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Interest in geocoins going down?


tsunrisebey

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It is funny that you bring up the Tranquility coin, because it is one geocoin that kind-of turned me off from purchasing coins...because there were SO many varieties of it...it seemed like every other day a new version was being minted. That was a big turn-off for me, no matter what the design looked like.

 

actually i wasn't the one that brought it up. i was sort of defending it. some of the colour/metal variations were mint errors and most were probably because the design was so popular but were made in very small numbers and certainly weren't advertised - at least i don't think so. i don't have a problem with that.

 

my problem is folks making coins that don't "admit" they are doing it for the money. and if they aren't making money, than why bother? and of course the response i quoted above.

 

but just in asking, how many tengwar editions are there? that is another gorgeous design that i certainly didn't mind seeing new colour versions come out. just glad i wasn't obsessed with collecting them all!

 

each of us that stopped collecting had different reasons for doing so — no one way was worse than another - just different.

 

>>>i have to agree with the comment, "The commercialism of the coins turned me off. Remints were rampant and sometimes were announced 20 minutes after the sell out. No one knew about the remints beforehand so bought as if there wouldn't be any more available."<<<

 

commercialism also means different things to each of us but hypocrisy is universal.

 

rsg

 

...And this is why I'm alot less interested in the forums....

 

I'll do you proud. I am into geocoins for the money. I must have spent thousands on them!

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:) Unfortunatelly this is what happens to anything collectable!

Commercialism enters after a period of a collectable thing is born and then.... if you are already addicted.... you are doomed :D

And maybe.... if something is high collectable, like geocoins, the makers will want to make more and more coins, use more and more colors, strange designs etc, so we can love the coin (just like the colored pearls or glasses explorers used to show to natives in the old days, in many parts of the world....), and coiners get more and more addicted, prices are getting higher and higher...

 

Everything is about money my friends.....

Even if you realize that this has no end and you have to put a limit in the expenses etc..... it will be too late for your wallet!

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I have been collecting coins since late 05 or early 06. At first I bought one for me and one or two to trade in all the metals. This wasn't hard to do because there usually were only a few metals used and very rarely a remint. Almost everyday I was sending out or receiving trades. Then came the coin explosion and it seemed like coins were coming out almost everyday. The commercialism of the coins turned me off. Remints were rampant and sometimes were announced 20 minutes after the sell out. No one knew about the remints beforehand so bought as if there wouldn't be any more available. That also turned me off. Numerous versions minted with only a color changed (how many tranquility versions are there actually?)...

 

Has my interest dropped? Well maybe but I still look. Yes I'm still addicted but not as obsessed as I once was :anicute::huh:

 

if i remember correctly there were 44 tranquility colour versions. there was never any question about whether or not this was a commercial coin. it was designed and minted as such. but while there were a bunch of colour variations, they were not minted/reminted in the thousands. and there was an end to the editions. as castleman has said more than once there will be no more minted.

 

one of the reasons i got out of coins, besides the fact i had to fix my car, were designers who profited off making SO many coins and not really admitting they were a commercial enterprise. minting the same design with a myriad of colour choices and yet, still calling them "art."

 

there was/is something in the tranquility design that resonated with collectors. they are still some of the most highly sought coins in the geocoin world and some of the highest sellers on e-bay. even i kept four of them.

 

i still read here occasionally and even look at ebay once in a while and if someone would tell me they have two of the rubber ducky coins i would really like to have, i would seriously consider buying them. but they are non-trackables and not very highly sought after. i figure one of these days they will turn up.

 

and it still bothers me to no end, folks who have trading lists and yet do not have to courtesy to respond to trade request emails, that is just plain rude.

 

shill bidding on ebay, coins that are minted to only be sold on ebay, all reasons to stop actively collecting but there you have it. ebay is not a bad thing. but shill bidding is.

 

i have to agree with the comment, "The commercialism of the coins turned me off. Remints were rampant and sometimes were announced 20 minutes after the sell out. No one knew about the remints beforehand so bought as if there wouldn't be any more available."

 

exactly.

 

rsg

It is funny that you bring up the Tranquility coin, because it is one geocoin that kind-of turned me off from purchasing coins...because there were SO many varieties of it...it seemed like every other day a new version was being minted. That was a big turn-off for me, no matter what the design looked like.

 

Glad to see that somebody agrees with me. LOL I brought up the tranquility to use as an example as it was the first one that came to mind. They were originally sold in just a few colors. When it became obvious that they were popular then more and more color combinations were minted. Now I find out it is 44 when I had thought it was only 35!! Some were mint errors, some AEs etc but I bet that overall there are over 2000 of them out there as there are with some other coins. The design is now retired thank goodness. This seems to be the old adage--there can be too much of a good thing.

 

I also have to agree with Mustang Joni--I'll do you proud. I am into geocoins for the money. I must have spent thousands on them! :):D

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An interesting thread which I hadn't read until this evening. kayakerinme introduced me to coins in 2006 and I have been hooked ever since. Perhaps because I was raised in a "coin" (numismatic) family. In fact, my Dad had tokens minted for his employer in the 60s.

 

I believe what we are seeing today is a textbook example of Economics. Supply, demand and available disposable income. Mix this well with auctions (the Eplace), regular offerings of the goods here and other influences..........any Business major in college could use this as a targeted subject for one incredible research paper.

 

When I started buying coins, my income was different, and if I liked it - I bought one in every metal/color/etc. As life moved on, things changed and I became more selective. All the while - I only activated some, not all and held many back intended for trades, gifts or resale.

