It's an etiquette thing....

[+buddyluv4]

Just so I'm clear...

 

If I find a coin in a cache that is clearly intended as a gift (FTF or whatever). Do I need to trade a coin for a coin or can I leave a compariably priced swag item (in the say $8-$12 range). Can you leave two $5 dollar items to equal the value of the coin?

[+Droo]

Well... look at it this way. A cache owner has gone to some expense and effort to place a cache you found first. What did it cost you for the fun and excitement of being FTF? And guess what? There is a FTF reward in there too! Whoa! This cache owner went beyond the call for YOUR enjoyment.

So what do you do? Do you leave the cache richer or poorer or in a smilar condition that you found it?

[+buddyluv4]

I know I need to leave something, but does it have to be a coin if it wasn't a FTF prize? We always leave nice swag. I buy new toys and try to leave them in the package whenever the cache size will allow. Even though most often my kids take nothing or the broken McD toys (my son must have about 20 of those little plastic army guys by now). I know how fun it is to find something cool, and know that some little girl or boy will be thrilled the rest of the day that they got a nice treasure that day instead of a broken hot wheel. My question was really about what is appropriate. Can it be something of equal/greater value but not a coin? I just chalk my swag expenses up to the cost of a hobby, and trust me, some hobbies can be waaaay more expensive.

[+paulandstacey]

My thoughts are if there is a FTF "prize" or "gift", then you don't need to trade for it. That's what is implied by the words. If it is a premium-type cache with very nice swag (which is designed to be there for trading), then you trade equal or better.

[+wyohunter]

IMO, If the FTF is a coin or whatever, it is a gift. It would not have to be replaced as I am sure there is other swag for the trading part. My FTF prizes are not expected to be traded for. Just my $.02.

[+Kealia]

To answer your question clearly: yes you can trade for an equal value item that is not a coin. or two smaller items that equal the value. Jsut don't trade 10 $1.00 items for one $10.00 item - that leaves the cache items worse off on the whole - make sense?

 

If it's indeed a FTF prize, then there is no need to trade if you don't want to. Take the prize/gift as it was intended and enjoy.

[+tokencollector]

I typically leave an unactivated coin as a FTF prize. I do not expect the finder to trade for it. Likewise, at Christmas, I put an unactivated coin in each of my caches - which was marked as a gift to the next finder. Once again, I didn't expect a trade item.

 

If I drop a coin as swag - a reasonable trade would be expected.

 

That said, my signature item is worth a couple of bucks (a small collection of old transit tokens) and I leave one in nearly every cache that is large (and dry) enough to hold it. If I were to find a coin in a cache and I didn't have a suitable trade on hand I would probably still take it on the assumption that, across the board, I put more and better swag into caches than I remove and the balance is still positive. (Although I have chosen not to remove a trade item from specific caches because I didn't feel that I had sufficient swag on me to make a fair trade.)

[keewee01]

Well... look at it this way. A cache owner has gone to some expense and effort to place a cache you found first. What did it cost you for the fun and excitement of being FTF? And guess what? There is a FTF reward in there too! Whoa! This cache owner went beyond the call for YOUR enjoyment.

So what do you do? Do you leave the cache richer or poorer or in a smilar condition that you found it?

 

The guy that was FTF one of my brothers caches completely philfered it! He took the first to find and every swag item in it.... And what did he leave? A couple of screwdrivers!! The cache was definately left poorer than it was originally.

 

Tell you what, that did not go down well, and the guy was told as much.

[+wyohunter]

 

The guy that was FTF one of my brothers caches completely philfered it! He took the first to find and every swag item in it.... And what did he leave? A couple of screwdrivers!! The cache was definately left poorer than it was originally.

 

Tell you what, that did not go down well, and the guy was told as much.

 

Wow! Never had any FTF think they could be FT Empty!!

[+MommyFinder]

No matter what I take from a cache, I always try to leave something "better" than what I took, and that includes the few times I've been FTF. Maybe it's because I have two little cachers, and I know how excited they get when they find something cool in a cache, and how bummed they get when there's only junk. So, I always try to "pay-it-forward" so the next cachers (especially the little ones) will enjoy. I only once found an unactivated coin in a cache, and I left 3 really cool items in trade, tho I wasn't FTF on that one.

[+buddyluv4]

To answer your question clearly: yes you can trade for an equal value item that is not a coin. or two smaller items that equal the value. Jsut don't trade 10 $1.00 items for one $10.00 item - that leaves the cache items worse off on the whole - make sense?

 

If it's indeed a FTF prize, then there is no need to trade if you don't want to. Take the prize/gift as it was intended and enjoy.

Thanks so much, makes perfect sense.

[+buddyluv4]

 

The guy that was FTF one of my brothers caches completely philfered it! He took the first to find and every swag item in it.... And what did he leave? A couple of screwdrivers!! The cache was definately left poorer than it was originally.

 

Tell you what, that did not go down well, and the guy was told as much.

 

Wow! Never had any FTF think they could be FT Empty!!

Ouch! That's just WRONG!

[+buddyluv4]

No matter what I take from a cache, I always try to leave something "better" than what I took, and that includes the few times I've been FTF. Maybe it's because I have two little cachers, and I know how excited they get when they find something cool in a cache, and how bummed they get when there's only junk. So, I always try to "pay-it-forward" so the next cachers (especially the little ones) will enjoy. I only once found an unactivated coin in a cache, and I left 3 really cool items in trade, tho I wasn't FTF on that one.

