What Makes A Coin Geocaching Related?

May 30, 2006

Over the past several months one of the most often voiced complaints about coins is that they don’t have anything to do with Geocaching. I really don’t understand what makes something Geocaching relevant and what doesn’t. Some examples:

- A coin with a dog on it seems to be relevant if the dog sometimes goes caching with you.

- A coin that has your zodiac sign on it is not because, well, I guess your birthday doesn’t go with you.

- A coin that is includes a caching organizations name on it and some local identifying features is caching related.

- A coin that features the Grand Canyon and has tracking information is not.

Or maybe even more basic:

- The only thing that makes a travel bug Geocaching related is because it has a tracking number from Groundspeak.

So . . . I guess my question is, to those who feel that coins should be “geocaching related”, what does that mean in your mind?

You complain about coins that are not, (in your opinion) but rather than always being negative, how about some positive feedback on this?

May 30, 2006

...So . . . I guess my question is, to those who feel that coins should be “geocaching related”, what does that mean in your mind?...

I hope I am not the main aim for this question... But here is MY answer:

(I think) The coin should meet ONE of the following criteria for a non-PC____ coin:

1. Should be about the hike/trip or method of getting to your cache/goal (Like All Season Caching & Yes, Like Mine!)

2. Should bring a geocaching or Groundspeak experience to mind when you see it (Like Torn Mailer Lost Coin or Geofood Coin)

Again, just MY opinion...

22k · May 30, 2006

It should be directly related to your geocaching 'persona'

or

about the act of geocaching.

Just my opinion. I'm open to other concepts.

8.8k · May 30, 2006

I think this is an interesting and important discussion to have in a geocaching/geocoin thread.

This can also be a volatile topic, which could possibly go downhill rapidly. So let's try and keep our posts positive and about geocoins in general. Let's not start pointing fingers at one or another coin specifically, but keep it about what you think a geocoin should be.

Also keep in mind that this may not change what others feel, and it probably won't change the coins people make. You can certainly make your feelings known here about what a geocoin means to you.

24.7k · May 30, 2006

All signature coins are related by default. Not all personal coins are signature coins though most personal coins would be related.

All coins issued by geocaching organizations are geocaching related.

If it's trackable on a geocaching site it's a geocoin even if it's unrelated and even if I think it's the stupidist idea in the entire history of stupid ideas.

If it's not trackable, and not a signature coin, and it's not an org coin then it better be related in some real way so that if I found it in box of exonumia (can't spell that) and challenge coins I'd know it was a geocoin.

4.2k · May 30, 2006

I hope I am not the main aim for this question... But here is MY answer:

No, that would be me. Leaving alone the subtle references to the Canine Coins.......

This topic has been asked and answered at least 3 times in the past few months, but I'll reiterate my thoughts:

I agree with MOST of what RK wrote:

- Personal coins are related because they represent the CACHER

- Organization/state coins are related because they represent the area that a local group CACHES IN

- Coins that represent places that don't allow caches, a place the coin maker has never been, something totally unrelated to CACHING, coins about coins, etc. are not related to caching IMO

Simply paying the tracking fee and adding "Trackable at Geocaching.com" doesn't make it geocaching related nor make it a geocoin. This has spawned many other discussions about what these should be called, but that's not the topic here.

3.1k · May 31, 2006

A personal coin like others have said is automatic, since it is about the cacher.

State and org coins are also a given.

Other coins to be true geocoins I guess would have to have something to do with the hunt or the hobby....ie GeoFood, Evil Micro, Geocacher U, etc....

Then there are some that are on the edge, they would not be around except for caching but not totally related....World Travel, Cache Run, etc....

Then the ones that have nothing to do with caching.....Civil War, Zodiac, Serenity, etc....

All of the ones I listed I bought because I like them, even the ones that have no clear tie in to caching. So I guess for me the tie in to being a geocoin is that I like and I would never have found out about it except through geocaching.

Edited May 31, 2006 by ParentsofSAM

May 31, 2006

The topic heading is “What makes a coin geocaching related?” with an implied “to you” at the end.

To me a coin is geocaching related if:

1. It has something specific to the technology needed to geocache e.g. JungleGarmin and the GPSr, NAVSTAR and the satellites.

2. It has something to do with “special” coordinates e.g. Prime Meridian.

3. It is related to how we establish which direction to go e.g. Compass Rose 2006 (OK I know we don’t usually need a compass, but the idea is there (and it’s a great coin <_< ))

4. It is produced by the geocaching organisation of a country to represent that country e.g. the Aussie coin

5. It celebrates milestones in geocaching e.g. the end of locationless caches.

6. It celebrates a special geocaching event e.g. Frozen Bone

And I’d better stop before I end up justifying every coin . . . :lol:

May 31, 2006

Valid points... however, let's make this interesting...

- Personal coins are related because they represent the CACHER

For example, my double dragon geocoin — I was born in the year of the dragon. I am chinese so the chinese landscape is a nice touch. These are things related to me (THE CACHER) So, does that make it a personal coin? And the fact that I spend more money to get a custom prefix (I chose a non-PC prefix), does that make it less of a personal coins? Based on the assumption given above, it would have been considered "geocaching related" and thus a geocoin. Is it not?

I'm sure you feel that I'm just populating stories to defend the coin design. However, the information I presented does fulfill the "requirement" for my coin to be considered as a geocoin. If you didn't think my coin was geocaching-related before, do you think it is now?

