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Traveling coins missing?


CoinsAndPins

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I love to find coins in caches, and I love putting them in caches. However, some coins will come up missing when put in caches. This should not discourage you from releasing them. At the time of this writing I have put about 180 coins into caches. I met another cacher who has about 500 coins traveling. When a coin turns up missing I know the first feelings that come about are you have been robbed or taken advantage of. I think some cachers get very protective of their coins to the point they feel that if one comes up missing then it is definitely stolen instead of thinking about other circumstances that come up. So, let’s look into the possible reasons why they are gone and what can be done to counteract it.

 

A good expectation is a 10% missing rate. Some will experience more and some will experience less. I have experienced about an 8% missing rate and could climb to 12% or 15% in the next year. Most of that 8% is due to a new cacher that on her first day went out with cacher friends that were showing her the ropes and she found the coins. She emailed me later and asked how to log them. I explained the process to her and never heard back. I think she quit caching after that; so the coins are probably sitting in her house somewhere or thrown out. This kind of thing is expected to happen since some people get really excited about caching on their first day, and then later realize the game is not for them or they just don’t have the time to play.

 

I have also had coins come up missing due to kids taking them from caches and keeping them, not knowing they are trackable. It is one of those situations where the parents are busy signing the log and handling their caching administration and not paying attention to what items the kids are trading with (normal practice and not really an issue). Luckily a few parents have caught it in time and kept the coins moving. I have also had some military people pick up coins with the intention of moving them, but they were sent on a deployment before they could place them; so those will be in limbo for a few months to over a year. This also happens with civilian jobs that move people on short notice.

 

Some people find the coins, want to do something with them, but then life’s circumstances take over that prevent them from getting around to it. It’s not that they want to keep the coin, but there are sometimes more important things to tend to than moving coins.

 

Other times there are people that loose the coins. They may have pulled it from a cache, put it somewhere, and then when trying to log it they can’t find it. They may be too embarrassed to tell the owner.

 

Other coins come up missing due to cache container problems such as:

1. Missing cache. Let’s face it, we have all encountered many caches that are not taken care of by the cache owner. A problem comes up with a cache after your visit and the owner doesn’t even know about the problem for months (depending on how often it is visited by other cachers).

2. Water in the cache. A cache that gets soaked and another cacher or the owner just throws away everything inside without going through the contents. I can’t blame them with how trashed the insides of some caches get when wet.

3. Cache tips over. Sometimes we all get a little clumsy and accidentally tip the container. The contents go everywhere including under leaves, branches, in holes, etc. If it is while opening the cache, then the person probably didn’t know the coin was in it and some of those items may get lost and never seen again, even with a thorough search.

4. And many more scenarios.

 

All those kinds of situations I can understand and have no problem with. I think only one of my coins has been stolen that I can speculate for sure, but the others are problems due to some kind of caching mistake, unexpected circumstance, or muggle. That is why I don't deface them; While there are a couple of thieves, I feel most cachers will do the right thing and move coins if they know what it is for and have the time. There are over 1 million cachers in the world, so a large percentage of them (especially new ones) will have no idea what geocoins are.

 

How to compensate:

Put out more coins!!! With so many people playing the game, and with so many caches around the entire world, things are bound to happen. Don’t fret over a missing or stolen coin, just put more out. I consider it a numbers game: the more you have traveling, the more that will get around to their goals and not end up missing. Placing 5 coins into the wild could easily all come up missing; place 50 coins out there and the remaining 45 coins could end up traveling to hundreds of caches (90%). Even if you have a 20% loss, you will still have coins traveling. After all, traveling is what trackable geocoins are for.

 

I usually give an inactive coin 4 to 6 months before I archive it; then hopefully it will turn up again some day. I probably should give them more time. There are times when people need to be given a little time before they are emailed about the status of the coin. A little time could mean several months. Keep in mind, there are many cachers that don’t cache very often and they have the right to take long breaks. They also have the right to take care of life before taking care of a coin.

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A good expectation is a 10% missing rate. Some will experience more and some will experience less. I have experienced about an 8% missing rate and could climb to 12% or 15% in the next year.

 

How to compensate:

Put out more coins!!!

 

hmmm. interesting solution.

 

Bottom line, can you replace lost coins?

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How to compensate:

Put out more coins!!! With so many people playing the game, and with so many caches around the entire world, things are bound to happen. Don’t fret over a missing or stolen coin, just put more out.

 

And that's the way I feel! Fight fire with fire. :blink: I have released over 400 & only 2 have been "stolen". I have had some turn up "missing" for the reasons stated above. Of those several have turned back up. I tag the coins. I think it helps keep them from being stolen, but it also explains to a newbie what it is & what to do with it. It's not easy for someone who has never before found a coin to know what to do with it! :blink:

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hmmm. interesting solution.

 

Bottom line, can you replace lost coins?

 

No need to replace a lost or stolen coin; just put out another in it's place and start over. Loosing a coin is the risk taken when leaving them in the middle of the woods, a guard rail, etc. Lost or not, geocoins serve their purpose in caches instead of in collections.

