Free Garmin Geocoins question

August 30, 2008

Good or Bad ?

August 30, 2008

Good or Bad ?

Personally, if you've made the effort to go and get the coin then it's up to you what you do with it.

But others would disagree

If you want to enter the competition you need to release it (IIRC).

6.2k · August 30, 2008

I would link to Garmin's site but since it's a commercial organisation...

Oh what the heck, I'm going to risk it. Here's what Garmin say about the coins and competition: www.garminuk.geocaching.com. They seem keen to get them in circulation, but I'd say they could be seen by more people at events, in someone's collection. Just my take on it.

August 30, 2008

Good if you managed to get them and bad if you couldn't

August 30, 2008

From the leaflet handed out with the coins (OK, I actually had to ask for one) "grab a Geocoin and pass it on to keep the game alive" plus instructions to the uninitiated as to how to get the coin into a cache.

MBF

August 30, 2008

JMHO ... if you want to keep it/them in your collection that's ok by me, but why not release a Laminated coin in it's place then others can log it/them in and out of caches and it/they can also be kept in your possesion and taken to events as noted above so others can discover it/them, i know this will really mess the milage up for the coins but does that really matter?

as stated this is my own opinion and i have seen many laminated coins travelling around in caches to date.

Team Vorvik

3k · August 30, 2008

From the point of view of somebody who hasn't been able to get hold of a single Garmin coin - BAD.

If you managed to get hold of more than one, pass it on to somebody in the 75% of the UK that hasn't yet had them released. That's what they're there for - if you keep hold of them you're as bad as the "staff and families" of Blacks and Millets that have filched then without ever having any intention of caching or buying a Garmin!!!

(just my take on a question that shouldn't even have needed asking)

1.3k · August 30, 2008

but why not release a Laminated coin in it's place then others can log it/them in and out of caches and it/they can also be kept in your possesion and taken to events as noted above so others can discover it/them, i know this will really mess the milage up for the coins but does that really matter?

Or release the coin and just take a laminated copy to the events!

J

August 30, 2008

For what it is worth, I think collecting the coin is bad. If I gave someone a coin to put in circulation for whatever reason that I would consider it as good as theft. Granted it feels slightly different with a company doing it for commercial gain, but I still think it is not really on.

August 30, 2008

Good or Bad ?

From the Garminuk website.

Rules of the Game

* Geocoins must be placed in a geocache within one week of activation. If you find a Garmin Geocoin and choose to leave it in the cache, make a note of its unique ID and discover the coin online to enter the contest.

So I guess bad unless you never activate it.

1.3k · August 30, 2008

So I guess bad unless you never activate it.

It would be interesting to get some stats of the coins... what was there? 5000 released? how many get activated, how many get dropped into archived or unpublished <grins> caches, that is, folks privates collections. How many get into proper circulation, how many leave the country and how many over time disappear? Anyone got access to tools that can achieve that? Will Groundspeak be doing such a thing as part of the advertising/sponsorship deal with Garmin?

J

August 30, 2008

I think I might give mine the mission of travelling from event to event via different cachers.

That way hopefully eliminating the problem of theft.

August 30, 2008

Good or Bad ?

From the Garminuk website.

Rules of the Game

* Geocoins must be placed in a geocache within one week of activation. If you find a Garmin Geocoin and choose to leave it in the cache, make a note of its unique ID and discover the coin online to enter the contest.

So I guess bad unless you never activate it.

Yes, that's the rule if you want to enter the game.

Given that you can only enter once though (i.e. only one coin), Garmin are hardly encouraging people that may picked up more than one design

August 30, 2008

I've managed to get hold of a complete set, and they will ALL be released into caches, but with a mission to remain within the UK. The only coins I keep hold of are ones that I've bought myself, these free coins were issued to travel.

August 30, 2008

Good or Bad ?

From the Garminuk website.

Rules of the Game

* Geocoins must be placed in a geocache within one week of activation. If you find a Garmin Geocoin and choose to leave it in the cache, make a note of its unique ID and discover the coin online to enter the contest.

So I guess bad unless you never activate it.

Yes, that's the rule if you want to enter the game.

