Found first Geocoin

[+john31874]

I've found my first Geocoin today and was very excited when I saw it. I traded out some things and took the coin, but now I don't what to do. It is in the plastic pouch it came in and has no activation code written on the front. I checked and it has not been activated. The cache listing said nothing about a geocoin, but there is a log entry down the list by someone who left a geocoin.

 

I see some people like to collect them. If I had realized this before, I may have left it alone. I did not have another coin to leave for it. I assumed the coin was meant to travel and be tracked.

 

Here's my question(s):

Do I activate it and send it on it's way? (My original plan was to log it and take it on about a 75 mile trip tomorrow and find it a new 'home'.)

Do I leave it in another cache without activating? (If so, I wont have a record of finding a geocoin. Not that important, but I would like be able to log my first geocoin find!)

Do I keep it? (That hadn't really occurred to me until reading though this forum.)

Do I email the person who left the log and verify it was left by them and, if so, what would they prefer.

 

I left some new items in the cache, but in my brief time enjoying geocacheing this is by far the coolest thing I've seen. I don't really want to keep it if the original intention was for it to travel.

 

What to do?

 

FYI It's a Civil War Series- Shiloh coin. Silver, not one of the limited editions. I assume it's not a highly prized colectable, but I know nothing of collecting these. I'm going to have to go to the weekly meeting that is held by some local geocachers. Apparently there is even more to this hobby that I thought before. Awesome. I've been having a blast this last month!

Edited July 29, 2007 by john31874

[57chevy]

Congrats! Unactivated coins are occasionally left as swag, If it was a traveller it should have been activated and logged into the cache inventory. IMO it's yours to keep. Or you could activate it and send it out as your own traveller.

Edited July 29, 2007 by 57chevy

[+AtlantaGal]

The maker of those coins likes to drop unactivated ones in caches as swag. So keep it or activate it as a traveler. As long as you traded fairly for it, either is fine

[+nolefan9399]

Congrats on your find and welcome to the other side of geocaching lol. I myself sometimes leave unactivated coins in caches as swag. If you find an unactivated coin in a cache it was meant to be a gift or a little more valuable swag than your normal McToy. I have many unactivated coins that I have collected over the years. It is up to you on what you wish to do with it. Congrats again on your cool find.

[SoCalGeocoins]

Congrats on your find, IMO it is a traded item so it is yours to keep. We leave unactivated coins as FTF prizes and sometimes our newer coins as a gift for the next person. If it was to be a traverler it would have been activated and have a Mission as to where it wants to go. So go to geocoinclub.com and activate your new coin and keep it or move it along as your 1st traveler. Enjoy.

[+Toojin]

Greetings to you john31874 and congratulations on finding a geocoin!

 

If you want to activate the geocoin you will need an activation code.

 

To retrieve the activation code for a Civil War coin go to GeoCoinClub Code Retrival page .

 

Then use this link to begin the activation process.

 

Good luck!!!

[CinemaBoxers]

Only to echo what the others have said, Congrats on your find, it's yours to do with what you please. Welcome to the dark side! Careful, or you will become addicted... rapidly!

 

~J

[+tsunrisebey]

Congratulations on your first geocoin find! Hopefully it is the first of many you'll cache across

 

tsun

[+tsunrisebey]

hmmmm, double post.

Edited July 29, 2007 by tsunrisebey