+Hula Bum Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 There's been ongoing discussions in the geocoin forum about coins going missing at an alarming rate, so I was curious what the rate is here. Feel free to cut and paste the stats from above so we can get a running log of sorts. We've released 6 TB's and 3 are missing. Quote Link to comment
+q22q17 Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Oh my goodness, I've never figured out the ratio. Do you mean those that are verified as lost, or those TB's that seem to sit for 6 months or longer, or what? Quote Link to comment
+Hula Bum Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 Those that have been MIA for at least 6 months, if it turns up you can always adjust your numbers! Quote Link to comment
Aushiker Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 (edited) G'day My Travel Bug's status is shown at http://aushiker.com/geocaching.htm#tavel_bug but to summarise: 13 Released 3 Missing - One stolen, now re-released as a copy, one stolen from a cache, status unkown and one lost in a bushfire IIRC 1 enroute to South Africa and should have arrived by now .... status unclear. 0.23% lost rate. Regards Andrew Edited October 2, 2006 by Aushiker Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 11 released (2 under my kids accounts) 1 lost, but soon to be re-released. hmmm re-released. I never hear much complaint about a re-released TB. Quote Link to comment
+Rich the Bushwhacker Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Bugs 43 Released over the past three years. 13 Are Missing or haven't moved over the past 6 months. Coins 6 GeoCoins of Various types Released 2 Missing. Quote Link to comment
+Hula Bum Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 Interesting so far, seems the rates are pretty comprable right now. Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Interesting so far, seems the rates are pretty comprable right now. And the re-release stats? Quote Link to comment
+Trucker Lee Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 No TBs released, none lost. Hey!! I'm batting 100% right now. But that will change, I ordered my first tags last night. Quote Link to comment
+Team_Talisman Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 (edited) 18 trackables and 0 1 loss. A couple of them are grab only(pass by hand to another cacher), so those sometimes move slow.. Edited cause I rechecked. Edited October 2, 2006 by Team_Talisman Quote Link to comment
+kingsting Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Let's see.. I have one that disappeared shortly after it's release. (A nice Johnny Lightning die-cast.) Probably in some 40 year old "kid's" toy box now. I have one that's stalled for over a year. The folks that have it told me they would get it moving again. I have two that are moving but slowly. One is designed to fit in micros and still doesn't do much. My large bug (A 5 ft. tall airplane propeller) is doing well and has been to several events this year. I guess creative, large bugs are the way to go if you don't want them to go missing. Quote Link to comment
+welch Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Cool, a reason to check up on my TBs gc.com TBs, 13 released 6 missing from caches or events, plus one that a persons been holding for more 6 months 7 still around, or haven't been missing for 6+ months (6/13=46%) gc.com trackable coins, 12 released 5 missing, plus one that I sent to someone to take overseas, they've had it for years... the annoying part is they haven't actually logged any movement on it in about a year. I don't know if I should call this one MIA what? That leaves 6, four of which were sent to England to be release but aren't actually out yet (Ie haven't disappeared yet). Leaving two that are either actually traveling, or just having been gone 6+ yet. (5/12=42%) So is like 40-50% missing rate common, or am I just unlucky with my small samples?? Quote Link to comment
+Lemon Fresh Dog Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 178 Travel Bugs 64 are "keeper" coins I bought 28 are "Feeps" and new 86 are Travellers that "should" be travelling 34 of the 86 are verified as "missing" Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 178 Travel Bugs 64 are "keeper" coins I bought 28 are "Feeps" and new 86 are Travellers that "should" be travelling 34 of the 86 are verified as "missing" I think we're talking strictly TB's, no coins. Quote Link to comment
+worldtraveler Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 50%. 10 released, 5 stolen. Quote Link to comment
+Lemon Fresh Dog Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 178 Travel Bugs 64 are "keeper" coins I bought 28 are "Feeps" and new 86 are Travellers that "should" be travelling 34 of the 86 are verified as "missing" I think we're talking strictly TB's, no coins. Oh.... I lumped them all together. Quote Link to comment
+Harry Dolphin Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Five travel bugs released. One obviously lost. (I sent a couple of gentle reminders. The holder 'put it in a cache', but it was never seen since. I think she lost it, and 'put' it in a cache to get me off her back.) One not moved since July. But cacher still active. Okay, the plastic pink flamingo (that my sister is sending me in return for the Furby I sent her) seems to present some problems. People don't know what to do with a TB that large. It's still stuck in Maine. Maybe, it will travel from event to event, and finally make it to me? The other two are still moving. One has 4600 miles, and made it to Michigan. (Didn't know tht Michigan is 4600 miles from New Jersey?!?) Quote Link to comment
+Colorado Cacher Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Roughly 15 out, 5 missing. Quote Link to comment
+Super_Nate Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 One released travel bug.......one went missing I think that makes for a 100% loss rate. I have another travel bug that I am going to release in about a week, and we shall see if that loss rate cuts in half. Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Who owns the most travel bug Tags 673 released and 46 in unknown. Factor in the ease of re-release and angst for finding a copy TB vs a copy coin. I'm willing to enter in a -.001 drop for not getting a new coin icon vs helping a TB towards it's goal. Wait, you do get the coin icon, enter in -.00000000001 for not getting to hold a coin in your hand vs helping a TB. What's the math on that? Quote Link to comment
+gsmX2 Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 Two bugs. One made its goal of coming back to me from Michigan. Has been re-released and will go to Massachusettes to head back to California. The other "Geode-caching" was picked up and never made it to another cache. 2 released. 1 lost 50% Quote Link to comment
+charliewhiskey Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 42 bugs total, 4 missing. I was quite bothered when two of my early bugs went out of circulation. One was kept by a finder, and the other was put by its first finder in a 5-star-terrain cache that is inaccessible for 7 months of the year. I waited nine months without anyone visiting the cache, and then sent out a rescue request. (Which, thankfully, was successful. ) My solution was to send out a BUNCH more bugs, so now I'm little bothered if one goes AWOL. Quote Link to comment