Given that you can only enter once though (i.e. only one coin), Garmin are hardly encouraging people that may picked up more than one design

Absolutely, but weren't they limited to one coin per caching team. :unsure:

This promotion isn't so clear cut as the Jeep and Unite for Diabetes coins/tb's as the Garmin ones seem to be the property of the cacher who obtains it and then it's up to them on deciding it's mission. So I guess it's up to you what you do with your coin but it's surely in the spirit of things to share it with others by releasing it.

You can enter more than once though, you just have to retrieve/discover a coin in the wild and enter it's tracking number.

Edited August 30, 2008 by Zetetic

2.3k · August 31, 2008

Maybe Garmin will release more.

If they can afford to sponsor an average football team then they can afford to roll out some more coins. :unsure:

edited to add my team are even more average.

Edited August 31, 2008 by currykev

August 31, 2008

The only coins I keep hold of are ones that I've bought myself, these free coins were issued to travel.

agreed,

August 31, 2008

I would say it was BAD, VERY BAD to hold onto these coins as the website makes it very clear ( imho) that the intention is for these coins to be released :-

quote:-

Join the great Garmin Geocoin Challenge! We've placed a hoard of limited-edition Garmin Geocoins in participating Blacks and Millets stores throughout the UK. These unique treasures have been designed for you to hide-and-seek around the UK. Provided for free, each Geocoin is stamped with one of five great British landmarks and a unique ID number. Register a Garmin Geocoin online and discover "hidden Britain" for a chance to win adventure prizes for the whole family.

Note the phrase ...These unique treasures have been designed for you to hide-and-seek around the UK.

Having been lucky enough to get hold of 3 of them I know mine will all be out in caches shortly with the mission to keep moving and collect pictures of other iconic locations.

I think it is fine to build a coin collection out of coins you have bought or been given with the request not to send it out in the wild and that is what I do on occasion but when you are given some thing FOC with the request to release it then I think that it is only right and fair that you honour that request.

August 31, 2008

Ok a mixed bag of responses so I think I should explain why I asked the question.

As the coin becomes the property of the person who registers it then In theory he/she/they can decide what they want to do with it. Which leads me to the dilema I currently find myself in. My 11 year old daughter has a coin that SHE thinks will go missing or be replaced by a crude copy (she is aware that this sort of thing has happened recently) and she would rather keep the coin so she can take it to events to share with other people.

I did think of the laminated copy to send on its way but I know there are people who object to this practice and see it as pointless and to a point I agree.

I think I need to think this through a bit more before deciding IF I should impose "The Rules" on her :unsure:

Edited August 31, 2008 by Matrix

8.6k · August 31, 2008

I have some sympathy with those who are holding on to one of these coins with a view to taking it to an Event very soon: If you know that within, say, a week you'll be able to hand it around to 20 - 30 cachers who can then discover it then fair enough. Other than that, please let them go free into geocaches! Remember, this promotion only runs until the end of September and it's for residents of U.K. only, so let's try and ensure that they circulate to as many of those as possible. There are plenty of cachers who never attend events and plenty more who never visit this Forum, so the only way they're likely to find out about the promotion is by chancing upon a poster in Blacks or Millets, or by finding one of the coins in a cache somewhere.

As for after 30th September... I'd say let your conscience be your guide.

MrsB

August 31, 2008

I have managed to get hold of 4 of the designs and all of them are going to be released with missions.

Its what they were issued for.

Edited August 31, 2008 by gazooks

8.6k · August 31, 2008

You can enter more than once though, you just have to retrieve/discover a coin in the wild and enter it's tracking number.

:unsure:

From Garmin's Terms and Conditions for entering the Promotion:

"5. One (1) entry per person only is permitted. Any attempt by any participant to obtain more than one Promotion entry by using multiple/different e-mail addresses, identities, logins, or any other methods will void that participant’s entry and result in his/her disqualification from the Promotion."

Now admittedly that says "One entry per person". So, if you're a caching team of 4 individuals, does that mean it's OK for each member to put an entry in? Maybe. I'm not sure whether this has been clarified anywhere.

MrsB wanders off to have a look in previous posts...

