Should I Activate My Coins Or Not?

[+4 Walls]

Hi I am brand new to collecting Geocoins and ordered my first 2 the other day. (Yellow Stone and Ellis Island standard).

 

My question is should I activate them if I decide to sell or trade them in the future how does that affect the value?

 

Thanks

 

Dan

[+Kealia]

Totally up to you.

 

For trades later on it's best to not activate them - but you can always adopt out the coin later if needed.

[+ctgreybeard]

My question is should I activate them if I decide to sell or trade them in the future how does that affect the value?

Good question, Dan. I have just started collecting coins and I wonder the same thing. So far I have ordered two of each coin, I plan on/have activating one and keeping the other. But I did order rather more of a set of micro coins that I plan on activating most and setting them loose.

 

The problem seems to be that coins, activated or not, have a higher incidence of going missing. I mean, who wants to keep some McToy with a travel bug attached but a cool coin is "capture" material! I think I understand the dynamics but I'm not sure what to do about it.

 

Bill W

[+islander1988]

You'll find a few viewpoints in this thread.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=127447

 

If you plan to trade/sell a coin, you will get more if it's unactivated since there isn't the complication of shifting ownership.

[+SLO Trekker]

I am only activating the coins I actually circulate as travel bugs. Call me silly, but I like the idea that the icons on my trackables page mean something. The only icons under my "Found" column are coins that I have actually encountered in a cache. None of them are my own. Likewise, the only icons in my "Owned" column are from coins that are actually out in the field. I have others that are unactivated which I collect as works of art you might say.

[+graylling]

Personally I prefer to keep my coins unactivated... And it is just a personal preference. I am not into the icon thing and I like to have the flexibility of being able to activate them or not when I want to and not at some later date, regret having done it. An unactivated coin will definitely be easier to trade too........

[+CachingCoins]

I am only activating the coins I actually circulate as travel bugs. Call me silly, but I like the idea that the icons on my trackables page mean something. The only icons under my "Found" column are coins that I have actually encountered in a cache. None of them are my own. Likewise, the only icons in my "Owned" column are from coins that are actually out in the field. I have others that are unactivated which I collect as works of art you might say.

 

Ditto

Edited April 25, 2006 by CachingCoins

[+JMBIndy]

Personally I prefer to keep my coins unactivated... And it is just a personal preference. I am not into the icon thing and I like to have the flexibility of being able to activate them or not when I want to and not at some later date, regret having done it. An unactivated coin will definitely be easier to trade too........

 

Well said. I've wobbled on the idea of activating the coins I will definitely keep, but then I realize that the day may come where I need to sell the collection. At that point it seems it would be a headache to handle to change-over to the new owner.

 

"To activate or not to activate, that's a difficult question."

[Not So Lost Puppies]

I am only activating the coins I actually circulate as travel bugs. Call me silly, but I like the idea that the icons on my trackables page mean something. The only icons under my "Found" column are coins that I have actually encountered in a cache. None of them are my own. Likewise, the only icons in my "Owned" column are from coins that are actually out in the field. I have others that are unactivated which I collect as works of art you might say.

 

I feel the same way...

Though we have exceptions:

Our Volunteer mileage tracker, which we also let the host of events we attend log. I may switch to just host logging though. the cache drop/pickups are a hassle when the site is slow.

Midnights Travels TB: logs all the caches that our geopup midnight was along for the hunt.

(cachers that meet her can also log her)

[+Renegade Knight]

You only need to activate them if you want to track them or like the Icons in your profile. Beyond that it's work and beyond that they are worth more unactivated.