How long do geocoins make it out there?

[+Redcap the Druid]

I was curious what your experience has been with dropped geocoin life expectancy? How long did yours last after you dropped it before someone stole it? I heard that they don't usually last long before they disappear... any truth to this?

 

Just curious as I dropped my first geocoin today... a lucky leprechaun.

[+Damenace]

I was curious what your experience has been with dropped geocoin life expectancy? How long did yours last after you dropped it before someone stole it? I heard that they don't usually last long before they disappear... any truth to this?

 

Just curious as I dropped my first geocoin today... a lucky leprechaun.

 

In my experience it depends on where you drop it. My coins that are traveling on the other side of the big pond seem to fair better than those traveling in the US.

 

It is also my opinion that the more coins we get people to drop the more saturated we make the market the less inclinced someone may be to keep it.

 

And of course the more you alter it the more obvious it is to someone that it is meant to travel, IE: I drill a hole and attach a lock to my coins with the goals attached prior to releasing any coin.

[+larry739]

Most of the geocoins I have released are still in circulation. SOmetimes people take them and do not know what they are. There are also times when frequent cachers take one and lose it somewhere. People are always saying that they just found one after a few months and are very apologetic and place it in a cache. A very few just disappear and no one says anything. These are the exception.

Damenace has the right idea. Release a whole bunch of them and then people tend not to hoard them. I have about 650 out there right now. I could not tell you for sure how many have gone missing and how many are where they should be. And you know I don't worry about it.

Edited May 23, 2007 by larry739

[+Bunya]

Some stats from Australia on general survival - can't really answer the "how long" question:

 

I have released 25 of my own coins (some local, some sent overseas) and 22 sent to me by cachers overseas to release here.

As best I can recall, these are the losses so far - four to apparent theft (all overseas) and three to muggled caches (one overseas, two in Oz).

 

I think it adds something to a cache find if there is a geocoin for you to look at and move on, so I'm happy to set them loose myself.

It's sad when they are lost, but watching their movements and reading finder's comments makes up for that.

[+Team JSAM]

How long did yours last after you dropped it before someone stole it? I heard that they don't usually last long before they disappear... any truth to this?

 

I had one go missing on its 2nd day and I have several that have been traveling for over a year with thousands of miles. Its really hit or miss on how long they will last. about 10% of ours have gone missing but if you enjoy finding them then you should return the favor and set some free, IMO.

 

Jake

[+Map Monkey]

I would think it's unfair to say that geocoins get "stolen" all the time. My guess of the percentage that are actually stolen, in relation the number that have been released, would be a extremely small number. It also depends on where they are located as to the perceived safety of the coin. There seems to be a feeling in the US that they go missing all the time, hence the reluctance for some to release them. I agree with Larry739 and find that there is usually a valid reason for their disappearance. In our country (australia), the majority of losses (which is still low) would be due to muggles and cache discovery, rather than any theft, whether by cachers or otherwise. I released a 2007 Compass Rose recently and it lasted 1 move before the cache was unexpectantly found and destroyed. The coin just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.....we must note that the cache owner was equally dissapointed.

 

I say release it and enjoy it's journey and forget about any negatives of this activity. If more cachers were concerned about theft, then less people would have the opportunity to enjoy them as they were designed to be enjoyed

 

mm

[+Mr.Explorer3]

I attach a laminated tag in the pouch as to the geocoins goal and so far most of mine are still out and about. I average about 10 e-mails a day with different coins moving around.

[+Hula Bum]

I'll try and find the mileage thread, there you'll see that a lot of coins stay in circulation for a long long time! Then again, some go missing immediately.

[+Let's Look Over Thayer]

I would think it's unfair to say that geocoins get "stolen" all the time. My guess of the percentage that are actually stolen, in relation the number that have been released, would be a extremely small number. It also depends on where they are located as to the perceived safety of the coin.

Around these parts (San Diego), coins go missing all the time but...

 

...there is a high correlation to the nature of the cache. If the cache is a easy park-n-dash, there's good odds that the coin will vanish. If the coin is in cache that takes some effort (long hike or high difficulty or puzzle or several stage multi) there are good odds that the coin will continue to travel.

 

Going back to the OP's original question, it's hard to generalize. Most of the coins that I released vanished very quickly but I have a couple that are still traveling after more than a year and have logged thousands of miles. I had one coin that recently reappeared after an absence of more than a year (along with a very apologetic e-mail explaining what happened)

 

Bottom line is that you just never know...