 

Of the coins I purchased - sold many (and yes, at auction - thank you to all my purchasers!) - traded many (thanks to all who traded and I have many loved and valued gift coins which will never be sold) - and gifted many (both to individuals, missions, and to groups for their fund raising). And, I did mint one coin with a friend for an event. These coins were all either sold (for less than $1.50 over our cost at the event and shortly after and later a very few auctioned), gifted/given away or traded.

 

I do not think there is a disinterest in Geocoins..........rather I think you are seeing the natural paradigm of economics as it relates to geocoins and their balance in our economy. Certainly folks reaction/response to using auctions, attitudes of people both on these threads/in the venue caching - geocaching.com (what happens to coins out in the wild, etc. - I for one have learned - they are like so many other things - they survive or they don't - it's not a life), and the personal situations of buyers/owners/collectors all effect whether you are in or out of geocoins in today's market or will be in the future. I surely know - what might be find today - in the blink of an eye - may not be the same tomorrow (and nearly everyone on this thread can relate I am sure).

 

The future? Who knows - but I am sure my Granddaughter will value the coins I own (activated or not). What will be their value in the future - who knows? Indian Head Pennies used to be worth one cent - today they sell for $10 and more (if they are in good condition) - but to the bank - they are only worth one cent. But then again - who know what our entire economy will be worth.......further more - for a nicely designed coin which you like.............I would still buy one.

 

Geocoins to me are artful pieces and I just like them. They don't eat or drink a lot...............

 

As an artist, producer, marketer or company dealing in new designs and geocoins - what to do.........guess, when I have a great idea I will just go with my heart, spirit and what I economically can afford.

 

Thanks for the thread Tsun!

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...

 

I'll do you proud. I am into geocoins for the money. I must have spent thousands on them!

 

you goofy girl.

 

i quit posting for a long time, but this thread caught my interest. i have had my say and agreed with one who expressed dissatisfaction of a coin selling out instantly and then in 20 minutes a remint is announced. but most collectors don't seem to mind so it seems a couple of us are in the minority.

 

if there are that many tranqs out there, why are they so bloody hard to find and when you do find one, like on ebay, they bring more than 80 bucks apiece. :)

 

if commercialism is ok for some designers but not others, that seems illogical.

 

tell you what folks, anyone who doesn't want their over-commercialized tranquilities let me know, as i would love to build up my collection again.

 

tsun, since you started this thread i am curious as to how many of the anasazi coins were minted - what colours?

rsg

Edited by RedShoesGirl
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I'll do you proud. I am into geocoins for the money. I must have spent thousands on them!

 

you goofy girl.

 

i quit posting for a long time, but this thread caught my interest. i have had my say and agreed with one who expressed dissatisfaction of a coin selling out instantly and then in 20 minutes a remint is announced. but most collectors don't seem to mind so it seems a couple of us are in the minority.

 

if there are that many tranqs out there, why are they so bloody hard to find and when you do find one, like on ebay, they bring more than 80 bucks apiece. :)

 

if commercialism is ok for some designers but not others, that seems illogical.

 

tell you what folks, anyone who doesn't want their over-commercialized tranquilities let me know, as i would love to build up my collection again.

 

tsun, since you started this thread i am curious as to how many of the anasazi coins were minted - what colours?

rsg

I have one that I'll trade with you. I think you know which one.

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Selling my collection: Nah.

 

People sell to recover investment. Maybe they've hit a bad patch or are out for profit. Financially, my geocoins are worth more as part of my collection than converted into USD, because I'm expecting the USD to collapse. I'm not liquidating. It makes no sense. The market is in the wrong phase for that, and the exchange rate to CAD generates a heavy loss right now.

 

Getting more coins: Nah.

 

From a logistical perspective, my collection, stacked up, already fills 2 boxes and one large leather binder. It's getting logistically difficult to manage and bring to meets to share (I don't have a vehicle.) I don't really want more, and right now I need something else - I have a dream to fulfil, that my finances are being channelled into. Because I never know when the door on that dream is going to slam shut in a reduction to simpler survival situations.

 

Trading: Nah.

 

I have acquired all the coins I really want and can obtain. Postage rates are through the roof, better reflecting on the fuel and manpower that goes into transporting things long distances. It makes more sense environmentally and fiscally to keep my collection in one spot and deal locally, no matter how non-existent local trades are.

 

Participating: Nah.

 

Never was an extrovert, and now time is as short as ever for me. I can't even keep updated the spreadsheet I catalogue my coins in for insurance purposes.

 

Tranquillity: In simplicity.

I only have two versions, and that's enough; they reflect the beauty in the design. I have some large sets, mainly because I have an interest in certain subject matter and can appreciate their beauty and symbolism. But with more and more of the same concept, it becomes like the movie industry: Too much of similar kind of design, like the same kind of story, and it becomes old hat, diluted, lost in the display, and I become far more selective. Why one design, version and colour and not the other? The bar is only getting higher. One tranquillity held to the light is slowly admired. A dozen in a binder page is glossed over.

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...

 

I'll do you proud. I am into geocoins for the money. I must have spent thousands on them!

 

you goofy girl.

 

i quit posting for a long time, but this thread caught my interest. i have had my say and agreed with one who expressed dissatisfaction of a coin selling out instantly and then in 20 minutes a remint is announced. but most collectors don't seem to mind so it seems a couple of us are in the minority.