3.3k · August 31, 2008

Place them. If anyone is lucky enough to get one, put them in a cache and forget about them. If anyone had paid for them I can see why they'd get a bit possessive about them, but as they were paid for by Garmin, do what they asked and let 'em go.

I think these should have been pre-registered just like the Diabetes TB tags and Geocoins were. Those blue circles really got the message out and no-one felt attached to them.

August 31, 2008

I think tb's and coins are for travelling so the ones i bagged today will be out in the wild soon, if i want to collect something and keep it i will try stamps :unsure:

August 31, 2008

Free them although it seems the one I released in Newcastle made it to the Lakes and according to the last log entry is no longer there. I am hoping that someone has picked it up to move along and is a little like me when on holiday, I logged any finds a week late. So hopefully that is what has happened.

I have sent another to a cacher in Norfolk who has been very patient with me and she should receive it this week.

I now have a Angel of the North that I will release soon, hopefully she will keep in circulation longer than Ben did.

Set them free let them fly

3k · August 31, 2008

All of the replies so far seem to be from people who either haven't managed to get hold of a Garmin coin, or from people who've managed to get hold of more than one.

How did the latter group get hold of the extras, bearing in mind Garmin have specifically limited them to one per caching team?

Sorry if I sound a little bitter, but after finally getting the coins in on Friday after I'd called them and put my name down for one, my local Blacks had run out again by 10:30 this morning when they opened, and I know of at least one local cacher that now has a full set from the same shop.....

August 31, 2008

All of the replies so far seem to be from people who either haven't managed to get hold of a Garmin coin, or from people who've managed to get hold of more than one.

How did the latter group get hold of the extras, bearing in mind Garmin have specifically limited them to one per caching team?

...

Caching teams are not limited to one coin each, they are limited to one competition entry. When I visited Blacks in Brent Cross the man said there is only a limit of one per visit, and that I could get another if I went in again the next day.

3.1k · August 31, 2008

I have 2 because they were issued in 2 batches and I went twice....

I asked for a second coin today, not for me, but for my workaholic parents, who never get chance to shop... let alone cache!! - I was told, No... one per person.

2.6k · August 31, 2008

There are plenty of cachers who never attend events and plenty more who never visit this Forum, so the only way they're likely to find out about the promotion is by chancing upon a poster in Blacks or Millets, or by finding one of the coins in a cache somewhere.

MrsB

Don't forget this was advertised / promoted in the weekly news from Groundspeak, that's how I heard of it! In theory every caching account was informed. :unsure:

August 31, 2008

Of the four coins I have purchased in the past, three have been "stolen" or have gone missing from caches. In recent weeks, I have been contacted by two cachers asking me if I could check my caches for missing coins. I understand that these have gone too.

Personally, I wouldn't put any coins out into caches if this is representative. I believe that it is far better to either pass them on to other (known) cachers directly or to simply let others discover them at events for example.

August 31, 2008

Every coin I have picked up, I have either scanned or taken a photo of, before moving the coin onto another cache.

The photos take up less room, don't gather dust, and are easy to transport.

I have also scanned the Garmin coin I have released, and posted the pic (minus the tracking number) on the coin page.

I look forward to reading about the coins travel.

Ivan

3.3k · August 31, 2008

All of the replies so far seem to be from people who either haven't managed to get hold of a Garmin coin, or from people who've managed to get hold of more than one.

I replied and I have just one :unsure: . It's going in one of my own caches in the next day or so.

August 31, 2008

Ok a mixed bag of responses so I think I should explain why I asked the question.

As the coin becomes the property of the person who registers it then In theory he/she/they can decide what they want to do with it. Which leads me to the dilema I currently find myself in. My 11 year old daughter has a coin that SHE thinks will go missing or be replaced by a crude copy (she is aware that this sort of thing has happened recently) and she would rather keep the coin so she can take it to events to share with other people.

I did think of the laminated copy to send on its way but I know there are people who object to this practice and see it as pointless and to a point I agree.

I think I need to think this through a bit more before deciding IF I should impose "The Rules" on her

In this case, I would go with the laminated copy idea (something I had not thought of, and wish I had, as I have lost a few slugs and coins now 3out of the 6 released are lost, or in one case with a geogcacher who does not reply to emails...

