FTF prizes

[+Hellolost]

What are some good first to find prizes. I am not talking about going overboard. I am talking about prizes an average person would be able to put into a box and a FTF person would be happy to see.

[+Miragee]

For me, the best FTF prize is an empty logbook.

 

I wouldn't worry about a "prize," although un-activated Geocoins are very nice.

[+intolerable]

Unactivated geocoins send me flying out the door... my son (age 5) loves the geocoins too and while he's not always enthusiastic about chasing down a FTF, if there's a coin waiting, he's ready to go in a flash.

[+Team_CSG]

I agree, the FTF is more then enough for me. But I've seen $1 bill or a very nominal gift card to a popular coffee house.

[+softball29]

I usually put a FTF pin in my caches. They are nice, not too expensive and something to at least give. I hope people like it.

[+stokstad]

I just recently placed my first cache and I put a starwars trading card game still sealed in the package and a movie in there for the FTF. I thought I was being cheap lol

[+intolerable]

I agree, the FTF is more then enough for me. But I've seen $1 bill or a very nominal gift card to a popular coffee house.

 

I agree with the above too Geocoins might get me flying out the door, but FTF is enough all on its own, especially if the cache is challenging in some way.

 

Coffee cards are nice too. A nice alternative to that one might be a gas card with whatever you were planning on putting on the coffee card.

[+Totem Clan]

When we first moved here, it took up to week for a cacher to claim the FTF. I started leaving FTF prizes as soon as we moved here and started hiding caches. Since then a group of the locals have caught the FTF fever. Now I never leave anything on purpose. If I wanted to hand out FTF prize I would just drive to their houses and hand it to them.

[+Userzero]

Around these parts, one or two scratch lottery tickets is very common.

[+Nachtraaf]

the honour...and and unactivated geocoin :-)

 

Regards,

Hans

[+Voodoo7]

All very cool sugestions. I have yet to get a FTF but one I heard about was one of the new gold dollar coins. That's cool.

[+jbhodj & Drake]

In my area the FTF prizes would only go to like 3-5 people maybe less. I think the MT logbook is good enough for them.

[+Cub Pack 197]

What are some good first to find prizes. I am not talking about going overboard. I am talking about prizes an average person would be able to put into a box and a FTF person would be happy to see.

 

Most importantly update the cache listing promptly giving FTF honors to xxxxx.

 

The FTF hounds are mostly in it for the thrill of the find and some for recognition.

[+flask]

 

Most importantly update the cache listing promptly giving FTF honors to xxxxx.

 

 

oh, goodness, please no!

 

every time i see one of these listings i get the willies. if ever my name appears on one, i'll ask that it be removed. i'll un-log the cache if i have to.

 

same thing with people who bookmark their FTFs with a public list. tacky tacky, tacky. it reminds me very much of territorial marking by urination.

 

i realize that some people like this, but before you go rushing off with this one, understand clearly that there are a number of us who think it isn't good.

 

one day soon i'm going to pick a week and FF every new cache in my area (just to prove i still can). i will then not log any of them as FFs, and maybe not at all. i love the thrill of the FTF hunt, but abhor the public advertising of it. i'm happy any time i can throw a monkey wrench into those gears.

 

 

i don't leave FTF prizes, but i will often leave small gifts for whoever finds the cache after me. or a mystery prize: a sealed envelope you're only supposed to open if you trade for it. there's a coffee shop i love near a park that gets a bunch of caches, so i'll leave gift certificates when i can.

 

i adore leaving lovely gifts in caches for whoever comes next. i understand that often people don't have anything to trade evenly for them, so the best they've got is good enough.

[+J-Way]

My favorites (some already listed):

- Gift certificate for nearby business (usually retail, food, or gas), especially as a thank-you to the business for allowing the cache if the cache is on business property ($5-$20).

- Unactivated Geocoin ($5-$10)

- Gold-colored US $1 coin ($1)

- Some other collectable item, make sure you identify the item ($Varies)

- FTF pin ($Cheap?)

- Fresh, clean log book ($0)

Edited June 11, 2008 by J-Way

[+Colonial Cats]

Our usual FTF prize is our signature non-tractable Colonial Cats coin.

[+Stargazer22]

Cash is always good, even if only a buck or two.

I like anything camping or hiking related, too.

 

I have one cache out there of mine with a $5 FTF prize in it that has been out for coming up on 7 weeks now without being found yet.

But it does require a canoe or kayak and about a 6 mile round trip paddle.

Maybe I should have made that $10?

[+nashuan]

I just ordered some walking staff medallions from:

 

http://shop.geoswag.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/gsitems.html

 

I'm sure other vendors carry similar items. Reasonably priced, small and a nice FTF trinket I think.

 

$100 bills would work too I think

[+briansnat]

What are some good first to find prizes. I am not talking about going overboard. I am talking about prizes an average person would be able to put into a box and a FTF person would be happy to see.

 

Most importantly update the cache listing promptly giving FTF honors to xxxxx.

 

The FTF hounds are mostly in it for the thrill of the find and some for recognition.

 

FTF is a game within a game that only a small segment of geocachers care about. Some people aren't thrilled with the frenzy and occasional bad feelings created by this part of the sport.

 

I have never and will never update my cache page to give FTF "honors" simply because I don't give a clam's patootie who the FTF is. If the FTF wants the world to know he can certainly toot his horn in his Found It log.

