+Rhaegar's Jewels Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 I just started Geocaching this January, and it wasn't long before I discovered Geocoins and I absolutely fell in love. So my question is this, for those of you who collect coins do you activate the coins in your collection or not? Do you have any tips for a new collector? Thanks for your advice! RJ Quote Link to comment
+ArtieD Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Personal preference...some don't and some do. Personally, I activate my coins so I can let people discover them. Besides, my collection is small so it works out well. Quote Link to comment
+aetoys Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 we activate the coins we keep. but we also have coins we trade that we don't activate. Quote Link to comment
+Ryder3 & Better Half Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 HI! We started collecting coins to add the icons to our profile,so of course we activate them.As stated above,it is just a personal preference. Quote Link to comment
+CachingCoins Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 The coins I keep, I do NOT activate! That way if I ever need to sell them they will probably be easier to sell. That way if I ever want to trade them that is definitely what is expected. I do however get the activation code & load it on a spread sheet. It is much easier to track down the activation code when the coin first comes out. It can be very difficult to track down an activation code a year or 2 later. Welcome to the addiction!! Quote Link to comment
+Rockin Roddy Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 RUN LIKE HELL....never mind, probably too late I activate my coins because I like the icons and I share them with others as well, but some I get extras of for trading purposes! Buy a binder, some coin pages and get ready to become a coin addict! I started out small and with a very minimal budget...less than a year later and I have 150 or more coins...sheesh! Now, no time for more of these trivial questions, got to look at the newest coins!! Quote Link to comment
ATMouse Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 I rarely activate my coins. I collect them as reminders of either people or places I cached in...and there is the odd couple that I've gotten because I couldn't resist holding them. Pretty much I don't because I'm too lazy and I lost interest in the icons, oddly enough, 'cuz lots of them are very cool. Quote Link to comment
+AtlantaGal Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 I don't activate the coins I keep unless they are activated by the original maker like Moun10bike or Ajayhawkfan. Quote Link to comment
+islander1988 Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 I have some activated and some not. It's nice to have activated coins for people to discover (and that way you don't have to cover the tracking number at events for fear someone might activate it themselves), but it's also true if you might sell it some day it's more valuable unactivated. I plan to activate more of my keepers, but haven't gotten around to it. Quote Link to comment
+T"n"T Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 We activate the ones we keep. And not the ones we plan to trade. Our collection is a collection and forunatly our children love and collect them too, so they will have a good home for a long time. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 I don't activate anything. The ones I keep I don't activate though some people think I should. However I just don't feel the urge and like the idea of a pristine coin more than a activated one. It's personal choice. Do what makes you happiest with your own collection. Quote Link to comment
+SeabeckTribe Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 In the beginning I activated all my coins because I thought I was going to keep them all. Then the geocoin craze went over the top. I had to decide what I really wanted to collect because I could not keep up with all the new coins coming out. It is defiantly better not to activate a coin until you decide if you are keeping it in your own personal collection for keeps. Good luck on your new adventure into the GeoCoin Addiction! Quote Link to comment
+Kealia Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 I used to activate them when there were just a handful and it was fun to try and collect all the icons (just like cache icons like WebCam, APE caches, etc.). Then, when there started to be a flood of coins I lost interest in the icons so I don't any longer. Quote Link to comment
+S&G.Davison Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Currently I'm not activating coins for many of the reasons already stated. I do like the idea of getting the activation code though - just in case. A number I have traded have come through with the code so I had wondered. Sue Quote Link to comment
+The Klever Boys Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Each to his/her own I guess. I personally always activate the coins I'm keeping - two reasons really.. 1. It's nice to share the coins and allow others to see and log them 2. I paid extra for the icon somewhere along the way, so I may as well have it Quote Link to comment
+Droo Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 (edited) I wouldn't recommend activating your collection unless you are into trading or sharing icons. But do pull the activation codes or keep track where to find them if you don't. If you show your unactivated coins to strangers some people can copy their tracking #s and activate them away from you. But if you've already pulled the codes they can't (most codes can only be pulled once). You can still sell or trade the coin, just include the code with the coin so the new owner can choose to activate it if they want. Create a database file (excel or something similar) for your coins, their tracking #s, activation codes (or where to get them), maybe who you bought them from and when. Once you have more that a few dozen coins it gets harder and harder to remember all that stuff. Edited April 12, 2007 by Droo Quote Link to comment
Jake - Team A.I. Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 If you show your unactivated coins to strangers some people can copy their tracking #s and activate them away from you. Has this really been a problem? Quote Link to comment
+islander1988 Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 If you show your unactivated coins to strangers some people can copy their tracking #s and activate them away from you. Has this really been a problem? I don't recall having heard of it actually happening, but it's one of those things that could happen even if it hasn't yet. And now that some coins have a common activation code it makes it a little easier to do if someone wanted to. Quote Link to comment
danoshimano Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 I activate mine. Same reason as others: to share. But then I started getting too many and my profile is growing out of control. Now, I only activate personal coins because I am focusing on those. Quote Link to comment
+dookie2000ca Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Whenever I buy coins, I always get 2 and activate them both. One of them gets put out in the wild and the other goes in the collection. I really like my collection and have no intention of selling them off so I have no problem with having them activated. I've only actually got a 3rd copy of 2 coins so they remain unactivated. Quote Link to comment
Jake - Team A.I. Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 If you show your unactivated coins to strangers some people can copy their tracking #s and activate them away from you. Has this really been a problem? I don't recall having heard of it actually happening, but it's one of those things that could happen even if it hasn't yet. And now that some coins have a common activation code it makes it a little easier to do if someone wanted to. If that's the case, they don't even need to see the coin... they can take random guesses at the coin id... then use the standardized activation. They don't even have to be in the same continent to steal your registration from you... I would be more concerned about this if it became more than a mistyped registration key. Quote Link to comment
keewee01 Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 (edited) 2. I paid extra for the icon somewhere along the way, so I may as well have it Thats a very good point you make!! Can I buy them cheaper if I promise not to activate them and therefore not get an icon? Edited May 24, 2007 by keewee01 Quote Link to comment
+fairyhoney Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 2. I paid extra for the icon somewhere along the way, so I may as well have it Thats a very good point you make!! Can I buy them cheaper if I promise not to activate them and therefore not get an icon? That would be nice, wouldn't it?!? Quote Link to comment
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