+jcar Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 I have not done a check for awhile. It is interesting a couple have been marked as missing and no communication from the person who did it, would not common courtesy say to at least post a note to the bug page? 24 Travel Bugs released. 10 missing (6 outright, 4 still in hands of cachers for over six months, 2 for over a year. ) 28 Coins released. 8 missing. (7 outright, 1 still in hands of a cacher for over six months.) But most of my coins that I have released have been in the last nine months, with only a few before that. My first bug was released over two years ago. Quote Link to comment
+v-hunter Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 6 released and still moving so far. Quote Link to comment
+mb3 Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 One released travel bug.......one went missing I think that makes for a 100% loss rate. I have another travel bug that I am going to release in about a week, and we shall see if that loss rate cuts in half. I also have released one and lost one. Quote Link to comment
+welch Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 Too bad there isn't any easy way (findstats??) to figure this out as a function of time. Of course re-released ones will screw things up a little, but How many are missing after 6 months vs 1 year vs 2 year, etc Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted October 8, 2006 Share Posted October 8, 2006 Too bad there isn't any easy way (findstats??) to figure this out as a function of time. Of course re-released ones will screw things up a little, but How many are missing after 6 months vs 1 year vs 2 year, etc Well sitting in a cache for six months doesn't mean it's gone, so what criteria do you use? The ones put out to unknown? Not according to the TB graveyard fans. Bottom line, you can replace a travel bug. Quote Link to comment
+welch Posted October 8, 2006 Share Posted October 8, 2006 (edited) Too bad there isn't any easy way (findstats??) to figure this out as a function of time. Of course re-released ones will screw things up a little, but How many are missing after 6 months vs 1 year vs 2 year, etc Well sitting in a cache for six months doesn't mean it's gone, so what criteria do you use? The ones put out to unknown? Not according to the TB graveyard fans. Bottom line, you can replace a travel bug. I'd say look at either time since last movement / time spent at current location. Though really I don't really think it would matter, if were something available as find stats it would probably be disected and reported in about ten different ways. Much easier than looking threw multiple pages and manually putting each into a category. edit: Yes a TB can be replaced, I am not saying otherwise. If people want to replace their travelers they should be able to. I just wonder about some these percentages some people have, I think they could be effected by the constent influx of new TB. If half of someone TBs were released a week ago, they haven't had much chance to get lost yet, but are still counting as 'not lost' and changing the total percentage. Where as if it were broken down by the amount of time traveling vs. percent lose, or some other ways it may be different percents. Re-released would affect the numbers too, but thats ok, this isn't NASA isn't all that important just something interesting to look at. Of course this is all moot because there is no PQ for your TB data, and there is no FindStats type thing for the PQ that don't exist. Edited October 8, 2006 by welch Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted October 8, 2006 Share Posted October 8, 2006 Too bad there isn't any easy way (findstats??) to figure this out as a function of time. Of course re-released ones will screw things up a little, but How many are missing after 6 months vs 1 year vs 2 year, etc Well sitting in a cache for six months doesn't mean it's gone, so what criteria do you use? The ones put out to unknown? Not according to the TB graveyard fans. Bottom line, you can replace a travel bug. I'd say look at either time since last movement / time spent at current location. Though really I don't really think it would matter, if were something available as find stats it would probably be disected and reported in about ten different ways. Much easier than looking threw multiple pages and manually putting each into a category. edit: Yes a TB can be replaced, I am not saying otherwise. If people want to replace their travelers they should be able to. I just wonder about some these percentages some people have, I think they could be effected by the constent influx of new TB. If half of someone TBs were released a week ago, they haven't had much chance to get lost yet, but are still counting as 'not lost' and changing the total percentage. Where as if it were broken down by the amount of time traveling vs. percent lose, or some other ways it may be different percents. Re-released would affect the numbers too, but thats ok, this isn't NASA isn't all that important just something interesting to look at. Of course this is all moot because there is no PQ for your TB data, and there is no FindStats type thing for the PQ that don't exist. I hear ya, I'm just saying that (concerning the OP) that both Tbs and coins may have the same disappearance rate but the end results are pretty different when comparing the two. People are less likely to replace a lost coin and people don't really like finding a copied coin (usually because it's not even a coin). Lose a TB and you just rummage around the toy box and slap on another tag and away it goes. So I'm not sure what goods stats against a Tb would do since really they aren't lost forever. When people post that that they won't release any more geocoins because they go missing so quickly, I say good for them! That is exactly what they should be thinking. Everybody needs the mindset that eventually your traveler WILL go missing and if you aren’t willing to lose it, don’t release it. If you want to play the traveler game you should attempt to release something that will last as long as possible, and sorry, that ain’t a coin. I wish they could last out there, but it would be pretty unrealistic to think they will just because you want them to. (The collective you, not you specifically Welch. I know you know all this.) If you don’t want your coin lost or stolen there is only one solution, don’t put it out there. If you want to release one, do everything you can to identify it for what it is. But if you get tired of having them go missing then stop releasing them and switch to something that isn’t so painful to lose and easier to replace. Swap your pokemon cards; excuse me, your coin icons via another method. Believe it or not, there are other methods than Events to pass around a geocoin and you don't have to leave it in a cache open to anonymous retrieval. Quote Link to comment
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