been to Italy, a replica is the only version of "The Last Supper" that I have ever seen. Not the same as the real thing, certainly. But if someone along the way had said, "sorry, no replicas allowed," then I NEVER would have seen or enjoyed the painting.

 

Peace,

Ron

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No. I don't think the point is valid at all. The painting is a one off. Gecoins are a tad more prolific.

 

Given time everyone will see one sooner or later. As long as people keep putting them out there. There has been a coin explosion in the last couple of months and it just needs to naturally filter through.

 

I did a quick check here and in the 12 months to December 2005 I had seen 2 coins. Today there are 15 within 50 kilometres. One lady cacher here has spread approximately 30 coins across the country in the last month. Jaybees Grand Experiment has put six coins here in WA alone.

There are now coins that will fit into micros that are trackable.

 

There is no requirement for everybody to see every coin and collect every icon possible in the shortest time. You have to work a little for them. Much like finding a cache.

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No offence in return. But if you don't want to share your geocoin but your icon then there are already standard ways to do that and they all fall within acceptable practice.

 

 

No offense back at you but I couldn't help but notice that you've only released 3 of your trackable coins. If I'm not mistaken you would have need to get 500 coins minted to get your icon. If putting real coins out in caches is the thing to do, couldn't you maybe put out some? :)

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No offense back at you but I couldn't help but notice that you've only released 3 of your trackable coins. If I'm not mistaken you would have need to get 500 coins minted to get your icon. If putting real coins out in caches is the thing to do, couldn't you maybe put out some? :)

 

None taken. But you are mistaken. You have to purchase 500 tracking numbers to be eligible for an icon. There were 250 coins minted. I think my profile of releasing coins proves most of my statements. Since Jaunary 2006 I have released 6 coins when there were none before. It can only be more as time passes.

 

On the other hand. You have done what???

 

I have completed a quick check and I can give you the following.

Pre January 2006 Western Australia saw 2 USA Gecoins

Post January 2006 to the present WA cachers have released about 26 unique coins into the wild and we have also recieved about 10 unique coins from overseas into the area.(US/UK cachers)

 

edited for additional info

Edited by BelKen
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There were 250 coins minted. I think my profile of releasing coins proves most of my statements. Since Jaunary 2005 I have released 6 coins when there were none before. It can only be more as time passes.

 

 

6 coins put out / 250 coins minted = 2.4% Sure you can get by with only 244 keepers?

 

6 coins since Jan 2005 = avg. 1 coin every 3 months? Maybe you've averaged spending $1.50 per month on real geocoins that you've put out?

 

Why try so hard to discourage other people's ideas and threaten to tear up other people's work if you're not willing to make a significant contribution yourself?

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6 coins put out / 250 coins minted = 2.4% Sure you can get by with only 244 keepers?

 

6 coins since Jan 2005 = avg. 1 coin every 3 months? Maybe you've averaged spending $1.50 per month on real geocoins that you've put out?

 

Why try so hard to discourage other people's ideas and threaten to tear up other people's work if you're not willing to make a significant contribution yourself?

 

I apologize. I edited, obviously after you took the quote and changed the date to January 2006.

 

I am afraid it is your credibility that is under question. This discussion seems a waste of a sock puppet account. However for those that like to believe everything they read I will provide some of my reasoning.

 

Firstly the dates need to be taken into context. I changed it to 2006 and so your math’s is slightly out. Secondly with my 250 coins I have released 3 coins. I have given away 13 coins and I have traded 20 coins. All acceptable practices.

 

Next we need to take into account the growth in Geocoins and when that happened. If you look at the top of the geocoin forum discussions you will see that growth in coins and the subsequent change in policy all took off in the last 6 months. So there needs to be a lag in time before the corresponding increase of coins in caches happens. The other figures I added in my previous post can be used to work out the percentage increase in coins in caches here. I am sure it is similar in other areas.

 

For those that hunt icons and want to spend their money to collect coins I have no trouble with that. I have a collection of coins. If you want to share your collection then there are ways to do that such as events etc. Groundspeak even changed things to add the discovered log so people who are so inclined can see the coin and log that fact thus receiving the icon.

 

The trouble I have is when for perfectly valid reasons people do not want to release a coin into the wild but feel they are doing the community a service by releasing a photocopy. This coin is part of a collection and can be shared if you wish by other means. An accepted practice of copies in caches put those real coins in caches in jeopardy.

 

Share your coins and icons by all means via the accepted practices. There is no community benefit to be had by releasing a copy of a collection coin.

 

Lastly lest work out, using some of your math’s, the cost of losing a real coin in the wild. If all my six coins were stolen over the next 12 months what is the real cost to me then? Less than a cup of coffee per month?

In the end it should be up to the individual. If you don't want to run the risk of losing your coin then don't release it. If you want to share your coin then do so via meet and greets. If you want to find geocoins in caches then release the coins and don't take any actions that put those coins or any one else’s coins in jeopardy.

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First off, I have to admit to being a novice with things like this, but in my opinion it would just be a HUGE disappointment to not find the actual coin. I know I only have one coin released, if it got stolen I would be less than thrilled, however so goes the game. Pretty much like going fishing and loseing your favorite lure, it's the chance you take. I know the pure elation I felt when I found my first coin in a cache and want to share that feeling with someone else and that my friends is worth the chance of the coin being stolen by some one. Just my opinion, plain & simple.

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I'm sorry, but I'm on the laminated side.

 

coins (and TB-tags) *are* expensive... I - and surely a lot of others - can't afford two coins, just for making evrybody else happy...

