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Geo Coins


sandcach

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Great question, I wish I had an answer. I've had my first two held for a couple of weeks before being dropped only to disappear. I personally have a coin I picked up over spring break, but I contacted the owner and told them where and when I was going to drop it and they were cool with that. I would love it if the person that picked up my coin and held it would contact me to let me know their intentions, but I realize that all cachers aren't that conscientious. I hate the not knowing where my coin is or how long it'll be held hostage.

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It is unfortunate but some people grab coins and then take a break or forget that they have them. I have one out in North Carolina that someone has had for more than a month. If you hold on to a trackble that isn't yours for more than 2 weeks it shows up in your inventory with a reminder that there hasn't been any recent activity.

 

Even more unfortunate is that some people will steal them or even quit caching all together after they have pick up a coin.

 

If they have had it for a while I don't think it is rude for you to send them a kind email and remind them to move it along.

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If they have had it for a while I don't think it is rude for you to send them a kind email and remind them to move it along.

 

I have done this using a little humor, saying I'm a doting father just checking on his kids to see if they are ok.

 

It's also possible they have forgotten they have the bug. I'm guilty of this. Since the trackables are listed at the bottom of the account page, they are easily missed. They should be up top blinking when we've had them longer than 2 weeks.

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I have had a coin sit in someone's pocket for over a year then pop up in a cache. Don't give up hope.

 

To be honest though, the chances of a TB and more so a geocoin, going missing is pretty high. You have to go into it knowing that it will eventually disappear. People like pretty shiny things and tend to keep the cooler doo-dads they find. Sad but true.

 

We have been guilty of holding bugs and coins too long. Sometimes they get forgotten at home. Other times we drag them along as we find micro after micro, with no place to drop anything. We've lost them in the car. They all eventually get out. I don't think people think "I'm gonna hold this TB hostage". I think its more like someone else said, that life just gets in the way.

 

A couple things you can do though;

 

Bag your bug or coin with a TB sheet stating its mission. This helps it stay 'neat' and lets people know what you want your bug to do.

 

Don't make your TB too big. There are getting to be less and less regular caches and if your bug won't fit it won't get placed in a cache.

 

If it does sit in someone's pocket too long a gentle reminder is appropriate. Sometimes people (like us) forget they even have the bug. This just happened to us, we found a TB that wanted people to add casino chips to it. I put on a couple but left it on the workbench in the basement. Forgot all about it till I got a reminder from the owner. We had it out the next day.

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I have had a coin sit in someone's pocket for over a year then pop up in a cache. Don't give up hope.

 

To be honest though, the chances of a TB and more so a geocoin, going missing is pretty high. You have to go into it knowing that it will eventually disappear. People like pretty shiny things and tend to keep the cooler doo-dads they find. Sad but true.

 

We have been guilty of holding bugs and coins too long. Sometimes they get forgotten at home. Other times we drag them along as we find micro after micro, with no place to drop anything. We've lost them in the car. They all eventually get out. I don't think people think "I'm gonna hold this TB hostage". I think its more like someone else said, that life just gets in the way.

 

A couple things you can do though;

 

Bag your bug or coin with a TB sheet stating its mission. This helps it stay 'neat' and lets people know what you want your bug to do.

 

Don't make your TB too big. There are getting to be less and less regular caches and if your bug won't fit it won't get placed in a cache.

 

If it does sit in someone's pocket too long a gentle reminder is appropriate. Sometimes people (like us) forget they even have the bug. This just happened to us, we found a TB that wanted people to add casino chips to it. I put on a couple but left it on the workbench in the basement. Forgot all about it till I got a reminder from the owner. We had it out the next day.

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Hey guys,

 

There is a new game called Veni, Vidi, Vici (link removed by moderator)

 

It's the perfect game for one of those beautiful coins that are in the bottom drawer that you don't want to lose.

 

You also have a say in the challenges for the game because you have to come up with a challenge for ALL coins around the world before you are approved to join - so it will be a lot of fun.

 

The game was my idea because I have lost TB's & coins that I have released into the wild. It's frustrating when you know exactly who has a TB or coin, but they no longer cache and have changed their email address so you can't ask them.