 

if there are that many tranqs out there, why are they so bloody hard to find and when you do find one, like on ebay, they bring more than 80 bucks apiece. :)

 

if commercialism is ok for some designers but not others, that seems illogical.

 

tell you what folks, anyone who doesn't want their over-commercialized tranquilities let me know, as i would love to build up my collection again.

 

tsun, since you started this thread i am curious as to how many of the anasazi coins were minted - what colours?

rsg

 

I would sent you my over commercialized tranq, but I don't have a single one. I never bought into them, because I knew the deluge was coming. Someone gave me one, and I traded it away. I must say that it was a good trader, no matter how many were made. It is not something I miss in my collection.

 

I think it is pretty clear that commercialism is okay for everybody. While several people have mentioned it as a turnoff, I don't think it is the problem. I think the problem is the honesty regarding the coins. If you are told that there are 250 coins being minted, then you buy and they sell out. Then the seller announces a re-mint, that is a problem. If you bought trader coins, you just lost your trade value. I think many of the vendors have learned (or we have learned) and announce that they will re-mint any coins that sell well and will mint them to demand. Most coins, I only buy one for my collection. No need to buy traders anymore.

 

When I really saw a change to the community was when some small time vendors did pre-sales, then didn't deliver coins. It was and is just crazy. And I don't think people have learned. If the coin is pretty enough, I think many here would still buy it. I've been very lucky that I haven't lost money with any of these rouge vendors. I think there was something with each one that stopped me from buying from them. I think TnT was the only company that I regularly bought from, but skipped the last round because I felt they had too much on their plates to get these done.

 

I think most of the vendors do a great job in providing geocoins. And, yes, they make money. That is no crime. Although I suspect alot of them sink their profits back in their business.

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....

 

... Although I suspect alot of them sink their profits back in their business.

Not if they are doing pre-sales. The customer is the banker/lender/creditor - for free.

 

I only meant the good ones.

I know you did..... but I can't pass up an opportunity to cry out against the immorality of pre-sales.

 

It's not just the fraud potential inherent in them but the aspect of borrowing from your customers to create your product for free and then stiffing them with maximum profit expectations.

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I certainly think the interest in pre-sales and funding other people's projects has gone down.

 

The topic "I have a great idea, but no money to create it" used to be more frequent and more accepted. It seems to me that if you want a coin today, you have to pay to have it made yourself. Then, if you decide to sell some, you can re-coup some of the costs.

 

These are the coins I have lost interest in.

 

I like coins that are made by a cacher, for the cacher, and then traded and cached.

 

Coins are still, in my opinion, one of the very best signature items there are. They make lousy travel bugs and I personally don't see them as very interesting when they lack some context.

 

For a long time, I enjoyed coins with a broader context than those I do today. Prior to the explosion, I enjoyed coins on a theme that I liked (technology, science, exploration, etc). Coins from geocaching organizations and related to GPSr, Satellites, Planet, Geography. Coins related to places I lived. wanted to travel to or other caching organizations also held appeal.

 

That list was large enough. It got larger.

 

Then, there were coins on areas I didn't care about, people I didn't "know", inside jokes, etc, etc. This is where my personal interest began to wane.

 

So, while my interest has certainly changed and my scope has diminished, to answer the OP - interest has not gone "down" per se for me. Personally, my interest has "refined"

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I would sent you my over commercialized tranq, but I don't have a single one. I never bought into them, because I knew the deluge was coming. Someone gave me one, and I traded it away. I must say that it was a good trader, no matter how many were made. It is not something I miss in my collection.

 

it is amazing how different we all are. i still miss each and every one of my tranqs i had to sell. yes some were prettier than others but i can probably still name all the different ones.

 

as most here know, i just loved those blasted coins and was thrilled when i finally collected the whole set. i never had to have a lot of other coins, but i did need to collect all of the tranq colours.

 

while someone sort of said that one would just gloss over a whole bunch of them instead of enjoying just a few - i gotta tell you, i loved them all and would spend time just looking at them, enjoying the nuances of colour and metal. but that is just me - and i think a few others that have collected the whole set or almost the whole set.

 

 

... I think the problem is the honesty regarding the coins. If you are told that there are 250 coins being minted, then you buy and they sell out. Then the seller announces a re-mint, that is a problem....

 

that i what i meant when i said it was ok for some designers to do that and not others. reminting a design in a variety of colours after the initial sell-out.

 

it all gets back to personal choice, what one is willing to pay for a coin, whether or not it is an investment, or a trader or bought for the pure enjoyment of it.

 

If you bought trader coins, you just lost your trade value. I think many of the vendors have learned (or we have learned) and announce that they will re-mint any coins that sell well and will mint them to demand.

 

agree to an extent. if i was collecting a coin because i loved the variety of colours, i would be happy if the vendor made more because i wasn't collecting as an investment. i mentioned the tengwars before - i was always thrilled when new colours or metals came out, even if i couldn't afford to collect them all.

 

i remember i had a trader guy that really wanted a red/gold one. he REALLY wanted that coin. i moved half of heaven and earth to find that coin. just because i enjoyed making someone happy.

 

I think most of the vendors do a great job in providing geocoins. And, yes, they make money. That is no crime. Although I suspect alot of them sink their profits back in their business.

 

again i agree with you. and it is ok to make a profit and not sink it back into the business, but wouldn't you rather a designer admit that?

 

rsg

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I think most of the vendors do a great job in providing geocoins. And, yes, they make money. That is no crime. Although I suspect alot of them sink their profits back in their business.

