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First To Find goodies

sealflipperpie
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briansnat

+briansnat

Posted
Posted

I've placed about 175 caches and have only left FTF prizes in a few. They included geocaching.com hats, a pair of binoculars, a Petzel head lamp and a nylon hiking pants (for the FTF with a 34" waist and 32" inseam). Oddly enough the FTF prize rarely has been taken by the FTF.

 

Some other nice things I've left that really weren't meant to be FTF prizes but might make a good one are unactivated TBs, collectible coins like Indian head pennies, buffalo nickels (the last cache I placed had a 1934 Liberty half dollar) and silver certificates.

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Bad_CRC

+Bad_CRC

Posted
Posted (edited)

I love the idea of unactivated travel bugs.

 

we got a FTF that had 2 unactivated TBs in it as a prize. It was PERFECT, since we were fairly new to caching, and probably wouldn't have released travelbugs without that.

 

I think they are a bit better than geocoins (though those would be nice too) because they are a lot more interactive, you decide the mission and what to attach, etc.

 

they are fun for the giver as well, since you get to watch what they do with them, and you can track them just like you released the TBs yourself.

Edited by Bad_CRC
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muttz

muttz

Posted
Posted

I want an unactivated TB, so hurry up and put in a cache real close to my house. Then tell me where it's at before it is listed. :anitongue:

A really cool FTF for me would be a laptop computer.

Seriously, the geocoins and TB's would be real cool. I've never had a geocoin. ;)

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muttz

muttz

Posted
Posted

. . . In our area the same couple of cachers get about 90% of the FTFs. . .

 

Wow. Now maybe we should start a thread asking, "Anyone Making A Living With FTF's?" I never thought of that. Makes sense though. Probably wouldn't be a bunch of hardcore cachers in most geographical regions. I've seen some nice FTF prizes mentioned too, so if the same people are getting them all of the time that would be like financing their hobby to a degree. It isn't their fault they are the only ones to usually get the FTF prizes, but I really can see how that would be annoying to those who put out the prizes.

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ePeterso2

+ePeterso2

Posted
Posted

The only time I have left an FTF "Prize" it was a fully stocked small cache.

In our area the same couple of cachers get about 90% of the FTFs.

I like these guys, but if I want to give them something I'll just hand it to tem in person.

I've got a similar situation here ... the same few folks always seem to be the FTF.

 

One workaround would be to leave a small but reasonable prize for the first to find. Then, when it's discovered and logged, head on out and leave a better prize for the second to find. And if the FTF addicts catch on to that scheme, then mix it up ... drop the good prize after some random single-digit number of finds have been logged. Or just wait until the chronic FTFers have logged it, then drop the prize.

 

Or just mail the chronic FTFers independently of any cache publication and ask them to leave the FTF prize for a new finder.

 

-eP

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MTGeoPirates

+MTGeoPirates

Posted
Posted

We try to leave items that are connected to the cache location. Our first cache was in a ghost town, so we left a book about the local history in the cache. We've left Lewis and Clark pins in a couple of micro/small containers near L and C sites. Our most recent cache placed was in another ghost town where they mined mostly for copper, so we left a copper refrigerator magnet. We've also placed FTF pins from GeoSwag in our most recent caches. People seem to appreciate those. We try to always leave FTF certificates as well, just a little touch we like.

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Vinny & Sue Team

+Vinny & Sue Team

Posted
Posted

I usually do not offer FTF prizes for the Psycho caches which I place, despite the fact that they are extreme caches, but once in a while -- particularly if the cache is a real pain in the butt to access -- I will place an FTF prize just to give the FTF finder a bit of an extra reward for their efforts. For example, I believe that we offered the following FTF prizes for these Psycho Urban caches when they were first unveiled:

  • a $10 bill and a new unactivated Signal theFrog geocoin in our Psycho Urban Cache #11 - Strange Island Getaway
  • a $5 bill and a new unactivated Signal the Frog geocoin in our Psycho Urban Cache #12 -- Island of Debris & Dross
  • $160 in cash, an unregistered Tracking Time geocoin, and an imprinted Psycho Urban Cache t-shirt as the FTF prize, and $20 in cash, an unregistered geocoin and an imprinted Psycho Urban Cache t-shirt as the 2TF prize for our Psycho Urban Cache #13 - Impossible -Give Up Now! . In fact, in light of the fact that Team Psycho snagged the FTF and 2TF prizes, we subsequently created a ""First to Find After Team Psycho" prize which was identical to the 2TF prize already mentioned. In fact, to my best knowledge, this latter-mentioned prize has not been yet claimed!

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TexasGringo

+TexasGringo

Posted
Posted

My favorite FTF prize so far has been an unregistered geocoin, I am sure most would appreciate one.

 

How does one know what the FTF prize is when it's in with a lot of other new-cache stuff? Put it on top in a baggie with a note?

 

I put it in an envelope that is marked in a magic marker that says: "First To Find - Take This With You".

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Vinny & Sue Team

+Vinny & Sue Team

Posted
Posted (edited)

I usually do not offer FTF prizes for the Psycho caches which I place, despite the fact that they are extreme caches, but once in a while -- particularly if the cache is a real pain in the butt to access -- I will place an FTF prize just to give the FTF finder a bit of an extra reward for their efforts. For example, I believe that we offered the following FTF prizes for these Psycho Urban caches when they were first unveiled:

  • a $10 bill and a new unactivated Signal theFrog geocoin in our Psycho Urban Cache #11 - Strange Island Getaway
  • a $5 bill and a new unactivated Signal the Frog geocoin in our Psycho Urban Cache #12 -- Island of Debris & Dross
  • $160 in cash, an unregistered Tracking Time geocoin, and an imprinted Psycho Urban Cache t-shirt as the FTF prize, and $20 in cash, an unregistered geocoin and an imprinted Psycho Urban Cache t-shirt as the 2TF prize for our Psycho Urban Cache #13 - Impossible -Give Up Now! . In fact, in light of the fact that Team Psycho snagged the FTF and 2TF prizes, we subsequently created a ""First to Find After Team Psycho" prize which was identical to the 2TF prize already mentioned. In fact, to my best knowledge, this latter-mentioned prize has not been yet claimed!

Just as a brief followup to my earlier note (above), for our recently-published Psycho Urban Cache #14 - Cliffside Catacombs, GC106R4, , which is an extreme terrain multi-stage cache, we have offered as the FTF prize a $20 bill and an unregistered geocoin. The cache was published last nite, and no one has claimed a find yet, but it looks like two teams may be going after it this weekend.

And, regarding my earlier mention of the "First to Find After Team Psycho" prize for PUC #13, no one has yet claimed that prize (also $20 and a geocoin.)

Edited by Vinny & Sue Team
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