The Green Bugs Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 I have been Geocaching for a couple of years and really enjoy it as it gets me out and off the couch once in a while. I have just purchased a Geocoin and a Travel Bug. I am just now seeing all the collector sites for Geocoins and if I send my coin whats to stop it from ending up in a collection the first time it is found? I read that you should scratch them or attach a travel bug to it. This seems somewhat expensive just to be able to follow it's progress. Can the coins be marked with the tracking number for travel and without for collecting? Maybe this is how it is done and I've missed it! Maybe collector coins can have a different type of code assigned so that people can definitly tell whether it a traveller or collector. This has probably been asked a thousand times already. Thanks for your input. The Green Bugs Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Hey Bugs! If the coin you purchased is trackable on GC.com, then there is no need to attach a travel bug tag to it. Just activate the coin and type up the webpage about it. Some folks will affix a tag to their coins pointing out in bold text that this is not a trade item. Most serious coin collectors covet unactivated coins, so activation would be the first step to protect your investment. Other coins get removed from the game by folks who honestly don't know any better. Tagging it properly will protect against that type of loss. The 3rd type of coin loss is what I would term outright theft. Someone sees something shiny and decide to take it, ignoring the fact that it is not a trade item. Nothing can protect your coin from that. Quote Link to comment
+Bill & Tammy Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Echoing everything that the wise Clan Riffster had to say above. I really appreciate it when an individual has the resources and generosity of spirit to share their geocoin by placing it in a cache for others to discover... but if one has developed an attachment to a geocoin and it would cause distress that the coin may go into the black abyss I would suggest just keeping it for your personal collection perhaps share with other cachers you meet (they can a log a "discovered" note and it will show up in their TB tally if it is registered). Putting the geocoin into a cache will create the possibility that it will eventually be lost. Sometimes the coin vanishes in very short order, either by dishonorable intent or accident. Sometimes they live a long life and travel great distances. It's all up to the whims of fate I suppose. Quote Link to comment
The Green Bugs Posted January 9, 2007 Author Share Posted January 9, 2007 Thank You Riffster Here is where I got the ideas I mentioned earlier. You make very good sense, if only everyone would try to understand the game. Always asking, always learning! 8. How do I get a Geocoin to travel through caches? One of the original intents of a geocoin is to move like a travelbug from cache to cache. The problem is that a coin is highly collectable and can be easily taken out of a cache and into someone's collection. A way to keep your coin traveling is to mark it with a scratch or drill a hole in it to add a tag.Trackable coins have the benefit of a tracking number, but it still doesn't stop unscrupulous collectors from stealing it from a cache. When you come across a coin in a cache, it's best to assume that it is meant to travel, and look it up on its tracking website. If you have found a unregistered coin, or it doesn't have a tag included, review the logs for the cache you found it in. It may have been placed as a gift for the next cacher, or it may have been placed to travel. The person that placed the coin in the cache will usually leave a note in the log. Quote Link to comment
+BoredKitty Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 (edited) Nothing will stop an unscrupulous (sp?) person from stealing your coin or TB. I actually met a fellow cacher when I was placing my own TB in my cache. She commented on how 'cute' it was, showed it to her children, took it and I never heard from her or my TB again. If you have an attachment to a geocoin or TB, DON'T CIRCULATE IT! -BK Edited January 9, 2007 by BoredKitty Quote Link to comment
+Quiggle Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Moving this to the coin forum where the experts on this sort of thing hang out! Quote Link to comment
+fox-and-the-hound Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 We've been doing this and it seems to work pretty well Then again, the most traveled coin we have (over 13,000 miles since April) seems to be doing just fine without even a note! Apparently the trick is to put on it's page (removed now) that it should stay just in your corner of the state to get it putting on the big mileage! Quote Link to comment
+Damenace Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 We've been doing this and it seems to work pretty well Then again, the most traveled coin we have (over 13,000 miles since April) seems to be doing just fine without even a note! Apparently the trick is to put on it's page (removed now) that it should stay just in your corner of the state to get it putting on the big mileage! This is the same method I use, it seems to be a deterant. Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 The fact is travelers do get lost, so you really don't want to release anything that you aren't willing to lose. The main problem is that coins have one major disadvantage over bugs: they are bright, shiny, really cool things to have. But all things considered, coins can and do survive out in the wilderness. You just have to take your chances. If anything I would like to see more coins placed in a “carrier” that allows the owner to attach/include a goal/instruction sheet. Drilling is an option but not everyone can do that. Quote Link to comment
+EScout Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 I use a cable and crimp a ferrule. I like the pad lock method shown above. I have seen the small ones 2 for $1 at the 99cents store. Quote Link to comment
+D24G0N Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 I've heard of people creating clones of their coins and circulating them instead of the actual coin. I realize that there is a bit of contraversy over this practice, but I think it merits mentioning. I don't see anything wrong with it myself, but think it's waaay cooler to find a real "live" coin in a cache. Quote Link to comment
+kimba off track Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Coins are cool and part of the fun.If I find a copy I do not move it,as I want to see the real thing and move that.I drove 2 hours each way once to get the coin and pin coin,to log it, hold it,look at it,wish I owned it,etc then dropped it in one of my caches for others to see.I have many coins and only put out the ones I dont want in my collection. Thanks and keep dropping coins for others to see and hope for the best Quote Link to comment
The Green Bugs Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 Thank you to all who have commented on this post. I think from reading the posts that I have basically two options, 1) put the coin in the flow as is and hope for the best, 2) attach alot of deterant and make it unappealing to collectors. Being a naieve newbie and somewhat lazy I'm going to attempt option 1 for my first foray into tracking items. I hope that alot of geocachers read posts like this one and decide on the true meaning of coins and move them along so that I and others are not discouraged from this side of the activity. This raises another question, what would a person do if he aquired a coin from a trade or purchase that ended up being a valid coin or even one that was assigned to the grave yard? I guess there are ways to reinitiate them somehow? I have read that you could contact the owners? Quote Link to comment
thespongefactor Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 fox-and-the-hound has a good idea, Thanks. Quote Link to comment
+Degai Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I have become very discouraged about sending out coins AND TBs! This past Dec. I put out a TB for my 9 year old, who likes basketball, and there has been plenty of activity. Then I thought about my other TB and coin (put out for my 18 year old). I hadn't seen any activity lately, so I checked where they were last seen and to my surprise and regret, geocachers at each site said they had not seen the coin/TB. Neither of these had been out too long before they were gone! I think about all the time I spent putting these things together before they were gone! Short of sending out crap or defacing your geocoin, I don't think it will stop anyone from taking these things out of caches. Unfortunately, it seems to be human nature and it upsets this "proverbial Pollyanna"! Yes, the thought that someone would steal from a cache never entered my mind until I started reading these forums! Is that naive, or what? Geocaching is such a cool hobby/game, why must someone ruin the fun? Quote Link to comment
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