 

again i agree with you. and it is ok to make a profit and not sink it back into the business, but wouldn't you rather a designer admit that?

 

rsg

 

Why? Do the designers owe me something? If I pay them for a coin, they owe me a coin. That is it, end of story.

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I think most of the vendors do a great job in providing geocoins. And, yes, they make money. That is no crime. Although I suspect alot of them sink their profits back in their business.

 

again i agree with you. and it is ok to make a profit and not sink it back into the business, but wouldn't you rather a designer admit that?

 

rsg

 

Why? Do the designers owe me something? If I pay them for a coin, they owe me a coin. That is it, end of story.

 

i believe you said above "... I think the problem is the honesty regarding the coins. If you are told that there are 250 coins being minted, then you buy and they sell out. Then the seller announces a re-mint, that is a problem...."

 

the remint is for profit, not to be altruistic to the geocoin community - so you really don't have a problem with the honesty part you mentioned above?

 

and if the coin community doesn't have problem with that honesty, then i certainly don't have.

 

you have beaten me to the ground once again. i give up, goodbye

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Personally, I define commercial coins as those coins which are produced primarily for a non-cache purpose. For collection and trading. In some regards, any coin can be commercial (at inception or after-market).

 

I consider commercial coins to be anything that was originally sold. This can be caching-related, non-caching related, trackable, non-trackable... for some it has a negative connotation, for others it just defines how the coin was available. This was especially used as a distinction by many resellers as to whether a coin could be resold or not.

 

There used to be:

commercial coins

trade only coins

cache only coins

 

As an offshoot I consider a trade-only XLE version of a commercial, still to be commerical. :grin:

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I think most of the vendors do a great job in providing geocoins. And, yes, they make money. That is no crime. Although I suspect alot of them sink their profits back in their business.

 

again i agree with you. and it is ok to make a profit and not sink it back into the business, but wouldn't you rather a designer admit that?

 

rsg

 

Why? Do the designers owe me something? If I pay them for a coin, they owe me a coin. That is it, end of story.

 

i believe you said above "... I think the problem is the honesty regarding the coins. If you are told that there are 250 coins being minted, then you buy and they sell out. Then the seller announces a re-mint, that is a problem...."

 

the remint is for profit, not to be altruistic to the geocoin community - so you really don't have a problem with the honesty part you mentioned above?

 

and if the coin community doesn't have problem with that honesty, then i certainly don't have.

 

you have beaten me to the ground once again. i give up, goodbye

 

I've never beaten you to the ground once. I just don't agree with you.

 

I think most people understood that I meant honesty in minting numbers. I do not need them to disclose to me that they are doing the coins for profit, or what they do with their money. As long as they deliver the coin I pay for, that is all I'm owed.

 

I have also not called you names, like you have done above

Edited by MustangJoni
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Personally, I define commercial coins as those coins which are produced primarily for a non-cache purpose. For collection and trading. In some regards, any coin can be commercial (at inception or after-market).

 

I suppose I would rather say "commemorative" and "signature item" as the two buckets. I still collect "signature items", but I don't really like commemorative edition coins for events, people or subjects that I have no connection to.

 

This is the reason that I will actually never sell any of my coins. They still all represent something meaningful to me and occasionally I get a surprise one! :D

 

 

I was curious, in 2008 you sold 98 coins (I believe) of your personal LFD V2 coin. So you did "sell out" to the commercialism of the geocoin world :grin::D

 

You define commercial coins as; "produced primarily for non-cache purposes". I was wondering how you made the distinction on which coins are sold for collecting/trading puproses and those that are made for caches?

 

By your own definition every coin that is made is a commercial coin because coins have been around long enough and probably 99% of the people who have their fingers in coins in one form or another, know coins are going to end up in collections. You knew when you minted your coin that as you left some in caches, they would end up in collections or possibly even sold on ebay. So by your standards your coin is a commercial coin.

 

Let me note that I have no problem with geocoins no matter how they come about so on a personal level, how you went about your coin business is of no big deal to me.

 

I've seen others note the same thing in some fashion, they made a personal coin or geocoin, sold it and then when they grew tired of geocoins, then the "commercialism" of it all turned them off. I just find this thread fascinating even if it has gone off track a bit, it's made for some interesting discussions.

 

As a person who has 2 personal coins (nontrackable and not sold/cache only - Raiders of the Lost Cache and the Cowgirl Coin [side note: sold maybe 5 of the Raiders for charity way back when] and I actively try to trade back for my Raiders if someone is going to try and sell it) so I understand "old school" thinking in some manner, those coins are just as commercial as anything I outright sell because sooner or later they will end up in collections or probably even on ebay (according to your definition).

 

IN the end, things here used to bother me and I just up and decided it doesn't matter what you do or what you say, people are going to find a reason to not like you, not like what you're doing, find anything wrong with what you're doing (coin specific in this case here). There is no way to please everyone. People come and go. I know why I am here and I know why I love coins and why I love designing coins and in the end, people either like something someone does or they don't. If a person doesn't like a coin or where coins have gone, then the problem exists with that person and their thought process. If someone doesn't like coins because they are "too commercial" then they are free to leave and never look back.

 

I'll even admit (as Ive done prior) that I am not a fan of the functional (more so the really fancy schmancy ones that are more like instruments coins (but that is my taste). However even though I feel that way, what does it hurt me? If that makes the person who's minting them happy, well shoot that's their right to be happy and it's their money, so have at it. Obviously it makes others happy because they are buying them.

