who is right?

[+joeluke]

My hubbie and i went caching a lil while back and found one and in it was a little rubber smiley doll. We've seen quite a few of them and realized that a fellow cacher puts one in every cache they find(as long as it fits of course) Ive also seen where other ppl put in wooden nickles kinda like a mark of they had been there besides just their signature. Well hubbie put in something (i dont remember exactly what) and took this smiley doll. After he got back to the car with it in hand we had a big arguement. I didnt agree with him taking it cause like i told him and said above its kinda like a mark that they had been there and for instance if we were to put in a cache that they have not found that could send the message to later finders that that person had already found it or if that person finds it and their 'mark' was already their i would think they may feel a lil disrespected-therefore we still have the doll. Now my hubbie argues that if its in there its swag and was intended to be traded. We are still a lil new to this and was wondering what the consences about this was from ppl that do this themselves and was their a unwritten rule about this?

[+KoosKoos]

I've always seen signature items as a neat piece of swag. Leave something equally valued and take it home and enjoy.

 

One of our local cachers always leaves a bag of foreign coins...for the first 10 or 15 we did that had those, it was ALWAYS what my son wanted to trade for. I convinced him to trade for a few now and then, but leave others for some later seekers.

 

If you're putting something into a cache, I think the assumption is that it's a trade item (or a trackable, which is also meant to be taken out of the cache).

[+Zolgar]

There may be those who don't want their signature item taken from a cache.

.. I disagree personally though. After all, if noone took sig items, in a few years, you'd find an ammo can chock full of wooden nickels, smiley face dolls, dominoes, etc.

 

I have an idea for a sig item I want to make, if I can effectively do it. and I personally intend for them to be taken.

 

As was said, if an item is left in a cache, it's pretty well assumed it's up for grabs. Most cachers won't fault you for taking it.

[+PrincessBTigress]

From my understanding signature items can be taken (think about it from the point that if they were all left eventually the cache could become overflowing with signature items) but if you take a signature item I would not place it in another cache, keep it for yourself.

I've heard of some that collect signature items from other people and view their collection with pride.

If you make your own signature item then they should be left, not traded for something else.

[+Civic Doodie]

 

I have an idea for a sig item I want to make, if I can effectively do it. and I personally intend for them to be taken.

 

I leave an American flag pin as my signature item, but it is the signed log that is the real note that I have been there. I want people to take the pin. I don't want them just sitting in the woods for ages, I want someone to pick it up.

[+ventura_kids]

There are a couple of answers here. Yes, and No.

 

Yes, you are always right.

If you grab the signature item, you ought to leave something of equal or greater value.

I always say Trade Even or UP.

 

However,

There are also those who toss their sig items in, so those who collect sig items can try to grab one.

( We drop geocoins here and there, with NO expectations of a trade. )

 

Many times I find something cool to grab, and I forgot to bring the swag bag from the jeep.

Rather than go back, I toss whatever I have into the cache...and then feel guilty for a bit.

 

The most important point here is....... NO argueing!

[+joeluke]

well i guess i owe hubbie an apology thanks for your input

[+BlueDeuce]

It's up for the taking.

 

I trade out such things and then keep them. That's the only kind of swag I usually take anymore.

[+Prime Suspect]

My hubbie and i went caching a lil while back and found one and in it was a little rubber smiley doll. We've seen quite a few of them and realized that a fellow cacher puts one in every cache they find(as long as it fits of course) Ive also seen where other ppl put in wooden nickles kinda like a mark of they had been there besides just their signature. Well hubbie put in something (i dont remember exactly what) and took this smiley doll. After he got back to the car with it in hand we had a big arguement. I didnt agree with him taking it cause like i told him and said above its kinda like a mark that they had been there and for instance if we were to put in a cache that they have not found that could send the message to later finders that that person had already found it or if that person finds it and their 'mark' was already their i would think they may feel a lil disrespected-therefore we still have the doll. Now my hubbie argues that if its in there its swag and was intended to be traded. We are still a lil new to this and was wondering what the consences about this was from ppl that do this themselves and was their a unwritten rule about this?

Signature items are still trade items. I don't think people leave them with the expectation that they will remain in the cache indefinitely. If they did, eventually caches would get filled up with nothing but signature items.

[+El Diablo]

Leaving your mark is what the log book is for. Leaving a signature item is a great way to give some personalized swag. As mentioned above, there are a lot of people who collect signature items.

 

So tell hubby that you're sorry. He was right.

 

El Diablo

[+webscouter.]

Make sure to mark this on the calendar also. When your husband is old and senile he will want to remember that ONCE he was right.

[+Lefty Writer]

Make sure to mark this on the calendar also. When your husband is old and senile he will want to remember that ONCE he was right.

 

Dang, you beat me to it!

I was going to say something along those same lines, except more of the "Hah! I was right! I TOLD you so! Nyah, Nyah! In yer face!"

 

 

Ummm, what do you mean, I'm sleeping on the couch?

 

[+the hermit crabs]

One other part of your post that I don't think anyone else had addressed yet:

if we were to put in a cache that they have not found that could send the message to later finders that that person had already found it or if that person finds it and their 'mark' was already their i would think they may feel a lil disrespected-therefore we still have the doll.