The Laminated method allows you to take part in the game, but also allows you daughter to take to events etc.. Rather a laminated coin "Missing" than a real coin "missing" AKA in a box.

But the great thing about the hobby is that its up to you

August 31, 2008

In this case, I would go with the laminated copy idea (something I had not thought of, and wish I had, as I have lost a few slugs and coins now 3out of the 6 released are lost, or in one case with a geogcacher who does not reply to emails...

The Laminated method allows you to take part in the game, but also allows you daughter to take to events etc.. Rather a laminated coin "Missing" than a real coin "missing" AKA in a box.

But the great thing about the hobby is that its up to you

I had not thought of this idea until I read it on here and this is exactly what I intend to do. Prior to that I was just going to take it with me from cache to cache for others to log if they met me.

For those who disagree I say yes the coin may well have been free but the cost in time, fuel and phone calls to actually get my hands on my single coin means I have probably paid a small fortune to get one so my coin will stay at home and its laminated friend will be doing all the hard work.

At least this way it won't matter if it goes missing and everyone that finds it will still be able to log it and enter the prize draw

September 1, 2008

Regarding the coins, I can see both sides of the argument as they are nice coins, but I am releasing them as intended by Garmin - I would look at it as a contract between them giving them away and us receiving them. Yes it did take some effort to pick them up but that was my choice.

Re coins that go MIA - It's a shame that people feel the need to take something that doesn't belong to them and store it in a collection that for obvious reasons cannot be shown to anyone else - obviously they are not proud of 'their coin collection'!

Yes they might end up in the hands of an e-bayer or a collector but if they stay in my hands only a handfull of people will get to see them. I wish them luck in their travels and I hope they travel far and wide and bring joy to people who see them.

6.2k · September 1, 2008

All of the replies so far seem to be from people who either haven't managed to get hold of a Garmin coin, or from people who've managed to get hold of more than one.
I replied and I have just one . It's going in one of my own caches in the next day or so.

Ditto. My one needs to be swapped for another, but once that is done in the next few days I'll register it and give it the mission to pass from cacher to cacher at events, in the hope that it'll be safer that way. Having 'lost' a coin at an event this year, I'm a little nervous but I hope I'm hitting the right balance. Edited September 1, 2008 by Simply Paul

2.5k · September 1, 2008

I think that as they were kind enough to let us 'own' them and therefore set the coin's mission and get the icon, we should honour our side of the deal and release the coins into the wild. One of the disappointments of the diabetes coins was that although you could register to receive one, the coin was still owned by Groundspeak. Letting us register the coins ourselves has got to be a positive step, because 'owned' coins will always have somebody keeping a beady eye on them, sending polite emails if they get stuck, etc. If the experiment works this time, and we play the game, then perhaps they will be more inclined to repeat it in future. Mine is going into the wild. I am going to drill it and attach a tag with coin's mission to hopefully keep it on track and make it less attractive to coin thieves.

September 1, 2008

Im with Ailbags on this one, despite seeing one go MIA already I have a Angel of the North that will be getting drilled ready to be dropped off this weekend.

Now where do I buy those chains from...

September 1, 2008

Im with Ailbags on this one, despite seeing one go MIA already I have a Angel of the North that will be getting drilled ready to be dropped off this weekend.

Now where do I buy those chains from...

We are drilling ours as well and have just managed to get a load of small sized key rings from ebay (thought that the Key rings would be harder to remove than the chains from the TB's (although if someone really wants its even that won't stop them (cann't see the appeal of a drilled coin myself????)

3k · September 1, 2008

Got mine now - so I'm happy :blink:

Didn't cost me anything (apart from a little postage) so it's going straight out..... that's what they're for, after all!!

September 1, 2008

Im with Ailbags on this one, despite seeing one go MIA already I have a Angel of the North that will be getting drilled ready to be dropped off this weekend.

Now where do I buy those chains from...

We are drilling ours as well and have just managed to get a load of small sized key rings from ebay (thought that the Key rings would be harder to remove than the chains from the TB's (although if someone really wants its even that won't stop them (cann't see the appeal of a drilled coin myself????)

