tag or coin?

[+lewisw]

which would you recomend for a first timer.

Edited January 28, 2008 by lewisw

[+Eartha]

Title edited for OP.

[+UncleJimbo]

which would you recomend for a first timer.

I went with tags (travel bugs) first. They seem to have a longer lifetime than coins in the wild.

[+Kealia]

I use both and have similar success with each. If you set a coin free, just make sure to make it clear that it is a traveler and not meant to be kept.

 

There are threads on ways to drill coins, mark them, etc. to help with this.

 

Good luck.

[+mousekakat]

There are pathtags, too. Right now pathtags are kind of hot, they are a LOT less expensive than geocoins to have made and that makes them a lot easier to let loose in the wild, too. They have their limitations, they don't track on Geocaching's site and they don't have any type of custom icon. They are trackable on the pathtag site. From what I can understand, you can get about 50 of them for a little over 100.00 USD. The front side is customizable, the back side is a common backside shared by all the pathtags.

 

Then there are geocoins, all different sizes and shapes and colors. They are a LOT more expensive to manufacture, but they also have a ton of options in making them, shapes, types of enamel used, sizes, etc., and they are trackable on the Geocache website and most have their own icon.

 

It depends on what you want to invest as far as time and money goes, and what kind of commitment you have to geocoins!

 

Hope that helps some!

 

Naomi

[+BlueDeuce]

I use both and have similar success with each. If you set a coin free, just make sure to make it clear that it is a traveler and not meant to be kept.

 

There are threads on ways to drill coins, mark them, etc. to help with this.

 

Good luck.

 

Yep, both work well. With a TB you decide what the traveler is and it is easy to replace with the copy tag should your bug go missing. Coins are ready to go right out of the box and people enjoy collecting the icon.

 

Either is fine, but remember not to release anything you aren't willing to lose.

Edited January 28, 2008 by BlueDeuce

[+UncleJimbo]

There are pathtags, too. Right now pathtags are kind of hot, they are a LOT less expensive than geocoins to have made and that makes them a lot easier to let loose in the wild, too. They have their limitations, they don't track on Geocaching's site and they don't have any type of custom icon. They are trackable on the pathtag site. From what I can understand, you can get about 50 of them for a little over 100.00 USD. The front side is customizable, the back side is a common backside shared by all the pathtags.

 

Then there are geocoins, all different sizes and shapes and colors. They are a LOT more expensive to manufacture, but they also have a ton of options in making them, shapes, types of enamel used, sizes, etc., and they are trackable on the Geocache website and most have their own icon.

Another option is trackable aluminum geocoin tokens from Geocoins.net. I recently bought ten of them for $27.50 with my name on them (you can have your name or your team's name, and you can choose the front design). At ~$3.00 each, these are cheaper than travel bugs, and they track as geocoins.

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Edited January 28, 2008 by Eartha

[+lewisw]

has any coin or tb gone around the world ?

Edited January 28, 2008 by lewisw

[+UncleJimbo]

has any coin or tb gone around the world ?

I am certain that many have.

 

A good question is what is the record for number of times around the world for one TB or coin?

[+mvigor]

For a bit less than travel bug tags you can get Travel Slug token coins:

 

 

They are already drilled and chained, completely ready to be used as a travel tag along with whatever item you want to attach.

[+ThirstyMick]

For a bit less than travel bug tags you can get Travel Slug token coins:

 

 

They are already drilled and chained, completely ready to be used as a travel tag along with whatever item you want to attach.

a few stores sell similar concepts of a coin with a hole...many of them less expensive than TBs...I have a few traveling coins that I'm using like TBs

[+ThePetersTrio]

I am also struggling with this decision. I LOVE the choices you have with coins...some of them are so beautiful. But therein also lies the problem. They are so beautiful that I'm afraid they will be taken. So in that sense, buying some TBs to attach to objects that I like or feel are representative of my family to release seems to make more sense (and cents too).

 

For those of you who attach TBs to toys or other objects, do they tend to stay attached? Is it always a good idea to laminate a card to attach as well that describes the goal of the TB?

 

Do most people release both coins and TBs? I would love to know what the loss average is and also what the average is of travel items to make it to their stated goals....

[rickctroop13]

I've seen the slugs in the wild, they're a good inexpensive alternate to coins (at coinsandpins.com), similar in cost & anti disappearingness are Generic Geocoins and Cache Movers (geoswag.com/oakcoins)- I have a few of those out and about as well as tags.... can't make myself cut loose a pretty coin so they ride around in my box...

