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Mini-Contest: da Vinci Coin Challenge part 1

Redwing_dave

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Redwing_dave

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The release of the "da Vinci Coin" set is less than a month away, so its time for the first challenge. Artwork for this set is still Top Secret :D, so you won't find it anywhere, but you can get a sneak peak of many of the designs HERE! Follow that thread for other important information such as tracking, icons, price, release dates, etc. This thread is meant to be for the Mini-Contest only.

 

The Artwork hasn't been released because Part 2 of the Contest (by far the harder of the two challenges) will start when the artwork is posted (hoping to have actual pictures of the proofs before posting). The answer to the Main Contest is encoded in the 3 coin set (but that's enough about that for now).

 

Here's how this Mini-Challenge works: In this thread I will post a snippet of a da Vinci sketch that will be on the reverse side of the Vitruvian Man Geocoin. Each day-or-two until the contest is over, the snippet will get a little bigger until the full sketch is revealed or the mini-contest is over. The contest is over when all places are filled, and we have enough runners-up to fill in any gaps that might need to be filled. To gain a space on the winners list, you will need to display that you know what the sketch is by sharing the name of the item in the sketch, as well as a brief description of he item's utility.

 

Q: What do you get for winning?

A: Access to a Limited Edition Antique Silver set of 3 da Vinci Coins (only 25 sets will be minted). Only first place gets the set for free, but the remaining 6 winners will have the opportunity to purchase LE sets at very reasonable prices, as follows:

  • 1st place - Free set of LE coins
  • 2nd place - set of LE coins for $12
  • 3rd place - set of LE coins for $15
  • 4th place - set of LE coins for $18
  • 5th place - Set of LE coins for $21
  • 6th place - set of LE coins for $24
  • 7th place - Set of LE coins for $27

*All prices include S/H within the U.S. Add $3 for shipping anywhere outside the U.S. Exception - 1st place gets free shipping regardless of where it's going.

**Although there are a total of 25 LE sets, only 7 will be distributed in this contest. I have yet to determine what I will do with the remaining sets, but if you REALLY want a set, this is by far, your best chance to get one (some are already promised).

 

Important Rules:

  1. When you've solved the mini-contest, provide your answer via email to daVinciCoins@hotmail.com
  2. PMs or emails through my GC account will not be considered valid entries in the contest
  3. Only one entry per caching name or household (I know some households have multiple cachers, but I'd like to spread these around rather than have one family snag them up)
  4. Subject line for email should include: Your Caching Name, the words "Mini-Contest", and "Solved"
  5. Answers that are posted in this forum will disqualify the cacher who posted them, and may cause early termination of the contest.
  6. Questions about the contest should be voiced in this thread. The provided email address should only be used to submit a solution to the mini-contest.
  7. Evidence that someone who already solved the puzzle has shared the answer with someone else is grounds for disqualification of both parties. Please abide by the Honor System. At the same time, nobody likes a tattle-tale. I will not engage in "he-said/she-said" arguments to determine if somebody cheated. Let's just all be honest.
  8. Because full artwork has not yet been revealed, solving the mini-contest does not obligate you to purchase a set of LE coins; you may forfeit your place in line to the next runner-up if you wish.

 

I think that's about it for now. I will post a winner's list as people solve the puzzle. If you are on the winners list but do not want the set of coins, please let me know so that I can move the coin allocation down to the next in line (your name will remain on the winner's list so that you can show everyone how smart you are :o ). When the coins are available to be shipped, winners will receive a paypal invoice from me (when necessary) and can pay via paypal or arrange to send payment via snailmail.

 

Here's todays snippet:

MiniContestDayONE.jpg

 

GOOD LUCK!

-RD

Edited by Redwing_dave
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Redwing_dave

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BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!

 

Much to my surprise (I can't describe how much to my surprise), just before midnight last night I received a correct answer to the Mini-Contest. (Drum Roll Please.................)

 

First Place Goes to FRIVLAS!!!!

 

A huge congratulations goes out to Frivlas for solving what I thought was impossible, given the tiny piece of the sketch I revealed last night. What a Genius!! :anitongue:

 

Frivlas has sworn an oath of secrecy, and will not give out any hints. Additionally, if she receives requests for hints, I would invite her to report the caching names of those making requests, and I will officially disqualify them from the contest (don't mean to be mean, but sometimes tough love is the best kind) :D .

 

The BAR has been set very high on this one. Only 6 positions remaining. Now get out there and do your da Vinci homework folks!

 

:anibad:

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GPX Navigators

+GPX Navigators

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Great job Frivlas!

 

This is fantastic. Thought we knew something about the man. Apparently not enough, as noted by how much as we are learning today. Fascinating stuff. Thanks for the hunt. I knew this coin set was going to be great. The contest puts in on a whole different level. Thanks Dave for the education and fun. :anitongue:

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Redwing_dave

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Great job Frivlas!