Any suggestions as to the best thing to use as a tag please? :blink:

I have seen some small key rings with paper inserts but I would have thought they would not last very long. I have also seen laminated tags that had ripped the chain out.

If I had engraving skills a small metal tag might do it... :blink:

September 1, 2008

I put my two round the event at the weekend and they saw about 10 people. More than I expect them to see during the next 30days if I put them in the wild. Many people I spoke to had the same view that since I now 'own' the coin it is up to me what I do.

Sadly I had hoped to make it to an event tonight to show it round even more people however time has meant I can't get there.

I see both points of view on this. My main fear is that they will go missing. Ok it didn't cost me anything but they are nice coins - the reason why I don't want to drill them. I don't feel obliged to release them or that ive any kind of 'contract' between Garmin and myself.

I know that some people have not managed to get them in some areas of the UK, but here in Basingstoke there is still a bag of them behind the counter (I asked today to update the other thread). If people in the Basingstoke area are that desperate to get one they just have to pop in.

If we're going to start telling cachers to 'play the game' then do we have to start hunting down the muggles that read the sign in Blacks and asked for one which now sits on the side at home until they can be bothered to find out what all this geocaching is about....?

If there are people still without one, i'm happy to go into Blacks and ask for another to post on. I can't guarantee they'll give me one, but I could ask...!

September 1, 2008

(now ducks down in to very deep bunker to avoid flak!!!)

Room for two??

September 1, 2008

Trying to find my id number

September 1, 2008

the id number on the coin???

September 1, 2008

Keeping the coin, despite public display of them, is not honouring the deal. And is false imprisonment. There have been plenty of other threads about normal coins and people saying that if a coin has gone missing, its stolen. Which I agree with. Withholding the coin is stealing it in my eyes. The owner (Garmin) has requested that you (the guardian / custodian) do something with it. And by the looks of it, many are not.

If I released a coin and 'coin hoarders' out there thought it was nice, would you stop it in case it gets stolen? But that's not what I want to happen to the coin. I think Garmin have calculated the risks on this one and we should do our side of the bargain.

1.7k · September 1, 2008

The owner (Garmin)

Even after they have given it away :sad: ?

has requested that you (the guardian / custodian)

I think you mean the owner!

do something with it.

Well I would have thought that taking it to events and allowing people to discover it is doing something with it :sad:

we should do our side of the bargain.

So what is our side of the bargain? I do not see any contract or conditions as a prerequisite of the transfer. The only prerequisite that I can see is that you release it within a week if you wish to enter the competition.

Don't get me wrong, I believe that coins should travel and I enjoy seeing the logs from mine, but that is my choice and the way I play it. Why do people seem so keen to impose their views on everyone else in this place .

September 1, 2008

Why do people seem so keen to impose their views on everyone else in this place .

Because it's an 'open' forum! :sad:

But getting back on topic - the Garmin rules of competition say it should be released. It is a limited run of coins. By taking a coin and not releasing it to be in the competition means that there is one less coin available for people who want to take part in the competition.

1.7k · September 1, 2008

Why do people seem so keen to impose their views on everyone else in this place .

Because it's an 'open' forum!

Fair comment

But getting back on topic - the Garmin rules of competition say it should be released.

If you, the owner want to use that coin to enter the competition.

It is a limited run of coins.

Aren't they all? In fact this is a very large run at the rumoured 5000 released

By taking a coin and not releasing it to be in the competition means that there is one less coin available for people who want to take part in the competition.

Providing it is registered it is part of the competition and anyone who sees it can discover it and enter the competition. IMHO coins in collections that visit events are likely to get far more logs than ones out in the wild.

September 1, 2008

Providing it is registered it is part of the competition and anyone who sees it can discover it and enter the competition. IMHO coins in collections that visit events are likely to get far more logs than ones out in the wild.

They may get seen by more people at events but showing them off in this way limits their exposure to a small percentage of cachers that peruse other peoples collections at events. IMO a wider cross section of cahers will stand a chance of seeing these coins in the long term if they are released to travel around caches.

The person who activates each coin will decide what to do with it. For me the great and liberating thing about geocoins is that you release them to be shared by others rather than keeping them to clutter up your home :sad:

Free Garmin Geocoins question

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