 

Do have a look at the game, you would be most welcome to join in.

Edited by Electric Mouse
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Tell me why any Geocacher would hold Geo Coins for a month or more that is not theres.Now I could see for a week or so . but just can not figure why they hold them for so long.

 

While I haven't had any coins for any length of time, I did have a couple bugs for too long. Why? My wife decided to have a baby. I had no time to cache, nor did I think about it for about 6 months. Health issues can also be a prohibitive factor in caching.

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Simple, not everyone caches every day or even every week. Could also be lost, taken or stolen.

 

After 2 months tops I would fire off an email checking the status in a friendly way.

 

Bad example:

Hey, you've had my coin for a month now - move it along!

 

Better example:

Hey there, I noticed you have one of my coins - or at least the last one to log it. Just wondering what you thought of it and if you had any ideas where you might be placing it next?

 

Thanks!

 

Another thought... if if has a specific mission, the person might be traveling closer to it's goal and waiting for that moment to move it along.

Edited by XopherN71
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I have 10 coins out in the caching world and I'm about to release 10 more. I check up thier movements about once a month. I have sent email to holders of my coins if I they have held it for 2 months or more and are still logging caches during that time. I keep it polite and friendly. Basically saying 'please don't forget about my coin, and drop it into the next cache you feel appropriate for it"

 

I have gone caching in faraway places with the intent to drop coins and bugs. Then I get there and see terrible hides/re-hides, lots of muggled caches, etc and I won't drop into that area. I treat moving coins as if they are my own, and I won't drop them into a spot they are likely to dissapear from.

 

SD

Edited by scuba dude
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As you say there are two ways to ask about your coin that might by in someone else's hands for over a normal period of time. Recently we received an email from an cacher in Oregon that thought we had his coin (however we did not). This cacher counted all the caches that we had visited since we picked up his coin. He didn't take into account the fact that several of these caches were micros. (We have yet to figure out how to put a coin in a micro).

 

What do you consider an appropriate time frame :D and have you consider that the cacher might have fallen ill :ph34r: , bad weather has set in :) or had a death in the family???? :blink::unsure:

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My simple answer is micro cache after micro cache after micro cache! These are pretty popular considering that the area I live in has hundreds of caches already and news ones almost every day. I have a watch list with more tradition larger caches I have to find, and I have a coin that I will be moving along then, but until that time, I just keep it in my pack for now

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Obviously life gets in the way of caching. And just as obviously micro caches get in the way of dropping off coins and TBs. Completely understandable.

 

However, it's not really that hard to drop a note to the owner of the coin or TB and explain the situation. I know that I do. :)

 

And I really like the idea of moving the trackables that have been in our possession up to the top of our stats page in large, blinking - (neon if possible) - text. :)

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Yep, life an get in the way of caching, winter and ice and snow, taking too many credit hours with no time to cache, a lot of micros, death of my son and the larger caches either gone, rivers flooded and can't get to the cache and it might be gone anyhow or I couldn't find (I've had several TB's and coins in my pocket to place just to not find the cache).

 

I have a coin that I can't find and I have searched my geobag. I have the plastic holder it came in (found it in the trunk of the car) and can't figure out how it might have slipped out...and the page for the coin doesn't show a picture. I am hoping that I find it soon so I can move it along.

 

Recently I found a TB in a cache that has been missing from a cache 78 miles from where I found it and its hard to think that someone would have placed it in that particular cache as it was hard to climb to and I would think that someone would have wanted to claim a smiley for that cache! So I got it and just as soon as I find a large enough cache and a relaible one too will get the TB out in circulation again.

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I often hold coins that I pick up locally, in larger metro areas coins have a sense of disappearing, or like what happened to my TB hotel not long ago, I placed 15 bugs/coins afer a trip and someone came by only for the bugs and coins, took them all and never once logged any of them. I would have said the cache was muggled but since the container, log and the several mctoys that were in there were still there it had to be an inside job or a bad cacher! Another thought at least with me I might find 1 reg sized cache per 10-15 small or micro caches so its harder to place coins and bugs when all you have is micros! Most coins I try to move within a month though I have 2 coins out that someone has had in possesion for over a year now. Rob

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