Letterbox hybrid pet peeve:

[+L0ne.R]

It looks like the CO copied this: http://www.geocachin...ache_types.aspx

 

Letterbox Hybrid

Letterboxing is another form of treasure hunting using clues instead of coordinates. In some cases, the letterbox owner has made their container both a letterbox and a geocache and posted its coordinates on Geocaching.com. If there is a stamp inside a Letterbox Hybrid, it is not an item intended for trade; the stamp is meant to remain in the box so that visitors can use it to record their visit. To read more about letterboxing, visit the Letterboxing North America web site.

 

The funny thing is that the CO doesn't even use clues on his page even though he quoted that in his explanation.

 

Another CO that doesn't care about what a letterbox is and doesn't want to care. It's all about the icon. Sigh.

Never seems to be a problem with other cache types. I haven't seen traditionals listed as multis just so the CO could have a multi icon.

[Pup Patrol]

Interesting update to the cache page:

 

Update, 07 May 2012: Apparently I'm wrong about the whole stamp thing. The stamp police has pointed out the cache does indeed need a stamp. I will get a stamp in there within a week. I'm sorry it won't be a handmade stamp as I don't have any artistic talent. May the stamp police forgive a store bought stamp.

 

Of course, that wasn't on the page last night, so it's interesting that the note was dated "07 May 2012".

 

At the bottom of the page one reads:

 

Last Updated: about 13 hours ago on 10/07/2012 18:53:00 Pacific Daylight Time (01:53 GMT)

 

 

 

B.

[+zephyrsailor]

It looks like the CO copied this: http://www.geocachin...ache_types.aspx

 

Letterbox Hybrid

Letterboxing is another form of treasure hunting using clues instead of coordinates. In some cases, the letterbox owner has made their container both a letterbox and a geocache and posted its coordinates on Geocaching.com. If there is a stamp inside a Letterbox Hybrid, it is not an item intended for trade; the stamp is meant to remain in the box so that visitors can use it to record their visit. To read more about letterboxing, visit the Letterboxing North America web site.

 

The funny thing is that the CO doesn't even use clues on his page even though he quoted that in his explanation.

 

Another CO that doesn't care about what a letterbox is and doesn't want to care. It's all about the icon. Sigh.

Never seems to be a problem with other cache types. I haven't seen traditionals listed as multis just so the CO could have a multi icon.

 

the reverse of this i've come across various traditional caches that should be mystery/multi caches...

[+firennice]

My favorite letterbox stamp.

 

Spider Mountain Spring 2012 by firennice, on Flickr

Edited October 8, 2012 by firennice

[+L0ne.R]

It looks like the CO copied this: http://www.geocachin...ache_types.aspx

 

Letterbox Hybrid

Letterboxing is another form of treasure hunting using clues instead of coordinates. In some cases, the letterbox owner has made their container both a letterbox and a geocache and posted its coordinates on Geocaching.com. If there is a stamp inside a Letterbox Hybrid, it is not an item intended for trade; the stamp is meant to remain in the box so that visitors can use it to record their visit. To read more about letterboxing, visit the Letterboxing North America web site.

 

The funny thing is that the CO doesn't even use clues on his page even though he quoted that in his explanation.

 

Another CO that doesn't care about what a letterbox is and doesn't want to care. It's all about the icon. Sigh.

Never seems to be a problem with other cache types. I haven't seen traditionals listed as multis just so the CO could have a multi icon.

 

the reverse of this i've come across various traditional caches that should be mystery/multi caches...

 

Probably because they want more people to visit their cache, definitely not because the CO wants a Traditional Cache icon. A Letterbox hide will decrease the number of visits to the cache.

 

You don't even see people falsely hiding puzzle caches just to get the Puzzle/Mystery cache 'question mark' icon. But there's something about that envelope icon that COs covet.

[+L0ne.R]

My favorite letterbox stamp.

 

Spider Mountain Spring 2012 by firennice, on Flickr

 

Nice work. Almost looks like a wood carving.

[+Rayvan43]

I am just happy that they took the time to hide the cache for me to find!

When YOU hide ONE cache that you put some work into (preferably a LETTERBOX) then come back and vent!!

I find it very odd that you would bump a long-dormant thread for the purpose of violating the forum guidelines. Don't do that again.

