Geocoins And Tokens? Proper Etiquette

[+ledaily]

I've spent a lot of time on the boards and can't find a thread that answers my questions. I'm sure there must be one, but I'm tired of looking so I'll just ask. What is the proper etiquette for collecting geocoins, tokens, sig items? If I take one, should I replace it with a similar item? Or is it okay to replace it with some other decent swag? I want to start collecting them, but don't have one of my own yet so I wondered about the etiquette.

[+Team Neos]

It depends. Some of these are meant to continue traveling on, and others are there for you to keep if you like.

 

I'll start with the collectibles>

A lot of people make tokens (wooden coins for instance) that are their signature item. These are often collected, and very rarely trackable. That means you can pick it up if you like.

 

The same can be said for other sig items (business cards, novelty flashlights, key tags, biners etc with players names/avatars on them). They are often collected, and almost never trackable.

 

Some folks will say if you take these out of the cache, you aren't really trading swag. I agree it's hard to judge what someone'e sig card is worth, however, when we collect sig items from a cache, I usually put some goodies in anyway. Especially if the sig items are very nice and obviously "worth something" (some people have done true art work--glass beads, miniature art work etc). The main objective is not to leave the geocache less valauable than it was when you found it.

 

If the object is meant for the cache owner only, folks usually put it in a ziplock bag along with a note asking for it to be left for the cache owner.

 

Some geocoins can be collected as sig items, but most are "trackables" --meant to keep on traveling. They have a tracking number on them so you can log the fact that you found it in the cache--and tell which cache you drop it off in again too. There are also travel bug (TBs) that work the same way. Since you didn't ask about them, I am going to presume you already knew about them. The geocoins are logged in the same way the TBs are and will show up on the cache page under the trackables. Please keep trackables moving along.

 

Once in a great while someone leaves a coin in a cache that hasn't been entered into the tracking system. They will usually indicate in the logs (online or paper) that they have left behind an unactivated coin. These are a gift to the person who finds them, and can either be activated and moved along, or collected.

 

Starting your own coin collection is best done (unfortunately) by minting your own coin for trading, or buying multiples of popular coins to trade. Finding unactivated coins in caches is becoming a rare event--although recently I have noticed a trend toward more people creating coins that they don't intend to be trackable just so they can go back to dropping them off in caches to be collected as sig items.

Sig items are much easier to collect. Figuring out what your sig item will be it tough.

 

More about coins here

Edited July 31, 2006 by Team Neos

[+briansnat]

What is the proper etiquette for collecting geocoins, tokens, sig items?

 

In short, if the geocoins are activated, trackable coins, or otherwise have instructions included with them, they shouldn't be collected. They should be moved from cache to cache like a travel bug. Non trackable, or non activated trackable coins are fair game. You can do what you like with them. Sig items and tokens are usually collectible.

[+baloo&bd]

In short, if the geocoins are activated, trackable coins, or otherwise have instructions included with them, they shouldn't be collected. They should be moved from cache to cache like a travel bug. Non trackable, or non activated trackable coins are fair game. You can do what you like with them. Sig items and tokens are usually collectible.

 

And above all, trackable GeoCoins and TB's are NOT TRADE ITEMS. They are meant to move. no trade necessary.

[+Bill & Tammy]

This is most likely crossing over to the coin forum but I think it has a place here because I am sure many new cachers probably don't wander into the coin dedicated forum. Briansat is right about coin trackables of course, they don't belong to you and are the property of the coin registrant. There seems to be a growing number of coins available in caches lately probably due to their growing popularity and also those generated for groups and events. I can understand the confusion a new cacher has about these because of the number of coins I have found lately I can think of only one that had a "bug sheet" included explaining to the finder the purpose and what is to be done with the coin trackable.

 

I strongly encourage those of you who wish to place coins into the general caching population to please include some sort of stash sheet with the coin if you wish to see them have some longevity.

 

I think we have a way to go in making new cachers aware of the accepted practices on trackables as evidenced by recent comments in the forums.

[+ledaily]

Thanks so much for all your helpful advice. I already knew about TB's (in fact, I found my first one two days ago and took it to a new home today!) but wasn't sure about the coins and tokens. Thanks again!