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

has any coin or tb gone around the world ?

 

My TB 1492 has, traveling only West no less!

[+Kealia]

For those of you who attach TBs to toys or other objects, do they tend to stay attached? Is it always a good idea to laminate a card to attach as well that describes the goal of the TB?

 

I generally attach the TB tag and mission sheet (laminated) with airplane cable and stops/crimps as they are more secure than the ball-and-chain things that come with the TBs.

 

Do most people release both coins and TBs? I would love to know what the loss average is and also what the average is of travel items to make it to their stated goals....

I don't know about everybody, but I do. I have about a 10% loss across the board of coins and TBs. Neither being higher since I started tagging my coins as mentioned above. The first few I sent out with just a note in a bag went missing quick. I don't think it's always thieves - just the mission getting separated and people not knowing better when they find a shiny coin.

 

Mark it as a traveler and make it clear and you will be ok. Just realize that people do lose them, caches go missing, etc.

[+fairyhoney]

"with airplane cable and stops/crimps as they are more secure than the ball-and-chain things that come with the TBs."

Kelia, are these the exact names of these things? And where would you purchase them? I have been disillusioned with what I've seen in the hardware stores around here. They just don't compare to something like what Marky uses.

[+BlueDeuce]

"with airplane cable and stops/crimps as they are more secure than the ball-and-chain things that come with the TBs."

Kelia, are these the exact names of these things? And where would you purchase them? I have been disillusioned with what I've seen in the hardware stores around here. They just don't compare to something like what Marky uses.

 

The cable is simply called cable and the crimp is called a ferrule. I buy mine from Ace hardware.

These are the instructions that I posted a while back

 

==================

 

Using a metal cable (airplane cable) to attach a TB tag to traveler.

 

I'm using a 1/16 gauge cable which seems plenty strong to me. About 26 cents per foot and the ferrules are about 54 cents each.

 

To crimp the ferrules you only need a good set of pliers but I recommend using at least a 10 inch lineman pliers (Craftsman of course) so you can apply a lot of force easily. You'll probably only want to crimp one side at a time and the lineman pliers are wide enough to get the whole side at once.

 

You want to cut the cable as 'clean' as possible so you don't have loose threads that can make it hard to stick through a small hole, (Plus those threads hurt when they stick you in the finger). The lineman pliers can do a good cut but I also like having a set of pincers on hand. You may have to undo some work and the pliers may be too big to do some careful cutting.

 

I like to start by crimping a ferrule on one end of the cable first and then stick several feet of cable through whatever I'm securing. You may only need two inches of cable, but do you want to hold two inches of metal cable in a circle, a set of pliers and crimp a ferrule all at the same time? (No, you don't.)

 

And be careful if you cut just the tip of the cable, it'll fall apart into tiny little wires. You don't want to step on those later so cut over a work tray or dinner plate.

 

Okay, so you have the ferrule on one end, stick the other end through the traveler, make sure you add on the tags and stuff before you close the loop. I'll then hold the ferrule in the pliers, pull the cable so it's the size circle I want, then an extra millimeter, cut the cable and pull it back inside the ferrule so nothing is sticking out, and crimp. If the end of the cable sticks out a little bit, file it down so it won't cut anyone.

 

 

Edited February 2, 2008 by BlueDeuce

[+EScout]

Very good tutorial by BlueDeuce above. I do the exact same thing.

Sometimes, instead of the loop, I do a straight cable with aluminum stops crimped on each end. I dip them in quick drying epoxy putty for a smooth finish.

 

[+BlueDeuce]

Sometimes, instead of the loop, I do a straight cable with aluminum stops crimped on each end. I dip them in quick drying epoxy putty for a smooth finish.

 

Thanks. I need to re-write it so it flows better.

 

I noticed before either you or someone posting an image of a straight cable. Very nice idea. It's just a matter of having a good stop.

 

A bit of an art to it when you want securely attach the tag to a traveler.

Edited February 2, 2008 by BlueDeuce

[square_peg]

I used the cable/ferrule method. I got my materials and tools at Seattle Marine & Fisheries Supply. There's a tool called a 'hand swager' made to both cut the cable and crimp the ferrules. It uses compound leverage like a pair of bolt cutters. Nifty tool made for the commercial fishing industry.

Edited February 3, 2008 by square_peg