 

All posters are entitled to respect, whether they have 5 posts or 5,000, zero cache hides or 100 hides.

Dormant? IMO 2 months is not "Dormant" and what guideline did I violate? Saying what I said was not disrespectful. I was stating my opinion which Im most certainly entitled to. TYVM

[+Rayvan43]

I go out of my way to find letterbox stamps when my daughters are with me. It does not matter the type of stamp, clues or no. They love to do them. They found a stamp they want to use and they are happy.

Thankyou!!

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

I am just happy that they took the time to hide the cache for me to find!

When YOU hide ONE cache that you put some work into (preferably a LETTERBOX) then come back and vent!!

I find it very odd that you would bump a long-dormant thread for the purpose of violating the forum guidelines. Don't do that again.

 

All posters are entitled to respect, whether they have 5 posts or 5,000, zero cache hides or 100 hides.

Dormant? IMO 2 months is not "Dormant" and what guideline did I violate? Saying what I said was not disrespectful. I was stating my opinion which Im most certainly entitled to. TYVM

 

 

Rayvan, The post you originally quoted was three years old.

Edited October 10, 2012 by Sharks-N-Beans

[+Rayvan43]

I do admit I failed to look at the original date of the thread.

What are the guidlines on when I can post a comment? Is it weeks ,months or years?

I am just happy that they took the time to hide the cache for me to find!

When YOU hide ONE cache that you put some work into (preferably a LETTERBOX) then come back and vent!!

I find it very odd that you would bump a long-dormant thread for the purpose of violating the forum guidelines. Don't do that again.

 

All posters are entitled to respect, whether they have 5 posts or 5,000, zero cache hides or 100 hides.

 

Thanks Keystone.

And btw I have 10 active letterbox hybrids listed under our team account and crossposted on AQ. Example.And all hand-carved by me or another letterboxer and all relate to the theme or location.

[Keystone]

Bumping a thread because you have something relevant to add to the conversation is generally OK.

 

Being disrespectful to another geocacher in your bump post is never OK.

Edited October 10, 2012 by Keystone

[+Rayvan43]

Bumping a thread because you have something relevant to add to the conversation is generally OK.

 

Being disrespectful to another geocacher in your bump post is never OK.

I still fail to see where I was disrespectful just my opinion and I can see that any answer that I receive will just be based on personal feelings as the forums are just a bunch of good ole boys and if they dont agree with you than they call foul!

[+FloridaFour]

My letterbox hybrid stamps are hand carved. One is of an alligator guarding a letterbox, and the box says: FL4's Letterbox Hybrid. Name of the stamp is Wildlife of Chesnut Park: The Keeper. (there are 3 other letterboxes in the series).

 

My other stamp is a kayak and mangrove scene, and the words: Upper Tampa Bay Park. The name of the letterbox is.... Upper Tampa Bay Park Letterbox Hybrid... and the scene is one I have seen in the park.

 

 

Come find em!

 

The hand carved stamp... is THE reason I prefer letterboxing over many geocaches. I also do enjoy fun clues.

 

Geocaching has other qualities I enjoy, such as going far off-trail, and creative, strange containers. (letterboxing has them, too, but I just haven't encountered much more than the plain plastic box or dreaded plastic bag/covered with duct tape pouch)

 

I WON'T go looking for a letterbox with a store-bought stamp.

[+Rayvan43]

How does one know when the stamp is store bought unless they find the cache?

My letterbox hybrid stamps are hand carved. One is of an alligator guarding a letterbox, and the box says: FL4's Letterbox Hybrid. Name of the stamp is Wildlife of Chesnut Park: The Keeper. (there are 3 other letterboxes in the series).

 

My other stamp is a kayak and mangrove scene, and the words: Upper Tampa Bay Park. The name of the letterbox is.... Upper Tampa Bay Park Letterbox Hybrid... and the scene is one I have seen in the park.

 

 

Come find em!

 

The hand carved stamp... is THE reason I prefer letterboxing over many geocaches. I also do enjoy fun clues.

 

Geocaching has other qualities I enjoy, such as going far off-trail, and creative, strange containers. (letterboxing has them, too, but I just haven't encountered much more than the plain plastic box or dreaded plastic bag/covered with duct tape pouch)

 

I WON'T go looking for a letterbox with a store-bought stamp.