So I'm getting a little off topic now but we to try and leave something better. My son always grabs the little plastic soldiers and by daughter always grabs the "pretty rock". We tend to leave new in box things like littlest pet shop and action figures, each of these run from $3-5. Today I left a cute green pen that only cost about a buck, but it was a small cache and the only thing that would fit. I feel like the only thing better than a find, is a find with something really cool in it. I always feel bad if a cache is depleated and leave a little extra. I figure it's just our little way of "sharin' the love" I'll never forget the cache where we found our first and only "gift" coin. I thought it was trackable and didn't learn until we got home it was ours to keep. Thank goodness we left something worthy in return! btw - it is a 2006 Christmas snowflake, I think from coins and pins?

[+buddyluv4]

I typically leave an unactivated coin as a FTF prize. I do not expect the finder to trade for it. Likewise, at Christmas, I put an unactivated coin in each of my caches - which was marked as a gift to the next finder. Once again, I didn't expect a trade item.

 

If I drop a coin as swag - a reasonable trade would be expected.

 

That said, my signature item is worth a couple of bucks (a small collection of old transit tokens) and I leave one in nearly every cache that is large (and dry) enough to hold it. If I were to find a coin in a cache and I didn't have a suitable trade on hand I would probably still take it on the assumption that, across the board, I put more and better swag into caches than I remove and the balance is still positive. (Although I have chosen not to remove a trade item from specific caches because I didn't feel that I had sufficient swag on me to make a fair trade.)

Just got my 1st coins in the mail. I am planning a St. Patty's theme cache and plan to leave one as FTF.

[+Cheesy pigs]

My new caches always have a FTF prize of a coin. I expect the FTFer to take the coin, and not swap anything for it. It is a GIFT. If they want to make other swaps, then they are welcome to.

[+Eartha]

The idea has always been to trade up, trade even, or don't trade at all. Something of equal value, or better, or leave the coin in the cache for the next person. Read the cache page to see if the hider put his thought about it on the page. Otherwise, follow that school of thought.

[+Team chelmo]

My thought's are that a FTF Prize is just that, a "Prize".

 

That being said, if I did recieve an un-activated coin or Tb as a FTF prize I would leave some decent swag for the cache, the owner was kind enough to leave a nice gift so why not inprove the cache contents in return. Yes I know what it is like to place a new cache with a nice shiny new coin for the FTF and heaps of cool swag for others, just to have it cleaned out by the FTF , unfortunately that's the nature of the game, what can you do?! There as those out there that improve caches and those that don't, you can't chage anyone, and I have and will leave coins for future FTFs, as most will appreciate it

 

Keep having fun and improving caches and then at least you know you are doing you bit to improve this cool past time. Long live coins

[+Ryder3 & Better Half]

We generally leave better than we took,but a FTF prize is your reward for being the FTF!

 

Recently we helped with a cache that gave a coin to the first 50 finders.

 

I think there were about 3 that left a coin.(Several did leave a dollar or 3)

 

Many others left cool swag,or TB's.

 

Overall a pretty neat load of swag is still there.

[+buddyluv4]

My thought's are that a FTF Prize is just that, a "Prize".

 

That being said, if I did recieve an un-activated coin or Tb as a FTF prize I would leave some decent swag for the cache, the owner was kind enough to leave a nice gift so why not inprove the cache contents in return. Yes I know what it is like to place a new cache with a nice shiny new coin for the FTF and heaps of cool swag for others, just to have it cleaned out by the FTF , unfortunately that's the nature of the game, what can you do?! There as those out there that improve caches and those that don't, you can't chage anyone, and I have and will leave coins for future FTFs, as most will appreciate it

 

Keep having fun and improving caches and then at least you know you are doing you bit to improve this cool past time. Long live coins

It's gotten to be a tiny bit of a mission for me. I'm so tired of opening caches with literally someones junk in it. Broken belt buckles, broken buttons, lint, etc. I don't always put a $5 toy in, but they are always new or in new condition. That's why I would like to leave a coin here and there. I was so tickled when we found one and realized we could keep it. It's the whole pay it forward thing. Some people never will, but that's ok, they gotta live with themselves, not me. Really my whole point of this thread was do you have to trade a coin for a coin. When we took a gift coin by accident, I contacted the cache owner and she assured me we could keep it. I was perfectly willing to drive the 1 1/2 hours to put it back. I was just never sure if it was proper etiquette, but as we left comparible swag I'm now sure I haven't been blacklisted.

[+fox-and-the-hound]

My thought's are that a FTF Prize is just that, a "Prize".

 

That being said, if I did recieve an un-activated coin or Tb as a FTF prize I would leave some decent swag for the cache, the owner was kind enough to leave a nice gift so why not inprove the cache contents in return. Yes I know what it is like to place a new cache with a nice shiny new coin for the FTF and heaps of cool swag for others, just to have it cleaned out by the FTF , unfortunately that's the nature of the game, what can you do?! There as those out there that improve caches and those that don't, you can't chage anyone, and I have and will leave coins for future FTFs, as most will appreciate it

 

Keep having fun and improving caches and then at least you know you are doing you bit to improve this cool past time. Long live coins

It's gotten to be a tiny bit of a mission for me. I'm so tired of opening caches with literally someones junk in it. Broken belt buckles, broken buttons, lint, etc. I don't always put a $5 toy in, but they are always new or in new condition. That's why I would like to leave a coin here and there. I was so tickled when we found one and realized we could keep it. It's the whole pay it forward thing. Some people never will, but that's ok, they gotta live with themselves, not me. Really my whole point of this thread was do you have to trade a coin for a coin. When we took a gift coin by accident, I contacted the cache owner and she assured me we could keep it. I was perfectly willing to drive the 1 1/2 hours to put it back. I was just never sure if it was proper etiquette, but as we left comparible swag I'm now sure I haven't been blacklisted.

 

You did the right thing and that's a great attitude to have, too. People like yourself are going to keep this going for a very long time with that kind of positive outlook. Thanks for being part of the solution!