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A geocoin fairy might replace it for you ;) but then again do you know how hard it is to adopt away a coin to someone whose lost one? even a gold compass rose :D 4 offers > one adoption from my "geocoin orphanage" :D

 

ANyway I have been doing some sleuthing as I think teh lack of travel docs and the blessed convoluted mixup of TB and coin numbers is largely to blame not thieves.

Have turned up these two coins:

USA coin see passport I made for it here - two noobs had swapped coins in a cache and didn't know how to log. Bumped it out of the bottom of the caching bag and back into the stream.

Now if I can help walter to log and release that mojo coin properly all will be rosy for mojo owner.

moose I lost contact with gojimdandy as my emails to comcast are being blocked :D but hope to get through on GC and get them a similar little coin passport tonight via the web. It has proper logging instructions missing from teh website. elchrich speaks german and sent me his moose coins with no docs at all! I made some little inserts before i sent them out into teh void and they seem to be just fine and achieving their goals. -

 

So if every experienced coiny looked for one newbies lost coin I reckon we'd get several hundred back in circ. for price of a few emails.

C'mon guys - go coin sluething while the weather's bad - it'll stop you spending so much money :D

Edited by forthferalz
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hmmm. interesting solution.

 

Bottom line, can you replace lost coins?

 

No need to replace a lost or stolen coin; just put out another in it's place and start over. Loosing a coin is the risk taken when leaving them in the middle of the woods, a guard rail, etc. Lost or not, geocoins serve their purpose in caches instead of in collections.

 

I can except that.

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To me, coins represent part of what I call "the quality caching experience". Whenever I place a cache or trade into a cache - I like to think the next cacher will be a child or someone new or someone nice. So I try to leave/trade something that I would like to find - not some old, broken item or convention toy.

 

I also like travellers. It is fun to see who grabs the traveller and where it goes.

 

Coins really fit the bill on both counts. Of course, it's important to ensure that the item is described as one or the other (trade or travel).

 

Unfortunately, my loss rate on coins is very, very high (released many dozens, lost several dozens - ussually after only a few "hops").

 

Of course, I still release them -- I also try to leave other items as well. Pins, patches, toys (Polly Pockets and Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars).

 

Anything that is rare, high-quality, and attractive is going to be a target for those that are inflicted with greed. So I pretty much expect my coins to be gone after only a brief journey.

Edited by Lemon Fresh Dog
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I love to find coins in caches, and I love putting them in caches. However, some coins will come up missing when put in caches. This should not discourage you from releasing them. At the time of this writing I have put about 180 coins into caches. I met another cacher who has about 500 coins traveling. When a coin turns up missing I know the first feelings that come about are you have been robbed or taken advantage of. I think some cachers get very protective of their coins to the point they feel that if one comes up missing then it is definitely stolen instead of thinking about other circumstances that come up. So, let’s look into the possible reasons why they are gone and what can be done to counteract it.

 

A good expectation is a 10% missing rate. Some will experience more and some will experience less. I have experienced about an 8% missing rate and could climb to 12% or 15% in the next year. Most of that 8% is due to a new cacher that on her first day went out with cacher friends that were showing her the ropes and she found the coins. She emailed me later and asked how to log them. I explained the process to her and never heard back. I think she quit caching after that; so the coins are probably sitting in her house somewhere or thrown out. This kind of thing is expected to happen since some people get really excited about caching on their first day, and then later realize the game is not for them or they just don’t have the time to play.

 

I have also had coins come up missing due to kids taking them from caches and keeping them, not knowing they are trackable. It is one of those situations where the parents are busy signing the log and handling their caching administration and not paying attention to what items the kids are trading with (normal practice and not really an issue). Luckily a few parents have caught it in time and kept the coins moving. I have also had some military people pick up coins with the intention of moving them, but they were sent on a deployment before they could place them; so those will be in limbo for a few months to over a year. This also happens with civilian jobs that move people on short notice.

 

Some people find the coins, want to do something with them, but then life’s circumstances take over that prevent them from getting around to it. It’s not that they want to keep the coin, but there are sometimes more important things to tend to than moving coins.

 

Other times there are people that loose the coins. They may have pulled it from a cache, put it somewhere, and then when trying to log it they can’t find it. They may be too embarrassed to tell the owner.

 

Other coins come up missing due to cache container problems such as:

1. Missing cache. Let’s face it, we have all encountered many caches that are not taken care of by the cache owner. A problem comes up with a cache after your visit and the owner doesn’t even know about the problem for months (depending on how often it is visited by other cachers).

2. Water in the cache. A cache that gets soaked and another cacher or the owner just throws away everything inside without going through the contents. I can’t blame them with how trashed the insides of some caches get when wet.

3. Cache tips over. Sometimes we all get a little clumsy and accidentally tip the container. The contents go everywhere including under leaves, branches, in holes, etc. If it is while opening the cache, then the person probably didn’t know the coin was in it and some of those items may get lost and never seen again, even with a thorough search.