 

I've enjoyed seeing people post why they felt there was a slow-down or why they slowed down. It was just my curiosity from what I was seeing on the threads that propmpted me to ask and see what others were seeing in that regard.

 

I want to give "props" to all vendors/designers who have been here and have been upstanding in their businesses (I know many don't even look to the threads because of the drama) but I will say that most people don't even realize what vendors do and put up with behind the scenes to put out a coin. Thank goodness there are those of us designing/vending/buying/trading/collecting who still love coins and all that it involves (good or bad) as some of us still find this a fun, frustrating and exciting. Right now all I know is I love working on coin designs even if many of them never get minted and I'm going to continue for as long as I still love the way it makes me feel and if people have an issue with that, well too bad. I think coins can bring alot of happiness and do alot of good we see it here all the time :blink:

 

tsun

Edited by tsunrisebey
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Personally, I define commercial coins as those coins which are produced primarily for a non-cache purpose. For collection and trading. In some regards, any coin can be commercial (at inception or after-market).

 

I suppose I would rather say "commemorative" and "signature item" as the two buckets. I still collect "signature items", but I don't really like commemorative edition coins for events, people or subjects that I have no connection to.

 

This is the reason that I will actually never sell any of my coins. They still all represent something meaningful to me and occasionally I get a surprise one! :D

 

 

I was curious, in 2008 you sold 98 coins (I believe) of your personal LFD V2 coin. So you did "sell out" to the commercialism of the geocoin world :grin::D

 

You define commercial coins as; "produced primarily for non-cache purposes". I was wondering how you made the distinction on which coins are sold for collecting/trading puproses and those that are made for caches?

 

By your own definition every coin that is made is a commercial coin because coins have been around long enough and probably 99% of the people who have their fingers in coins in one form or another, know coins are going to end up in collections. You knew when you minted your coin that as you left some in caches, they would end up in collections or possibly even sold on ebay. So by your standards your coin is a commercial coin.

 

Let me note that I have no problem with geocoins no matter how they come about so on a personal level, how you went about your coin business is of no big deal to me.

 

I've seen others note the same thing in some fashion, they made a personal coin or geocoin, sold it and then when they grew tired of geocoins, then the "commercialism" of it all turned them off. I just find this thread fascinating even if it has gone off track a bit, it's made for some interesting discussions.

 

As a person who has 2 personal coins (nontrackable and not sold/cache only - Raiders of the Lost Cache and the Cowgirl Coin [side note: sold maybe 5 of the Raiders for charity way back when] and I actively try to trade back for my Raiders if someone is going to try and sell it) so I understand "old school" thinking in some manner, those coins are just as commercial as anything I outright sell because sooner or later they will end up in collections or probably even on ebay (according to your definition).

 

IN the end, things here used to bother me and I just up and decided it doesn't matter what you do or what you say, people are going to find a reason to not like you, not like what you're doing, find anything wrong with what you're doing (coin specific in this case here). There is no way to please everyone. People come and go. I know why I am here and I know why I love coins and why I love designing coins and in the end, people either like something someone does or they don't. If a person doesn't like a coin or where coins have gone, then the problem exists with that person and their thought process. If someone doesn't like coins because they are "too commercial" then they are free to leave and never look back.

 

I'll even admit (as Ive done prior) that I am not a fan of the functional (more so the really fancy schmancy ones that are more like instruments coins (but that is my taste). However even though I feel that way, what does it hurt me? If that makes the person who's minting them happy, well shoot that's their right to be happy and it's their money, so have at it. Obviously it makes others happy because they are buying them.

 

I've enjoyed seeing people post why they felt there was a slow-down or why they slowed down. It was just my curiosity from what I was seeing on the threads that propmpted me to ask and see what others were seeing in that regard.

 

I want to give "props" to all vendors/designers who have been here and have been upstanding in their businesses (I know many don't even look to the threads because of the drama) but I will say that most people don't even realize what vendors do and put up with behind the scenes to put out a coin. Thank goodness there are those of us designing/vending/buying/trading/collecting who still love coins and all that it involves (good or bad) as some of us still find this a fun, frustrating and exciting. Right now all I know is I love working on coin designs even if many of them never get minted and I'm going to continue for as long as I still love the way it makes me feel and if people have an issue with that, well too bad. I think coins can bring alot of happiness and do alot of good we see it here all the time :blink:

 

tsun

 

I like your reply, you said a lot of what I was trying to find a way to say. Frankly I don't care why people are into making coins for profit or not. If I like it and am willing to part with my money it's my business. And if someone is in it for profit, why not? It's what makes the world go round.

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As a newbie (I've been saying that a lot recently) I've been VERY attracted to the geocoins, but there's a lot of people saying that they get lost/stolen from caches and aren't worth sending out as trackables. A lot of people's attitude around them say they're a waste of your money. And who wants to waste money? All that makes me hesitant in just starting a collection of coins just for a collections sake.

 

Though that didn't stop me from buying my first one this morning...just made me pause a lot longer and think about WHY I was purchasing it.

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A lot of people's attitude around them say they're a waste of your money. And who wants to waste money? All that makes me hesitant in just starting a collection of coins just for a collections sake.

 

I fully admit that the first time one of my coins went missing I was heartbroken. Occasionally when another one seems gone, I feel a twinge of "maybe I should just stop sending them out." But then I realize that it is my way (humble though it may be) of sharing something I love with the caching community at large. I try to minimize my losses as much as possible and certainly never release any coin that I'm not willing to part with.

