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Does Anyone Else Think This Is A Good Idea?


LooAndRoo

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I am placing a laminated cache series out in my local state park --- you don't have to actually hike the circuit, just stop by the message board and sign the laminated cache sheets. ;)

I am also hosting a laminated event where I mail the name tags to your house and you can sign the virtual log without actually attending. :blink:

 

My examples above are written in jest, but seriously people! Who wants to go out and chase down a laminated card instead of a coin? I can see replacing a lost coin with a duplicate but launching a fake geocoin card is just plain silly. :blink:

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I have just purchased my first two coins. I am trying to decide what to do with them, should I make them a copy or drill a hole in them? I am not a coin collector and dont really want these cluttering a drawer but I dont want them to go missing either. I want to see how far they can travel. I dont understand why people steal them, what do they do with them, invite people over to see their stolen coin collection, how sad are they? I have found a copy of a coin and thought it was great to go to the cache and it actually be there, not like some caches that have the icon and you go there and its missing never to be logged again. Isnt a copy travelling the world better than nothing? Its better than swapping a number at an event just to get the icon on your list at least you are finding a copy in a cache. I was watching that copy I moved for a while and it went from California to England, how fun is that.

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I've just recently bought my first geocoins and released one (so far) into the wild. What a waste if it comes up missing quickly. I've found one actual geocoin in a cache and sent it on its way. It was a really neat experience. I was amazed how heavy, shiny, and intricately designed the coin was. I would love to give others that experience with my coins. However - I am not in the business of stocking other people's coin collections at my expense! My kids are extremely interested in the travels of our bugs and coins. How thoughtless of some people to spoil the fun for everyone - coin owners and cachers alike.

 

You know - the geocaching environment is a theif's paradise. The caches are hidden and infrequently visited. Anyone can go to a cache at anytime they like and take whatever they want. If they don't write in the log or post in geocaching.com, no one will ever know that they've been there.

 

After reading this thread, here's what I've decided to try...

I'm going to go ahead and release the rest of my coins. Those that I bought two of, I will release one as-is. The other will get an ugly hole drilled in it before being released. I want to see how long one lasts versus the other. Has anyone tried this before and posted their findings? When/if the coin goes missing (especially if it gets stolen very soon) I intend to send out a photocopy of the coin and let the tracking number continue travelling. After all, I paid for the coin and tracking number. Just getting one or two posts and then having a dead coin seems to be a waste of a perfectly useable tracking number. I've noticed that people sometimes send out the copy travel bug tag when the original goes missing. This seems to be a similar situation to me. I will, of course, make it very clear that the new coin is a photocopy by naming it something like "COPY of Model Citizen's SnowWolf Geocoin".

 

I haven't been in this game long, but I've already lost a travel bug and had problems with a couple of my caches. This doesn't look promising. And the geocaching game is growing in popularity. I imagine it started out with a very few individuals who were serious and devoted to the game. As the number of geocachers grows, I think there will be many more problems.

 

BUT - I will give the geocaching community the benefit of the doubt and send my ACTUAL coins out. But I'll be prepared for the possiblity that some members of the geocaching community can't be trusted. After all, geocachers come from all walks of life, come in all shapes and sizes, all levels of geocaching experience, and in all types (good and bad, trustworthy and untrustworthy).

 

Sorry for the long post.

Blues skies and happy caching!

 

Model Citizen - Zero Discipline

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I think this whole topic is lame....

 

I haven't been caching for that long and have just recently purchased a few geocoins. On my "trackables" page I DO LIST THEM AS "(Replica)" for the simple fact that there are people out there who ruin everything that's fun and enjoyable.

 

I, for one, do not work for my money only to have it taken from me. If you guys want to put $10 bills in caches, let me know where you put them and I WILL log them....then again, I might not! I enjoy seeing and holding real coins, but can understand the frustration of the owners when they have to put their nice coins in the graveyard and never have the chance of showing what $10 got them. That's plain bull....

 

What can we do? Well, to each his own. I am going to put out replicas. If you do not want to find replicas, that's fine....don't go ripping them up, trashing them, or CITOing them. Heck, I might even put real ones out there and list them as "(Replica)" just to make sure the theives don't go searching for them and then take them without logging them....who knows.