...I like the idea, that my coins *can* travel, without ever leaving me...

 

still... I just bought a new coin... that one, I *will* scan in, BUT:

I will send the real coin out *first* and only replace it (with the laminate) if (or more accurately: when) the real coin vanishes...

 

Honestly, I'd feel very very saddened, if my coin got "collected" by someone and I havn't made a copy first, which could be re-introduced into the game...

 

Here yet another weird idea:

I thought of sending out Travel-Bugs and attach the tracking numbers for the coins to those!

Heck, I bought the Tracking-Number!

As long as "something" is being found, moved and logged, I think that fulfills what these numbers are there for!

Edited by V-I-cacher
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...I like the idea, that my coins *can* travel, without ever leaving me...

 

 

But your coin is not traveling.

not only that but...

then I NEVER would have seen or enjoyed the painting.

TeamRJJO hasn't seen the Last Supper painting any more than I have by looking at this jpeg file

last-supper-zoom.jpg

 

I don't follow the logic. Are you saying that because someone can't fly to Rome to look at the real painting that seeing a copy is worthless? Even with a copy you still get to experience the artist's work. We see and enjoy things all the time in print and on TV that we will never see in person. By that logic most of us have never seen a World Series game or a Super Bowl. If someone asked us if we saw the Super Bowl, we wouldn't say "No, I didn't see the game. I saw an electronically produced facsimile of it in my living room on the TV". No one has been on Mars and yet we have "seen" the Martian landscape.

 

Suppose that when you bought a real trackable geocoin you had the ability to buy an extra copy of the exact same coin with the same tracking number on it for only $1 more. This would be an EXACT copy in every way so that one coin couldn't be distinguished from the other. Would it be OK to put one out and keep one? I think most people would say yes. The only difference with the paper coins is the quality of the copy. If you're looking to score icons, the quality of the copy doesn't really matter.

Edited by Vertigoat
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If you're looking to score icons, the quality of the copy doesn't really matter.

 

That's the misconception. I think most people are looking to SEE the coin, not score the icon.

For those that just want the icon - that's a different thread.

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If you're looking to score icons, the quality of the copy doesn't really matter.

 

That's the misconception. I think most people are looking to SEE the coin, not score the icon.

For those that just want the icon - that's a different thread.

 

I think a lot of people like icons. After you find a coin, that's the only thing that stays with you if you put the coin back out like you should. Why do you think so many people will drive hundreds of miles just to find an APE cache? Getting an icon by finding the # in a cache is the whole concept of a trackable geocoin. Trying to get credits for as many different icons as possible would be a lot of fun if enough coins would stay out in caches to make it interesting (and if it weren't so easy to get them other ways).

 

For instance, take that solid silver "Geocache America" coin. I've seen where it's listed wih it's own icon. Who's going to put a real solid silver coin in a cache for people to find? Maybe 2 or 3 people in the whole country? How long are those going to stay out in the wild?

 

Everybody would like to find a real coin in a cache. If the coin is a copy and labeled plainly in the description as a copy so people who want to see the real coin won't be disappointed, I just don't see the problem. Finding a copy coin in a cache has to be more sporting than "finding" a hundred real coins in a binder at an event.

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I think a lot of people like icons. After you find a coin, that's the only thing that stays with you if you put the coin back out like you should. Why do you think so many people will drive hundreds of miles just to find an APE cache?

 

True, but would you drive hundreds of miles to find a fake cache? Or would you log the cache if somebody brought it to you instead of you having to work for it? The icon, to me, is like a badge - like scoring a five-star cache.

 

Getting an icon by finding the # in a cache is the whole concept of a trackable geocoin.

 

That's where some of us disagree. You get the icon for finding the coin in a cache.

 

For instance, take that solid silver "Geocache America" coin. I've seen where it's listed wih it's own icon. Who's going to put a real solid silver coin in a cache for people to find? Maybe 2 or 3 people in the whole country? How long are those going to stay out in the wild?

 

I'm OK with not getting that icon if that's the case. When did it become a rule that everybody had to have every icon or was entitled to every icon? If you never find the coin, you don't get the icon, simple. I don't know how to scube dive so I'll never score some of the 5 star caches around me. I don't expect somebody to dive down and retrieve the cache for me so I can.

 

Everybody would like to find a real coin in a cache. If the coin is a copy and labeled plainly in the description as a copy so people who want to see the real coin won't be disappointed, I just don't see the problem. Finding a copy coin in a cache has to be more sporting than "finding" a hundred real coins in a binder at an event.

 

FWIW - I don't think that either of these are sporting. <_<

 

There's obviously two camps on this topic.

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If laminated copies are going to become acceptable practice, then perhaps there needs to be yet another logging option added like "discovered a copy of a coin" and there also should be a way to tell on the cache page that it isn't the real deal just by looking at the picture.

 

I personally can't see how I've experienced seeing a coin unless I see and touch the real thing. Just the same I don't think I've experienced the eiffel tower when I saw it on tv, or the Louvre because I saw it in National Geographic. To me a reproduction of the Last Supper is just that, a reproduction, and thus not the real experience.

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I'm new, only been at it since April, and I have not yet come across any coins or travel bugs (about to start one, though!). One thing is for sure, though -- when I do find my first geocoin I hope it's not a crappy copy. It seems to me that if you purchase a coin with the intent of activating it and letting it travel, then that's what you should do. Buy two to keep one or buy one and keep it for yourself, but don't pretend to release it by placing a fake. That's a crock of shtink.

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