 

I have many coins out traveling the globe and I read each and every log with pleasure. So even though some go missing, I try to focus on the ones that are still moving. Each coin has its own unique story. And I've corresponded with many super cool people who go the extra mile to help coins along their way. That is the part I consider priceless. :grin:

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I was curious, in 2008 you sold 98 coins (I believe) of your personal LFD V2 coin. So you did "sell out" to the commercialism of the geocoin world <_<:P

 

 

Your memory fails you :) - or we define commercial differently.

 

I've had the following coins:

 

2005 - Geobone V1. This was my first personal coin, minted 100, traded 100. Mostly for other personals and coins from organizations.

 

2005 - Red-Handed. This was a full-in commercial coin (although I sort of think of it as a "community coin"). It was sold at cost via pre-orders (gasp!). This was during a "simpler" time and I viewed myself as a co-ordinator of a cheap trackable coin. In hindsight it was naive to think that 600 coins would make them "common" and allow them to travel. At any rate, I think we created a nice, inexpensive trackable. All in, they came out at $6 a pop for a trackable coin. I collected orders for as many coins as people wanted and then sent the final numbers to be minted. Total orders back then were about 500+ and I bumped it to 600 and paid the difference of a few hundred dollars.

 

2006 - LFD1 - trade/cache/gift only

2007 - LFD2 - trade/cache/gift only

 

2008 - Geobone V2. In this case, I went trackable and was uninterested in trading. Most trade offers were for coins I could buy myself. So I sold 98 at cost with a one coin per person limit in an attempt to stem eBay sales - with some success. My motivation was that I knew people wanted the coins and I didn't want to trade for any other coins. So define that as you will. I also gave away 50 activated in my name through the mail as gifts. Call it commercial if you will, but I was more community motivated. I won't argue that nuance. I sold some.

 

Importantly (and read this carefully) I don't care if people make commercial coins. That isn't the genesis of this thread. The question is: is interest in coins going down?

 

To that end. My answer regarding commercial coins is a personal opinion of personal motivations/interest. It has nothing to do with an opinion on the value, validity, or freedoms associated with commercial coin production. In fact, "fill yer boots" as they say. All I am saying is that I PERSONALLY am less interested in the coins that I PERSONALLY see as commercial. I am definitely not standing in judgement of anyone that enjoys, produces or otherwise interacts with coins that are sold primarily for a profit/collectibility motive.

 

Many of the coin vendors are people I have interacted with for years and I genuinely appreciate that they are producing coins that anyone can buy without the need to do an entire run of their own. I'm just not buying any myself (to return the the "interest" question). I highly recommend others buy them though. There are some nice coins out there and you can start a collection without the $500-$3000 up-front costs of minting your own.

 

After all, some of the earliest coins were "commercial" in that they were sold for a profit.

 

While it is fine to discuss your own motivations and interest in coins when answering a question in a thread such as this - I consider it impolite to tell others that their opinions are any less valid. Commercial vs. personal vs organizational is up to each person to define for themselves and then communicate their own personal opinions.

 

So if you see any of my coins as "commercial" and you feel that this is at odds with my own lack of interest in commercial coins - rest assured - I don't personally define my coins as commercial and, even if they were - I maintain a high degree in this particular sub-class of commercial coins - my own. :angry:

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I have many coins out traveling the globe and I read each and every log with pleasure. So even though some go missing, I try to focus on the ones that are still moving. Each coin has its own unique story. And I've corresponded with many super cool people who go the extra mile to help coins along their way. That is the part I consider priceless. :)

 

And THAT is why I bought TWO of them :P<_<

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I was curious, in 2008 you sold 98 coins (I believe) of your personal LFD V2 coin. So you did "sell out" to the commercialism of the geocoin world <_<:angry:

 

 

Your memory fails you :) - or we define commercial differently.

 

I've had the following coins:

 

2005 - Geobone V1. This was my first personal coin, minted 100, traded 100. Mostly for other personals and coins from organizations.

 

2005 - Red-Handed. This was a full-in commercial coin (although I sort of think of it as a "community coin"). It was sold at cost via pre-orders (gasp!). This was during a "simpler" time and I viewed myself as a co-ordinator of a cheap trackable coin. In hindsight it was naive to think that 600 coins would make them "common" and allow them to travel. At any rate, I think we created a nice, inexpensive trackable. All in, they came out at $6 a pop for a trackable coin. I collected orders for as many coins as people wanted and then sent the final numbers to be minted. Total orders back then were about 500+ and I bumped it to 600 and paid the difference of a few hundred dollars.

 

2006 - LFD1 - trade/cache/gift only

2007 - LFD2 - trade/cache/gift only

 

2008 - Geobone V2. In this case, I went trackable and was uninterested in trading. Most trade offers were for coins I could buy myself. So I sold 98 at cost with a one coin per person limit in an attempt to stem eBay sales - with some success. My motivation was that I knew people wanted the coins and I didn't want to trade for any other coins. So define that as you will. I also gave away 50 activated in my name through the mail as gifts. Call it commercial if you will, but I was more community motivated. I won't argue that nuance. I sold some.

 

Importantly (and read this carefully) I don't care if people make commercial coins. That isn't the genesis of this thread. The question is: is interest in coins going down?