 

For all of you who hate seeing replicas, or are totally disppointed in seeing 'fakes', or those whose sole mission is to find caches with coins in them, go take a flying leap. Isn't the whole geocaching experience going places, meeting people, and getting outside to do something you enjoy? Why ruin the whole thing with whining and complaining about how others 'play the game'?

 

For those who cache to see places you otherwise wouldn't have gone, to meet people at events and finally put names to faces, and just for the fact that you can get out with the family and enjoy the great outdoors, then keep on keepin' on!! I'm with ya. If I find a replica of a coin in a cache, I will log it, check the goal, and move it on.....just the same thing I'd do with a real coin.

 

Simple. Play how you want, don't judge others, and treat everyone with respect. Only then will we 'all get along'.....

Edited by Team_DDNight
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I think this whole topic is lame....

 

For all of you who hate seeing replicas, or are totally disppointed in seeing 'fakes', or those whose sole mission is to find caches with coins in them, go take a flying leap.

Simple. Play how you want, don't judge others, and treat everyone with respect. Only then will we 'all get along'.....

 

Seems some of these comments are in direct conflict with the "treat everyone with respect", don't cha think?

 

I agree, this topic HAS been beaten to death, though.

There are two camps and nothing anybody says is going to change the other camp's mind.

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Why ruin the whole thing with whining and complaining about how others 'play the game'?

Aren't you whining and complaining about how people who want to see real coins (i.e. others) play the game?

 

Negative....I'm just telling you to stop whining and complaining. I don't see anything in my post about complaining at all....I'm saying "Do what you want", but don't ruin, trash, or CITO others 'fake', 'replica', or 'ghost' coins just because you want to see real coins in caches. Go ahead and leave 'em, I don't care.

 

If you want to see my coins, come to Hawaii an attend an event. Otherwise, be happy with my replicas, because I'm not paying money to have people steal my coins for their personal collections. I will, however, create a personal coin (in the near future) and put those in the wild and trade, but for regular coins (Signal, public, etc), I buy them for commemorative / significant reasons and don't want them stolen. Just my personal preference.....

 

YES, this topic is a dead horse.

 

Team_DDNight

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Why ruin the whole thing with whining and complaining about how others 'play the game'?

Aren't you whining and complaining about how people who want to see real coins (i.e. others) play the game?

 

Negative....I'm just telling you to stop whining and complaining. I don't see anything in my post about complaining at all....I'm saying "Do what you want", but don't ruin, trash, or CITO others 'fake', 'replica', or 'ghost' coins just because you want to see real coins in caches. Go ahead and leave 'em, I don't care.

 

Team_DDNight

 

I am sorry but this is considered complaining. You are complaining about those that "ruin, trash, or CITO others 'fake', 'replica', or 'ghost' coins just because you want to see real coins in caches".

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[if you want to see my coins, come to Hawaii an attend an event. Otherwise, be happy with my replicas, because I'm not paying money to have people steal my coins for their personal collections. I will, however, create a personal coin (in the near future) and put those in the wild and trade, but for regular coins (Signal, public, etc), I buy them for commemorative / significant reasons and don't want them stolen. Just my personal preference.....

Team_DDNight

 

I certainly understand not wanting people to steal your coins, but then just don't put them out. I only see two points of these "replica" coins 1) is to get someone an icon and 2) to get a traveler out without risk. I like getting icons, but for me they represent something and in this case it is being in posession of a coin and having a chance to enjoy looking at it for a bit and then putting it back in the wild. I have "discovered" a couple of coins and travelbugs in unique circumstances, but do plan to limit this to things like a Moun10Bike coin that I come across - although I rarely do more than glance at peoples collections at events, so this is farily unlikely anyway. Now, I am still on the fence on putting a replica out after the original coin was stolen, but it seems like at that point it should be maybe converted to a TB and the future finders of the replica will only get a TB icon and not the coin icon - no clue if this is feasible from a programming perspective but just an idea.

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I have not yet sent any coins out due to the amount I see that never get moved, first person to find keeps it. I think keeping the coin that you purchase and sending out a copy is a good idea. Most look for the cache for the thrill of the hunt some take nothing and leave nothing if there is a trackable be it a coin or TB in the cache well thats a bonus. I was under the understanding that we move a trackable item to help the owner achive a goal and being able to log that you helped is another bonus. just my 2 cents.. but I think I will try it with a copy..