[7rxc]

How does one know when the stamp is store bought unless they find the cache?

I just got into this, solved quite a few now but haven't found any yet since they are far away except on new one which is targeted.

 

Anyway, AtlasQuest has a spot on the description that often says 'hand carved stamp'.. so they rate that in the clue itself etc.

 

Edit: On AQ look for the 'hand' attribute next to the Name... hover and it says 'hand carved stamp'

I would assume that a hybrid here would most likely say the same somewhere. Don't know about LBNA.

But it is something that the LB crowd value for sure.

Myself I like to solve the puzzles for someday in the future.

 

Doug 7rxc

Edited October 24, 2012 by 7rxc

[+L0ne.R]

How does one know when the stamp is store bought unless they find the cache?

My letterbox hybrid stamps are hand carved. One is of an alligator guarding a letterbox, and the box says: FL4's Letterbox Hybrid. Name of the stamp is Wildlife of Chesnut Park: The Keeper. (there are 3 other letterboxes in the series).

 

My other stamp is a kayak and mangrove scene, and the words: Upper Tampa Bay Park. The name of the letterbox is.... Upper Tampa Bay Park Letterbox Hybrid... and the scene is one I have seen in the park.

 

 

Come find em!

 

The hand carved stamp... is THE reason I prefer letterboxing over many geocaches. I also do enjoy fun clues.

 

Geocaching has other qualities I enjoy, such as going far off-trail, and creative, strange containers. (letterboxing has them, too, but I just haven't encountered much more than the plain plastic box or dreaded plastic bag/covered with duct tape pouch)

 

I WON'T go looking for a letterbox with a store-bought stamp.

 

Usually if someone carves a stamp for their hybrid, they say so in the clues. No mention of a handcarved stamp most often means it's store bought. If the stamp is hand-carved I'll plan a trip out there and may go miles out of my way to find the box. If it's store-bought (or likely store bought) I will treat it like a regular cache and if it gets decent online comments I'll go search for it when I'm in the area. With regards to AtlasQuest the owner indicates whether it's commercial, custom-made or hand-carved. I may search for a commercial-stamp letterbox if it's convenient.

[+sbell111]

Interesting update to the cache page:

 

Update, 07 May 2012: Apparently I'm wrong about the whole stamp thing. The stamp police has pointed out the cache does indeed need a stamp. I will get a stamp in there within a week. I'm sorry it won't be a handmade stamp as I don't have any artistic talent. May the stamp police forgive a store bought stamp.

 

Of course, that wasn't on the page last night, so it's interesting that the note was dated "07 May 2012".

 

At the bottom of the page one reads:

 

Last Updated: about 13 hours ago on 10/07/2012 18:53:00 Pacific Daylight Time (01:53 GMT)

 

 

 

B.

Given that the cache wasn't listed until August and the note about the stamp not being required was made in August and is still on the page, I wouldn't get too bent out of shape by the weird date on his note.

 

I also don't see anything surprising by the update time stamp since that recent cache finds have been posted.

 

How does one know when the stamp is store bought unless they find the cache?

Usually if someone carves a stamp for their hybrid, they say so in the clues. No mention of a handcarved stamp most often means it's store bought. If the stamp is hand-carved I'll plan a trip out there and may go miles out of my way to find the box. If it's store-bought (or likely store bought) I will treat it like a regular cache and if it gets decent online comments I'll go search for it when I'm in the area. With regards to AtlasQuest the owner indicates whether it's commercial, custom-made or hand-carved. I may search for a commercial-stamp letterbox if it's convenient.

I have no reason to believe that many of the hand-carved stampers don't know about your 'mention it on the cache page' rule.

Edited October 24, 2012 by sbell111

[+L0ne.R]

I have no reason to believe that many of the hand-carved stampers don't know about your 'mention it on the cache page' rule.

 

It's definitely not a rule. But it's been my experience that COs who carve a stamp take pride in their work and want to be sure that people don't take it in a trade so they mention it.

[+Harry Dolphin]

I have no reason to believe that many of the hand-carved stampers don't know about your 'mention it on the cache page' rule.