 

This is fantastic. Thought we knew something about the man. Apparently not enough, as noted by how much as we are learning today. Fascinating stuff. Thanks for the hunt. I knew this coin set was going to be great. The contest puts in on a whole different level. Thanks Dave for the education and fun. :anitongue:

 

Thanks for the positive response GPX Navigators! :D

 

Your comments reminded me of a quote by Dorothy Parker "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."

 

Hope nobody is bored out there. :anibad:

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Redwing_dave

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Alright, everybody out of the pool. Show's over. I just got a PM offering me $100 for a set of these LE coins, so I decided to cancel the contest!!!

 

Just Kidding (about cancelling the contest, not the offer....what to do?) :huh:

 

Okay, back on topic. The contest is still on. Still only one succesful answer.

Does this have to be solo, or can two cachers wok together to get the answer. And if so do they have to share? <_<

:laughing: GT :laughing:

I'm not quite sure how to answer this one. I personally don't see a problem with a couple cachers working together to solve this as long as one of them hasn't already solved the puzzle, but I'd like some feedback from the other contestants. I certainly wouldn't feel too overjoyed if 6 cachers put their heads together and solved it, claiming the remaining 6 coins, and leaving the rest of the puzzlers out there up a creek. For now I'd recommend limiting your groups to 2 cachers, and lets see what the masses have to say. If no one says anything (although I've never seen that happen in a forum when a controversy arises) then I'll post a more definitive reply.

Edited by Redwing_dave
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general_tupperware

general_tupperware

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Alright, everybody out of the pool. Show's over. I just got a PM offering me $100 for a set of these LE coins, so I decided to cancel the contest!!!

 

Just Kidding (about cancelling the contest, not the offer....what to do?) :huh:

 

Okay, back on topic. The contest is still on. Still only one succesful answer.

Does this have to be solo, or can two cachers wok together to get the answer. And if so do they have to share? <_<

:laughing: GT :laughing:

I'm not quite sure how to answer this one. I personally don't see a problem with a couple cachers working together to solve this as long as one of them hasn't already solved the puzzle, but I'd like some feedback from the other contestants. I certainly wouldn't feel too overjoyed if 6 cachers put their heads together and solved it, claiming the remaining 6 coins, and leaving the rest of the puzzlers out there up a creek. For now I'd recommend limiting your groups to 2 cachers, and lets see what the masses have to say. If no one says anything (although I've never seen that happen in a forum when a controversy arises) then I'll post a more definitive reply.

 

Ok thanks. I agree though with no large groups.. that would sort of spoilt things.

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Redwing_dave

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The only problem with the above that I can think of is that a cacher could solve it, and say that they worked together, therefore getting a set for themself, and their friend. I guess I might just be paranoid :huh: . I hope that no cachers would do that.

 

It all comes down to honesty.

 

Really, it does all come down to honesty. Even without declaring themselves as a team, a cacher could share an answer with all of his/her friends so they all got a coin. I really hope that doesn't happen, but there is no foolproof way to defend against it. As part of my profession, I teach healthcare professionals how to write technical documents. Unfortunately I do have a lot of experience detecting plagiarism and cheating. If something doesn't feel right to me, I will do some background work to try and uncover this. Even still, given the nature of this contest one could dream up several ways to cheat. I hope that no one gives me a reason to believe that cheating is occuring. Bottom line, I hope that everyone has the integrity that Frivlas has shown by keeping the answer to herself and allowing the fun to continue.

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Redwing_dave

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Update: We have two more winners!

 

coreynjoey came in 2nd place with a correct answer in the 6 o'clock hour last night, followed closely by Storm180 in the 8 o'clock hour! Marvelous work with such a small piece of the sketch revealed. We've got some sharp minds out there. :huh:

 

The current standings are:

1st - Frivlas

2nd - coreynjoey

3rd - Storm180

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

 

Time for a tad bit more of the sketch:

MiniContestDayTWO.jpg

 

Good Luck!

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Damenace

+Damenace

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I personally don't understand what this contest wants us to do :anitongue:

 

You look at the small picture part and every day another picture part is added. During that time you try to identitfy what it is.

 

Storm180

 

Is it suppose to be an actual Da Vinci scetch and we have to guess which one?

Edited by Damenace
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Redwing_dave

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I personally don't understand what this contest wants us to do :anitongue:

 

You look at the small picture part and every day another picture part is added. During that time you try to identitfy what it is.

 

Storm180

 

Is it suppose to be an actual Da Vinci scetch and we have to guess which one?

 

Spoken like a true PRO Storm180! <_<

 

Yes, this is part of a sketch by da Vinci's own hand. I will reveal a little more of the sketch each day or two (or randomly at my discretion) until all the slots are filled (plus a few extras for back-ups), or until the entire sketch is revealed. Your goal as contestants is to identify what the sketch is and give a brief description of it. Make sure to email answers to davincicoins@hotmail.com, and you should hear back from the master himself. When the full sketch is revealed, and we have enough winners to fill the slots, I will reveal the meaning of the sketch. I think we'll all find this to be an interesting topic of discussion.