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I have posted on this thread before but today was the first time I have found a pic of a coin rather than the coin, what an utter JOKE if you cant afford to set it free keep it dont waste peoples time and get there hopes up if you are to cheap to set a coin free. This was the first time I was really disapointed when I looked at the swag. A photo of a coin is the worst thing you could do!

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Even buying two coins and keeping one is not really a solution. If your goal (like mine) is to see where the coin will travel and let it be found and shared by other cachers - and the coin you send out is stolen right off the bat, you haven't accomplished anything except throwing away a coin. Now you still have your second coin. Do you now send it out to try to get it to travel? How many coins do you throw away before one stays out there without being stolen?

 

If the situation is as bad as you guys are describing, I guess I'll just stick to travel bugs from now on. That's a real shame because finding a coin in a cache is a lot of fun, but you just can't control other people's actions.

 

Model Citizen - Zero Discipline

Edited by ModelCitizen
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It seems to me that some of the folks that are most vehement about not wanting to find a copy might be some of the folks that are taking them. After all, how disappointing it must be for the coin theives to arrive at a cache expecting to add a coin to their collection and only find a laminated card instead......

 

Would I actually like to find a coin instead of a card...sure I would, but better a traveling card than an empty cache.

 

Personally I'll set the real thing free until I'm down to my last coin, but I plan to deface most of them in the future.

 

AR_kayaker

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Posted this in another forum, thought it applied here:

 

Having been in the game only a short time, my opinion may be worth little, but I do have one:

 

I found (in the local cache logs) a "replica" from a prominant member from Georgia. I wanted to learn about just "why" replicas may have been placed. So I hit the forums and found this thread, questions answered...

 

I see both sides of the arguement but realize several facts:

 

Many believe that replicas are just swag.

 

Coin purchasers don't want to have their coins stolen.

 

Coins are being stolen.

 

Well, with more and more folks getting into the game every day the risk of having your coins stolen only increases. The greater the number of participants the greater the odds of someone pocketing your valued, well traveled coin. Soon every coin released will meet the same fate, simply because there will be enough thieves in enough towns across the country as to make it impossoble for a coin to make it very far.

 

The answer: I don't know, perhaps coin manufacturers should offer "copies" with the original, say, made of plastic. The original would be for the owners collection, the plastic one to travel. Of course they would charge more for them, but the purpose for releasing them could then be realized. Plastic replicas (clearly marked as such) could be the only "recognized" travelers. This would keep the valued coins in the hands of owners to show-off at events, and the less-valued copies in circulation and easy to identify as "stolen".

 

As to those who really want to "find a real coin in a cache", I say, "go buy one". Seems that the risk of loosing them to thieves will only increase, until there are no coins out there to be seen at all...

 

Thanx for listenin'

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To clarify:

 

I can take both sides of this issue. Yes, I can, and so can most of you honest folk out there who consider it thusly:

 

As a "mover of really cool GeoCoins" and addicted geocacher, I can see how a photocopy made by "JoJos homemade copy service" just isn't the same as the real thing. As a "releaser of really cool GeoCoins" I can see that releasing a coin which you know will be stolen isn't very attractive either. The cost of these coins may or may not be the issue with the owners. Most of them release them not as "donations to the skeeze of the world" but to watch them travel. Watching them go 20 miles down the road and disappear is likely not what the owner intended.

 

The idea of good quality plastic copies makes sense to me. The community can enjoy the coins and the owners get to keep the collectables. Nice, uniform, quality plastic coins get distributed (not copied paper-coins) so that the "swag factor" is reduced. Anyone in poosession of a registered plastic coin which they do not own must have stolen it. There will be no Ebay sales of plastic coins. If a cacher really wants to see the real coin they will have to collect them just as everyone else does.

 

Perhaps another answer is a metal copy marked by the manufacturer as the "traveler". This would not necessarily detract from the appearance, but would mark them as "stolen" in someones collection. Both of these ideas will probably not stop the thieves entirely, but would likely slow them down considerably.

 

Perhaps there is a new market out there for me. High-quality copies? Naw, I got no time left after cachin'!

 

See, you can see both sides and find a place in the middle.... :tired:

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