 

To that end. My answer regarding commercial coins is a personal opinion of personal motivations/interest. It has nothing to do with an opinion on the value, validity, or freedoms associated with commercial coin production. In fact, "fill yer boots" as they say. All I am saying is that I PERSONALLY am less interested in the coins that I PERSONALLY see as commercial. I am definitely not standing in judgement of anyone that enjoys, produces or otherwise interacts with coins that are sold primarily for a profit/collectibility motive.

 

Many of the coin vendors are people I have interacted with for years and I genuinely appreciate that they are producing coins that anyone can buy without the need to do an entire run of their own. I'm just not buying any myself (to return the the "interest" question). I highly recommend others buy them though. There are some nice coins out there and you can start a collection without the $500-$3000 up-front costs of minting your own.

 

After all, some of the earliest coins were "commercial" in that they were sold for a profit.

 

While it is fine to discuss your own motivations and interest in coins when answering a question in a thread such as this - I consider it impolite to tell others that their opinions are any less valid. Commercial vs. personal vs organizational is up to each person to define for themselves and then communicate their own personal opinions.

 

So if you see any of my coins as "commercial" and you feel that this is at odds with my own lack of interest in commercial coins - rest assured - I don't personally define my coins as commercial and, even if they were - I maintain a high degree in this particular sub-class of commercial coins - my own. :)

 

Actually I was funnin' with you. I looked up your post from 2008 when you sold one of your personal coins (geobone), that's where I got the 98 sold so my memory shouldn't be failing me yet, just didn't know the name of the coin. Then I used your own definition of commercial :D

 

Like I said, I don't care who does what, your/their coin and you do as you please. I just find some things amusing here. I don't personally have a definition of commercial and I didn't ever come up with one. As a a matter of fact you won't find me doing much of labeling anything :P I don't even call my coins LE or AE. I just give them a "fun" name and say how many were minted (been doing that for well over a year now).

 

I just enjoy coins and I enjoy seeing who comes out with what. I love some stuff and I don't like others but I fully embrace people's freedom to give the coin thing a shot. Nothing stays the same and sometimes I even miss things from when I started but I see change as a good thing too. I loved the past for what it was and I love the future for all its possibilities be it commercial or not :)

 

As an aside I would love to get up to your area one day and find one of your coins in a cache :D I know it's tough to tell by the written word but talk to a few who have met and spent more than 10 minutes with me (yime, karma, pabloturtle, and others and you'll know I'm a big smartarse and most of the time when I post, it's all in fun or from the heart, which one do you think these are? ;) )

 

tsun

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I knew you were just funnin' Tsun. Anyone from Montana can't be all bad :)

 

The whole "connotation of commercial" is a challenge and gets people really excited. People attach emotion to the idea of commercial coins - which strikes me as odd.

 

Although my interest has waned in the purchase of coins (which is a pretty obvious commercial transaction), the coins themselves have a great deal of over-all appeal! (maybe just not to me personally).

 

Selling them for money doesn't make them "stinky"!

 

I often see younger cachers that have no possible means of getting their own coin minted buying a personal or two at an event. Unless I'm at the event with coins. In that case, they tend to get special "pricing" on extra coins I have with me :P

 

Having people sell coins is a very good thing (in my opinion, of course). I think the challenge is the fatigue caused by those initially obsessed with trying to get every coin minted <_<

 

So does having many new coins every month add or detract from interest?

 

I can only point to other collectible markets. I'm both a stamp and a comic collector. Each of those hobbies has experienced a period of over-saturaization in the market. That over-supply has created a decrease in interest (or at least a perception of the decrease in interest). Each of those markets has also re-bounded to some extent when things returned to a "roots" of sorts.

 

Coins minted and sold for whatever purpose (profit, collecting, caching, etc) are a valid, and dare I say, important part of the geocoin world. There are some issues and practices that I felt were slightly exploitive. However, my definition of exploitation might be another's definition of meeting and servicing market demand.

 

As for finding one of my coins in a cache - they may be in places you least expect. I think I most certainly need to take a little spring camping trip to Waterton and Glacier. There's also this very cool hippie bakery just south of the 49th (somewhere near the place they make PowerBars)

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I knew you were just funnin' Tsun. Anyone from Montana can't be all bad :)

 

Minnesota, Montana, it's all the same right? :P

 

I guess I see people saying, the interest is still high, just different people with a different kind of interest... there have been commerical coins way back... Germany 2005, Midwest Geobash 2005, Screw Geocoins 2005... I think the fact that when the splits came along, personal coins for sale suddenly outnumbered personal coins for trade. And that's when a shift occured that irked some old timers cause they had no buddies to trade with. <_<

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Those examples are interesting: the Germany was a country coin, the Geobash was an event coin, and the Screw geocoin was a joke from way back when geocoins didn't have their own sub-forum and the folks in the Travel Bug section were getting a bit annoyed with all the coin posts <_<

 

The term "commercial" can be pretty broad. Even a trade is a commercial transaction of sorts.

 

For me, I view the commercial coins as being those produced for sale without a connection to a country, event, organization, or person. So, at least to me, the only commercial coin in the above list would be the Screw coin. Even though the others were most certainly sold.

 

It is coins such as the Screw coin that I, personally, have lost interest in. The older ones still matter to me (I get a chuckle from the Screw coin itself), but I never would purchase the follow-up's to the Screw coin (were there one or two that "tapped" the theme? - I think I saw some other variations.)

 

This thread has made me interested in the tranquility coin. Is it nice?

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What killed my interest in most all coins.

 

Commercialization, Cost, Attitude of People.

 

I can count on 1 hand the coins i've purchsed in the last 2 years.