 

There will be a much more difficult contest that will start as soon as I have proofs for the 3-coin set, since views of all 3 coins will be necessary to solve that puzzle. More about that later.

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Damenace

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I have never done much research on Leonardo but I have to tell you that I am the most intrigued after reading about The Secrets of the Vetruvian Man. WOW he was a genius!!!!

 

Glad to see somebody local involved in the action Damenace. Good luck!

 

You have indeed peaked my interest, my fingers are getting sore from clicking buttons.

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Redwing_dave

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...Only one entry per caching name or household (I know some households have multiple cachers, but I'd like to spread these around rather than have one family snag them up)...

If an entry is made and it turns out to be incorrect, can another entry be made?

 

When I first initiated this challenge, I was afraid that I would get hundreds of emails from people, essentially shooting from the hip, without even doing their homework. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with that volume of emails. That's why I instituted that rule in the first place (not just to be a meany). So, I am exercising my authority to ammend my own rules as of right now. If you have done some research, and think you have the right answer, please feel free to submit your answer. If it turns out to be incorrect, but your first attempt was a valid try, I won't penalize you for this first attempt. Please limit your attempts to TWO, as it certainly wouldn't be fair for someone to randomly guess a dozen or so times until they got the correct answer. Also, if I get a huge influx of emails, I reserve the right to go back to the original rule of "one guess per individual/household." Hopefully this sounds fair to everyone.

 

-RD

Edited by Redwing_dave
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Redwing_dave

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Two more names to add to the Winner's List. Vaudesir came in with a correct answer late last night to claim 5th place, and Wigoweb submitted the correct answer this morning for 6th!!! Another huge congratulations!!!!!

 

The current Standings are as follows:

1st - Frivlas

2nd - coreynjoey

3rd - Storm180

4th - QuigleyJones

5th - Vaudesir

6th - Wigoweb

7th - ?????Maybe it could be YOU!??????

Congratulations to all!

 

And here's a little bigger piece of the sketch for you all to chew on. :anibad:

 

MiniContestDayTHREE.jpg

 

Good Luck!!!

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Redwing_dave

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Things seem to have calmed down a lot the last 24 hours. I'm afraid people are headed back to work, and have less time to play these silly games. :(

 

So, I decided to make today's peak a rather big one. Although this is not the entire sketch page from da Vinci's notes, this is the image of the full object in question, and the image that will be represented on the back of the Vitruvian Man coin. Hint (to save me answering a bunch of emails :sad: ): this is NOT designed to hold beverages.

 

ThermosPeak.jpg

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Redwing_dave

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Contest Update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

GPX Navigators just claimed 7th place!!!!! :laughing:

 

How about a big round of applause?

 

The Standings are :

1st - Frivlas

2nd - coreynjoey

3rd - Storm180

4th - QuigleyJones

5th - Vaudesir

6th - Wigoweb

7th - GPX Navigators

A big congratulations to everyone that has placed so far! I know that a lot of time and effort was put into solving the puzzle by all of those listed, as well as many more of you that aren't listed yet.

 

Remember, even though the first 7 slots are already filled, the contest is not over yet. In case one of these contestants decides not to accept the coin set at the price associated with their placing, or fails to make payment (except Frivlas), the next in line will have a chance at them. So keep your answers coming, and I'll keep updating the thread. I am considering a random drawing that would include everyone that places 8th or above. Essentially all of those individuals would have their names put in a hat, and whoever's name came out, would have the chance to purchase an LE set at the next price tier ($30 for a set of 3 coins including U.S. shipping/handling). Let me know your thoughts on this 8th-and-up drawing. I'll do it if enough interest is expressed.

Edited by Redwing_dave
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coreynjoey

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wow - an early 4 dimensional Klein Bottle ! SOlution? congrats NAvs- can youput me out of my misery and send a link please?

We had found the sketch the first night, but that particular website didn't say what it was! We just kept looking at it wondering what the heck it was. A coffe mug? Thermos? What is it!! Finally found a better website the next day, yay!

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QuigleyJones

QuigleyJones

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wow - an early 4 dimensional Klein Bottle ! SOlution? congrats NAvs- can youput me out of my misery and send a link please?

We had found the sketch the first night, but that particular website didn't say what it was! We just kept looking at it wondering what the heck it was. A coffe mug? Thermos? What is it!! Finally found a better website the next day, yay!

Same with me however I didnt find a better website so I had to rely on my superior? intellect :laughing:

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GPX Navigators

+GPX Navigators

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The contest isnt' technically over yet, so Posting links would probably get people disqualified.

 

Yes - that is right. Dave is still accepting entries (see above) so no links or hints. All I can say is do not give up. With all of our looking, today was the first time we ever saw the item. So keep at it. Ya never know - and the bonus is what you learn! :laughing:

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