4. And many more scenarios.

 

All those kinds of situations I can understand and have no problem with. I think only one of my coins has been stolen that I can speculate for sure, but the others are problems due to some kind of caching mistake, unexpected circumstance, or muggle. That is why I don't deface them; While there are a couple of thieves, I feel most cachers will do the right thing and move coins if they know what it is for and have the time. There are over 1 million cachers in the world, so a large percentage of them (especially new ones) will have no idea what geocoins are.

 

How to compensate:

Put out more coins!!! With so many people playing the game, and with so many caches around the entire world, things are bound to happen. Don’t fret over a missing or stolen coin, just put more out. I consider it a numbers game: the more you have traveling, the more that will get around to their goals and not end up missing. Placing 5 coins into the wild could easily all come up missing; place 50 coins out there and the remaining 45 coins could end up traveling to hundreds of caches (90%). Even if you have a 20% loss, you will still have coins traveling. After all, traveling is what trackable geocoins are for.

 

I usually give an inactive coin 4 to 6 months before I archive it; then hopefully it will turn up again some day. I probably should give them more time. There are times when people need to be given a little time before they are emailed about the status of the coin. A little time could mean several months. Keep in mind, there are many cachers that don’t cache very often and they have the right to take long breaks. They also have the right to take care of life before taking care of a coin.

 

I know I shouldn't be upset about this but I only owned one geocoin (that was a gift from my son) I didn't release it for quite some time for fear of theft. I finally did, and guess what? It was stolen from the first cache I put it in...logged 0 miles. I even printed out an information sheet and put it and the coin in a small baggy so whoever took it would know what it was and what to do with it. Obviously since I released it I didn't expect to see it again , but was interested in seeing where all it might go.

 

Whoever took it did not sign the log and left everything else intact ,including some travel bugs, so I'm pretty sure of the intent. Hopefully I'm wrong and it will start traveling someday. But I'm pretty new to geocaching, and it has left a rather bitter taste in my mouth. For sure I won't put anything except junk in caches from now on!

 

BTW I have a travel bug who a cacher has had for two months..he marked it as discovered yet says he took it (and it's gone) He won't answer my email asking about it so I'm pretty sure I can consider that one gone too. Those kinds make me almost as angry as out and out theives! Other than all that I love my new hobby! LOL :P

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Just did my numbers.

 

200 Trackable items

81 are in my hands (collection)

2 are MISSING (washed away, etc)

41 are STOLEN

 

so... of the 119 that are travelling, I've lost 43. I've also sent out about 12 e-mails to folks that have held ones for longer than 60 days - so potentially this is 55/119.

 

This is pretty poor, but what concerns me more are the new ones I place that go right away - it's wierd. The ones in Europe and Austrailia seem to be the best movers. However, I did lose a couple in Europe recently - which is rarer.

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Yes - it's pretty depressing if we all keep looking at these stats we will make ourselves miserable! I've got one MIA. I think as travellers these things have a shelf life of what a year at best?

 

On the other hand a friend found a fairy coin - as cache prizes they are fantastic fun....... so as CP is doing do your bit to spread a few around and make someone's day - it will get back to you.

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Lemon Fresh:

Do you drill your coins and attach tags? I am trying to get reports and see how much of a difference this makes.

 

Here's what I did to one of the missing coins.

 

Took a pair of plyers and held onto the bottom of the coins.

Took a hammer and hit the other end over a cement step.

Result: A coin that was bent at a 90 degree angle in the middle.

 

Still stolen. :tired:

 

Overall - I don't find the missing coins all that depressing. It's annoying. I still put coins in caches - in fact, I will often sneak back to a cache I have already done and drop a coin into it - no note, no log, no activation -- this means no icon and no "followers" running out to grab it. I figure that this will really make for a pleasant surprise for someone - as it will be unexpected!

 

I still think coins are one of the most fun items to place in a cache! In fact, if you check into it, you'll find that a plain, non-trackable coin is very cost effective to produce. Often less than $4 each depending on how many you get made!

 

As a traveller?.....well....I'm a little jaded on using them for that. I still do, but I often realize I am just feeding the greed. If I do activate the coin, I always make sure to ensure it is in a non-eBay format (bent, sratched, etc)

 

Oh - I also use the prefix's

 

COIN: if it's for my collection (I bought or traded for it legit)

STOLEN: if it is taken from a cache or not seen/logged in 90 days

MISSING: if the cache is muggled, washed away etc

 

This means I can sort my coins by name and quickly see where I stand. Each month, I look at all the coins that have not been logged/moved in 60 days or greater. E-mail holders, visit cache pages to read more recent logs and then mark the coin accordingly.

 

This is probably why my stats are pretty accurate.

Edited by Lemon Fresh Dog
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I have a couple of coins, but have not activated them, and I doubt I put them in a cache, at least not right now. I do have a coin cache that I have been dropping geocoins in, it started out as a regular cache, but now it is a members only cache, not sure if that will keep the geocoins from getting "misplaced" or not but thought it was worth a try. Any coin I find in a cache will make its way back to that cache so hopefully it will be safe.

 

Just my .02

Cya on the trails,

Rusty

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