(I'm sure not)

- Organization/state coins are related because they represent the area that a local group CACHES IN

- Coins that represent places that don't allow caches, a place the coin maker has never been, something totally unrelated to CACHING, coins about coins, etc. are not related to caching IMO

So, if I create a coin that represent long beach california (let's say the design is a basic map of long beach), knowing that there isn't a Long beach geocaching group out here (I am pretty sure there isn't, but for discussion sake, there isn't), would that considered to be a geocoin? It is not representing a state or a orgnaization, but it is somewhere I have cached in before. Would that considered to be a geocoin since this is related to me as a CACHER? If I create a British columbia geocoin (let's say the design is a basic map of BC) and I have neevr been to BC, under the circumstances, that would not be considered as a geocoin (even though both coins have the same basic mapping layout). Is that right?

Furthermore, If I set a few of these coins free in the wild for others to find, that would make it a geocoin, but otherwise it wouldn't?

Make you think huh <_<

1.5k · May 31, 2006

Pretty much the same opinion here as already stated.

Personal coins and state/org. coins have already been explained well.

Any coin that has to do with the actual act or aspects of caching are related---micro coins, coins that have to do with caching with your dog, cycling to the cache etc.

Dragons, stars, fairies, zodiac signs etc don't have anything to do with caching. (Once again, these are perfectly acceptable as a personal coin as I see it). The torn mailer and the like I don't see as being relevant either, being that these coins are likely for collections and not for being put in caches and really don't relate to the caching hobby (very well related to coin collecting however). And coins representing areas where you are not allowed to cache (National parks, appalachian trail, etc) seem like a really bad idea to me, as they could confuse newbies into thinking that caching is allowed in these places.

Please note. This is just my opinion/view. I do not expect anyone to change their views because of my opinions. The statements I have made in the past and will continue to make are about the coins, not the people. If this was a closed forum with no new members coming in I would just shut up, as all the old timers (and some not so old) know my views, however I feel that new people coming in may want to know varying views and not everyone has heard it before.

4.2k · May 31, 2006

Valid points... however, let's make this interesting...

- Personal coins are related because they represent the CACHER

For example, my double dragon geocoin — I was born in the year of the dragon. I am chinese so the chinese landscape is a nice touch. These are things related to me (THE CACHER) So, does that make it a personal coin? And the fact that I spend more money to get a custom prefix (I chose a non-PC prefix), does that make it less of a personal coins? Based on the assumption given above, it would have been considered "geocaching related" and thus a geocoin. Is it not?

I'm sure you feel that I'm just populating stories to defend the coin design. However, the information I presented does fulfill the "requirement" for my coin to be considered as a geocoin. If you didn't think my coin was geocaching-related before, do you think it is now?

(I'm sure not)

- Organization/state coins are related because they represent the area that a local group CACHES IN

- Coins that represent places that don't allow caches, a place the coin maker has never been, something totally unrelated to CACHING, coins about coins, etc. are not related to caching IMO

So, if I create a coin that represent long beach california (let's say the design is a basic map of long beach), knowing that there isn't a Long beach geocaching group out here (I am pretty sure there isn't, but for discussion sake, there isn't), would that considered to be a geocoin? It is not representing a state or a orgnaization, but it is somewhere I have cached in before. Would that considered to be a geocoin since this is related to me as a CACHER? If I create a British columbia geocoin (let's say the design is a basic map of BC) and I have neevr been to BC, under the circumstances, that would not be considered as a geocoin (even though both coins have the same basic mapping layout). Is that right?

Furthermore, If I set a few of these coins free in the wild for others to find, that would make it a geocoin, but otherwise it wouldn't?

Make you think huh

Sure, I'll answer:

1) For the personal coin - the trackability is a moot point IMO and doesn't add to/retract from something being a Geocoin. When I saw the coin, it didn't have your name on it, so I didn't consider it a personal coin. I saw a "Chinese/Dragon coin" with no personal mention other than you were selling it.

2) Designing a coin for an area because there aren't others there to do it doesn't neccessarily make it a geocoin either. Designing coins for areas just to claim that it's "legit" opens a whole other can of worms about who SHOULD (not COULD) make coins representing areas.

3) I believe GEOcoins should be found in GEOCACHES. Sure, some can be sold, traded, kept but you should be able to find them IN caches. (Selling personal coins is another tangent I won't go off on)

All valid questions. I'll agree though that it's not always black and white. It's like the Supreme Court's definiton of pornography - "I'll know it when I see it" :lol:

And lest anybody new here think otherwise - I AM into geocoins. I have quite a collection and love to collect coins that I think are caching related.

22k · May 31, 2006

I think this is an interesting and important discussion to have in a geocaching/geocoin thread.

This can also be a volatile topic, which could possibly go downhill rapidly. So let's try and keep our posts positive and about geocoins in general. Let's not start pointing fingers at one or another coin specifically, but keep it about what you think a geocoin should be.

Also keep in mind that this may not change what others feel, and it probably won't change the coins people make. You can certainly make your feelings known here about what a geocoin means to you.

Sorry. To clarify, my 'should be' was more of a laying on my back looking at the clouds kinda 'should be'. Not a Goose-stepping 'Should Be'.

2.3k · May 31, 2006

My 0.02: if the coin has the cacher name on the coin if it is price as if it is sold for very small profit, if the person is in fact a geocacher and has found some caches. People that find a very few caches then have a coin for sale after caching for one month seem odd to me, but thats just my opion, everybody see things different thats why I dont understand all the fuss about the coins I personally dont like commerical coins and will not buy (most of the time) but I see no reason why they can be sold anything that helps coins get back into caches.

I think it would be impossible to tell what makes a geocoin realated to geocahcing as everybody see's a different view.