[+Isonzo Karst]

For me, the best FTF prize is an empty logbook.

 

I wouldn't worry about a "prize," although un-activated Geocoins are very nice.

 

Yep, what Miragee said.

 

My logs all have a space at the top with the text:

This space reserved for the ruminations of the MEFF. All bow down.

 

Not original, I took that from somebody, possibly Paintfiction. In any case, the MEFF hounds like it fine.

 

 

I'm not fond of the cache page being modified to include the name of the FTF for assorted reasons.

 

MEFF=most esteemed first finder, it's the local jargon.

[+TotemLake]

My first two caches had FTF prizes of geocoins. My third cache was stocked (and stuffed) very well, so I just put down the first cacher can take one goodie of choice without worry of trade.

[+mcwtlg]

Around these parts, one or two scratch lottery tickets is very common.

 

Same here in TX, at least a few years ago it was. Also gift cards to Starbucks (or cards themed to the hide) are common. I leave a signature item in any cache that will hold one as FTF...an 80's cassette in a ziplock baggie. We have a core of 80's fans in this area that seem to enjoy them. They are always missing from the caches when I go back to check on them a few days later.

[Skippermark]

Unactivated coins are the best. Barring that, a gift certificate for a donut shop.

[+flask]

 

$100 bills would work too I think

 

yes, they're very nice in a cache. i've only ever seen one, though.

[+Moore9KSUcats]

We found a $100 gift card to the GAP in a cache one time.... it wasn't even a new cache! The person that left it never did log online, that I know of... and there was a group of cachers between when it was left and our finding it.

 

That gift card sure did excite my 3 daughters... we put just about everything we had in the cache, went home, and went shopping!

[+24kilo]

How about this one, GC1D7P2 , It's my wife's Cache. But I helped.... I put an older model GPS in, Thought soneone could use it.Make sure you check the Pic out. That smile was worth it.

Edited June 17, 2008 by 24kilo

[+wapahani]

I place a dollar bill in the log.

 

When I decide to place a real challenge, it will probably have a $5 in it.

 

I won't always include money and certainly won't always post it as that either.

 

I will probably do geocoins next.

[+busterbabes]

I like to leave a FTF gift in all caches that I place. Depending on the cache, I try to leave an appropiately themed FTF gift. My very entertaining cache...a new DVD, my Happy Holidays cache..an unactivated Holiday coin, my 100th find commemerative cache...100 nickels gift card (5$ walmart card).

In micro caches I place, I get movie passes at work for 4.50, they can be rolled up pretty small.

I myself like to go on the FTF hunts around here, and i have many FTF's and never have found a FTF gift...and thats fine. My reward is the blank log and running into all the other cachers that show up.

But I like to think of the little added bonus other cachers get when being FTF on one of my caches. It makes me smile to know they get a little something extra when they are the first to open the cache.

Happy Caching!!!

~Jenni

[+busterbabes]

didn't mean to post this twice

Edited June 18, 2008 by busterbabes

[+KerBear]

have only a few ftf-none of them with a ftf prize that I recall. our favorite ftf was a cache for dogs (our best friends). zoie took forever finding the toy she wanted. she took a purple squeeky monster. I didn't have a trade item so we had to make a return trip. well, this started the process over again. she found the toy of her dreams. a red heartguard sqeeky bone (if anyone knows where I can get a replacement-let me know). had to trade 2 toys so she could have the bone (dogs are worse then kids!). that was prob. 2 yrs ago? she still has the bone and loves it! she carries it everywhere and cries when she can't find it. so that has been our very best ftf prize ever.

 

for my caches, most of the time there's no ftf prize. I did a last to find prize which was a dvd movie. have a canoe cache that had an unactivated geocoin as ftf prize. sometimes will put an unactivated travel bug tag as prize. depends on where the cache is and how much work to get to it. I think gas cards would make great ftf prizes!!!

Edited June 18, 2008 by KerBear

[+derangedlunatech]

I have only 1 FTF. The prize to me was putting my name in he FTF spot in the log, and just getting to see what the CO initially stocked it with.

[+starscream2]

On my grand total of two hides I left an unactivated geocoin in the first, and a $1 scratch-off lotto ticket in the second. In both I had a printed certificate for the FTF.

 

I have been FTF 3 or 4 times and never saw any prize.

 

I could see doing another unactivated coin in a future hide if I thought the cache was especially clever and challenging. Otherwise I kind of like the $1 scratch off ticket (in a zip-lock to keep it dry of course) idea in general.

 

I have waffled on the whole FTF prize concept. On one hand the same people tend to be the FTF over and over, so that is the aspect of the game they love, that is cool, but why should those same people get all the prizes? On the other hand at least in my area the FTF race is not so over-competitive that no one has a chance. There is a variety of FTF'ers heck I managed to get three myself so anyone could do it. Also I noticed that the common FTF people often note TNLN even when there is a good FTF prize, which is cool of them to let others have the prizes if they have gotten several prizes in the past. I think the unactivated geocoin I left went to the third finder.

 

Lastly, I guess I sort of don't like listing the FTF prizes in the cache description. It just seems tacky to me. I am not that bothered about, if others want to do it okay.. but I can't see myself doing it. On my caches the FTF prize will always be a surprise. It just seems odd to read cache pages and see FTF prize listings that are 2 years old.. after the first few people take those items that information is old.