[+Damenace]

I'll try and find the mileage thread, there you'll see that a lot of coins stay in circulation for a long long time! Then again, some go missing immediately.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...&hl=mileage

[glennk721]

I have been "very" fortunite. I have only lost 2 coins. One to a fire in Australia (bush fires) , and one to muggles that stumbled unto a cache (campers) in South Africa. All released have traveled very well this past year.

 

There is also a thread I started Friendship Run Coins To be able to release coins hand to hand , for coins you "may" hesitate to set free in fears of muggles.

 

And 50 that will be set free by the wonderful cachers in each of our states soon, the link is in my sig if you care to watch their travels. Glenn

Edited May 24, 2007 by glennk721

[+tokencollector]

Mine have dissappeared at about the same rate as my regular TBs. The loss rate for me appears to be on the order of 20% per year. Relatively few appear to have been stolen. Some have been taken by newbies who found a few caches then appear to have quit. A fair number have disappeared with muggled caches.

[+Go JayBee]

I've got some (trackable & non-trackable) that have been traveling around Europe for over 1 year now. Seems those folks actually respect the idea of letting coins actually do what they were intended for.

[Odyssey Voyager]

my very own personal geocoin lasted a whole 3 days before it disapeared! funny thing is...the person that took it actually signed the log book recording his actions! and, yes, i placed a note with the coin stating it was a travelling trackable and not for keeping, but it didn't seem to matter and that has just totally floored me. so my answer is...3 days...lol...

[+Redcap the Druid]

Well, that is disheartening...

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...28-058c26540ad0

 

My first geocoin lasted a day. Sure makes me wish that I would have kept it, now I understand why there are so many coin hoarders out there!

 

Can't let it get me down I guess. Perhaps I will try again next time I get one.

 

Unbelievable

 

[+Damenace]

Well, that is disheartening...

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...28-058c26540ad0

 

My first geocoin lasted a day. Sure makes me wish that I would have kept it, now I understand why there are so many coin hoarders out there!

 

Can't let it get me down I guess. Perhaps I will try again next time I get one.

 

Unbelievable

 

 

I feel your pain, the same thing happend to me with THIS COIN. Do not let it get you down, pick yourself up and release another coin, it will make you feel better.

[+Redcap the Druid]

Well what do you know.... looks like someone picked up the coin just before the cache was muggled. They just logged it four days later as they were out of town.

 

 

phew

[+Knight2000]

Well what do you know.... looks like someone picked up the coin just before the cache was muggled. They just logged it four days later as they were out of town.

 

 

phew

Hasnt traveled very far though.

Tracking History (158ft )

Edited May 28, 2007 by knight2000

[+scavok]

I am performing a little experiment that is just over a month old. I dropped 5 generic geocoins into a geocache all at once to see which would travel the furthest and which would disappear.

 

So far, 4 of the coins have moved one of which was moved to a cache that was muggled. The one that has not been logged as moved I believe has been picked up but not logged.

 

So out of 5 coins, 2 were lost within their first move. I'll keep ya posted.

[+Rhaegar's Jewels]

My heart was broken that a rare German geocoin was logged into a cache I owned and then disappeared. I noticed someone actually logged that they had taken it and it turns out they dropped it into another cache before it got muggled.

 

IMO, I try to avoid moving coins into caches that have already been muggled (as was the case with the German coin) since if someone found them once - odds are it will be found again.

[+steel city babes]

How long did yours last after you dropped it before someone stole it? I heard that they don't usually last long before they disappear... any truth to this?

 

I had one go missing on its 2nd day and I have several that have been traveling for over a year with thousands of miles. Its really hit or miss on how long they will last. about 10% of ours have gone missing but if you enjoy finding them then you should return the favor and set some free, IMO.

 

Jake

 

Well I had my first coin go missing 6 hours after I placed it. See PCE9XD- Geodiamond.

 

I placed it in a quality cache (decent terrain and hike ) to deter it from being stolen, the cache hadn't been found in over 2 months so I figured only those looking for a hike would enjoy it.

 

Well I guess myself and 2 others decided it was a good day to knock off this cache. Because someone found the cache in the evening and sent me an e-mail stating the cache was destroyed and my geodiamond was gone. BUMmer

 

Oh well....so far that is the only one so far...I think I should go through my list and see if they are all moving...LOL some are moving better than others.

 

Steel City Babes