 

It's definitely not a rule. But it's been my experience that COs who carve a stamp take pride in their work and want to be sure that people don't take it in a trade so they mention it.

 

Certainly something that never occurred to me! Should I change my cache page??? Naw. My stamp may not be great carvng, but I did it myself, and that's what I expect to find. I was taken aback by the one I found with a store-bought stamp. (The original was muggled.) I find that expectation to be the 'rule'. Letterbox Hybrid = hand-made stamp.

[+hzoi]

I was surprised to see so many letterbox hybrids around the Spokane and Coeur d'Alene area. All that I found had storebought stamps, and none that I found required clues to find. I enjoyed finding them, but this thread immediately came to mind.

Edited October 26, 2012 by hzoi

[+Too Tall John]

I think that any letterbox cache listed here but not on a letterbox site is a damned lie.

Why? According to the LBNA website FAQ:

Where Do I Get the Clues?

 

In Dartmoor, where letterboxing is mature, it is possible to obtain a catalog that is estimated to catalog about half the boxes in the park. In North America, where letterboxing is still developing, most clues are in the clue database at the Letterboxing North America (LbNA) web site, http://www.letterboxing.org/. Beyond that, getting clues themselves can be part of the game. Sometimes clues are learned of only via word of mouth, and I know of cases where one of the "goodies" in a letterbox is a clue to another letterbox, unavailable elsewhere! Box hiders have no doubt come up with clever ways to transmit their clues beyond the simple publishing of them on the Internet, although at least in the US, that vast percentage of boxes have their clues published on the LbNA web site. Other sites may also publish some clues and sometimes clues are found at local outdoor retailers and clubs, such as Eastern Mountain Sports.

I see no restriction on where the clues for a letterbox must come from, do you?

[+Rayvan43]

I have no reason to believe that many of the hand-carved stampers don't know about your 'mention it on the cache page' rule.

It's definitely not a rule. But it's been my experience that COs who carve a stamp take pride in their work and want to be sure that people don't take it in a trade so they mention it.

I might not have handcarved the stamp but I did make the cache container so just because I didnt make the stamp doesnt mean I dont have pride. The stamp is in reference to our lab pup so it has meaning to US. There are pictures at GC3GBF3

Edited October 26, 2012 by Rayvan43

[+Psychoticjesters]

I just hid one of my own letterbox hybrids for the first time: GC43H7E

Forgot to take a picture of the stamp I carved but I carved my own double sided stamp to give people options and published the listing on both Geocaching.com and Letterboxing.org. How's that look to you guys? Everything seem ok rules wise?

[+L0ne.R]

I just hid one of my own letterbox hybrids for the first time: GC43H7E

Forgot to take a picture of the stamp I carved but I carved my own double sided stamp to give people options and published the listing on both Geocaching.com and Letterboxing.org. How's that look to you guys? Everything seem ok rules wise?

 

Looks like you created the full experience.....directions to the box and a handcarved stamp that matches the theme. 2 finders and you already have a favorite vote. Congratulations.

[+cerberus1]

Perfect timing. Since this was bumped up again...

Maybe it's just me, but since a letterbox hybrid is kinda "shared" by geocachers and letterboxers alike, I'd think just getting more out there might be more important than whether a stamp is hand-carved or not.

Sometimes we're not together, so CJ and I had different Cerberus stamps made for us.

No artistic talent, picture a three-headed bear/tapir/wombat.

- They did a much better job.

Rare in our area, usually have to refresh ink when we finally find one to head out to.

Guess it's time to place one of our own...

 

Finally had one pop up a few weeks ago to find a log, but no book, no ink and no stamp. Mentioned it in my log.

 

I've heard of this happening before, guess it's a needed icon for a challenge or something.

[+geodarts]

Finally had one pop up a few weeks ago to find a log, but no book, no ink and no stamp. Mentioned it in my log.

 

I've heard of this happening before, guess it's a needed icon for a challenge or something.

 

Ink is by no means standard and is often not advised. It is possible that someone walked off with the stamp along with the log. But, yes a lot of letterbox hybrids are placed for the icon and that usually shows in the quality of the cache (including the stamp, logbook, and description).

[Clan Riffster]

Good to see this topic revived.

I would like to create a letterbox hybrid, but until I can make my own stamp, I will not.