We have occasionally found some of our sig items in caches that we hadn't been to before; they had been picked up and then dropped there by other people. We don't feel disresepected by it at all; we get a chuckle out of it.

[+Lotho]

Its fine to take a sig item from a cache, they are there to be taken. However i would urge you not to place them in caches yourself as the cacher may only place them in caches they deem "worthy" and by placing it in a cache that does not fit this may annoy them.

[+Night Stalker]

I am one of those cachers that collects signature items. These days they are the most interesting thing a person can find in a cache. I also have a signature item that I leave in caches in case there is someon else out there that wants to pick one up.

[+Moose Mob]

I will always take a sig item from a cache. Just one. If I find the same sig item in a later cache, I will leave it for someoine else.

 

Also note that I see a sig item as something with the cacher's name on it. If Joe Cacher always leaves a frog, then I don't see that as a sig item unless they write their name on it. It only means they are consistant with what they leave in the cache. Your mileage may vary.

[+usyoopers]

One other part of your post that I don't think anyone else had addressed yet:

if we were to put in a cache that they have not found that could send the message to later finders that that person had already found it or if that person finds it and their 'mark' was already their i would think they may feel a lil disrespected-therefore we still have the doll.

We have occasionally found some of our sig items in caches that we hadn't been to before; they had been picked up and then dropped there by other people. We don't feel disresepected by it at all; we get a chuckle out of it.

 

That just happened to us on our last cache outing...we opened a cache and there was our geotag, opened another cache and there was our signature keychain. It was a little freaky to see ourselves somewhere we had never been but we got a little chuckle out of it, left them there and on down the road we went.

[+Renegade Knight]

...Now my hubbie argues that if its in there its swag...

 

Hubbie is right. It's swag. If you think about it by the time a cache gets dozens of finds, there would be no room for signature items if nobody traded them out.

 

Some cachers like to collect signature items so they tend to be a bit more valuable as swag becasue of that fact.

[Mag Magician]

Its fine to take a sig item from a cache, they are there to be taken. However i would urge you not to place them in caches yourself as the cacher may only place them in caches they deem "worthy" and by placing it in a cache that does not fit this may annoy them.

 

I'm with Lotho on this one. We place the Team Magic sig in caches we deem worthy of being noticed.

 

I just got an e-mail from a newbie saying that he had picked up the sig item and questioning whether it was meant to get passed along. My answer to that query? "It's yours, if you are into collecting." I would hate to see it placed in some lamo cache. Someone might get the impression I approved of that particular cache.

[+briansnat]

If nobody took sig items, pretty soon the cache would be full of nothing but sig items.

[+mtn-man]

You got a Smiling in Acworth bendy! He has left about 6,000 of them out there, so I bet they won't miss one. I got one a long time ago too. It is a treasured signature item. They will be happy that you grabbed it!

[+Harmony Baby]

My daughter makes her signature piece and puts them in every cache they fit it. They are meant for others to take. Our funniest story: We went to find a cache that was just off of a sidewalk. On the sidewalk in front of where the hide was, there was a pile of signature pieces, all ours. So someone must like to collect them!!! We make ours out of used polystyreen containers. Time consuming but better then ending up in a landfill for the next 1000 years.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Harmony Baby

[+Smokey Bear Collector]

Harmony Baby has very cool Sig Items...I have a few, and they're all the same....funny, I was just thinking they look like they're made from styrofoam cups.

 

I believe a SigItem should have the cachers name or ID on it, other wise it's just swag. For instance I often leave something with Smokey Bear on it. But they don't have my name on them, therefore they're not true 'calling cards'.

 

Go ahead and take SigItems if you like...if not, leave it there.

[+Harmony Baby]

Thanks Smokey!! We make each one a little different. If you look again, I'll bet that the shirt color is different, or the hair, etc. The new 2008 ones are out now too!! Keep collecting!!!

[+Smokey Bear Collector]

I did notice that....And the faces are sometimes different depending on the size of the 'chip'...I only have 2007 so far. I'll have to get out your way and find some new ones....or visit my newest hides and drop some off when you have time

[+Prime Suspect]

If nobody took sig items, pretty soon the cache would be full of nothing but sig items.

Now where did I hear that before?

Edited April 22, 2008 by Prime Suspect

[+DaFunkyFrogs]

We usually trade sig item for sig item. Sometimes ours won't fit in the cache though

Someone just recently placed a cache listing all the original contents: McToys, Keychains etc and one DaFunkyFrogs Poker Chip! We were honored as this cache is about 100 miles away from us and the cacher had to have come to our area and found our chip and liked it enough to take it home and put it in a new cache.

[+joranda]

There are alot of people who collect sig. items. So when they see them they trade them out.

[+Chapskis1]

I did notice that....And the faces are sometimes different depending on the size of the 'chip'...I only have 2007 so far. I'll have to get out your way and find some new ones....or visit my newest hides and drop some off when you have time

 

To me, 2007 seems like an awful lot!!!