 

I had a pathtag made and for a few months really got back into the excitement of trading personals, but even my interest in that has waned.

 

nero - we activly sought out one of your coins, they are AWESOME, we also traded for one of your path tags - just love the little critter!'

We have not bought a lot of coins in this last year, we moved over to the öther side"and had some path tags made, we got to pick designs easily, and have made our own to trade. We drop these sig items activly when we get out and about geocaching. We initially intended to do a personal geocoin, but because our released geocoins have gone missing, we no longer release them, we do activate interesting coins for discovery at meet & Greet events. So in some ways there is a wane in coin collecting, would love to have one of Tsun's coins but never could get one in a sale so gave up, and they went for far too much on ebay... just 2c from Down under.

cheers

Gayle & Mark

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What killed my interest in most all coins.

 

Commercialization, Cost, Attitude of People.

 

I can count on 1 hand the coins i've purchsed in the last 2 years.

 

I had a pathtag made and for a few months really got back into the excitement of trading personals, but even my interest in that has waned.

 

nero - we activly sought out one of your coins, they are AWESOME, we also traded for one of your path tags - just love the little critter!'

We have not bought a lot of coins in this last year, we moved over to the öther side"and had some path tags made, we got to pick designs easily, and have made our own to trade. We drop these sig items activly when we get out and about geocaching. We initially intended to do a personal geocoin, but because our released geocoins have gone missing, we no longer release them, we do activate interesting coins for discovery at meet & Greet events. So in some ways there is a wane in coin collecting, would love to have one of Tsun's coins but never could get one in a sale so gave up, and they went for far too much on ebay... just 2c from Down under.

cheers

Gayle & Mark

 

Mark!!! Gayle!!!! How are you my friends???? :D It's so nice seeing you posting here!!! :D

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Wow! Leave for a bit and just look what happens! We have been out of the geocoin world for almost a year now. My ship's schedule kept me from buying too many coins in the beginning of 2009 (lousy internet connection). With our cross country move fast approaching at that time too, we toned down our geocoin spending. Not so much for cost or lack of interest but lack of time online.

By August we were not here at all. We cached across the US, moving travelers from state to state and lugging approximately 150 pounds of coins with us. We just couldn't trust strangers to move them. WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THEM!!!!!! Two months of Mike and Thorne in a hotel in Texas. Me, in MS in school for almost three months, and no fixed address, we just didn't buy any coins. Or trade any either.

Then we bought a house and our focus definately was not on the coins. They are still in the same bag I packed them in before leaving Virginia back in August of 09. We still love our coins, we just aren't that into them.

There, I said it! The ugly truth. I'm just not that in to you, geocoin. LOL Or as Mike says nothing has jumped off the web page at him. I do not recall when I looked at a vendor's site last. But you need not look for my coins on ebay cause it just ain't happening!

My interest in caching has definately not waned. I go every weekend I get a chance.

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Here's my perspective as a new cacher. Started 10/24/2009

 

I loved the idea of travelers. Seeing as there's almost never any good swag in the caches (kid crap mostly). We leave something good even if we don't take anything, just to make it more interesting for the next geocacher. The travelers are usually the only interesting finds. I started with sending out a couple travel bugs.

 

Then I found a couple coins in caches, some of which were really neat and I enjoyed sending them on their way. Then I went to my first local event where I saw some more coins.

 

I looked into making my own coin and was like holy *(&*&^## I can't afford that.

 

Then I found my first PT in a cache. I looked into what those were and I thought it was really cool and much more affordable. There were people at the local cacher meetings really into trading them too. So I made my first signature item. I look at PTs and geocoins as artwork and I collect in themes that I'm interested in: dogs (animals), fantasy/mystical creatures, tribal/celtic, Halloween.

 

I started looking at this forum. I saw the Pay it Forward thread. Those were my first geocoins. Then I saw the cointests. I've won two of those so far. Neat! Then I started looking on ebay and artists sites. So now I have a little tupperware container filled with some geocoins with designs that I really like. If there weren't coins out there to buy then I wouldn't have any, as I can't afford to make a series of my own for trading. I also appreciate the people who are generous with their coins to help me along with my collection.

 

Generally what I look for in geocoins are the themes that I enjoy, and usually neat shaped coins. Since PTs are all the same size and round, if I buy a geocoin I'd like it to be really interesting, pretty and different shaped.

 

It was interesting to read this thread and the perspectives of the the people who have been collecting and trading geocoins for so long. What coins they seek and find interesting. Most are definitely different from the coins that I'm willing to buy.

 

Oh, and my geocoins are only for discovery at events and for my personal enjoyment. I don't send them out because I know they would disappear immediately. I have one coin out circulating (other than the pay it forward coins) but it's of the cheap aluminum variety. If it disappears I won't be heartbroken and out a good chunk of change. I don't like moving along proxies (I think it's lame), so I haven't circulated any of my coins that way.

 

Generally I'm more interested in PTs because they are affordable and I'm able to buy my own design and trade and build up my collection easier than with geocoins. I can also afford to be generous with them (putting them in caches) I do have a healthy interest in geocoins though, they need to strike my fancy and be affordable.

Edited by K9 Royale
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Those examples are interesting: the Germany was a country coin, the Geobash was an event coin, and the Screw geocoin was a joke from way back when geocoins didn't have their own sub-forum and the folks in the Travel Bug section were getting a bit annoyed with all the coin posts :laughing:

 

The term "commercial" can be pretty broad. Even a trade is a commercial transaction of sorts.

 

For me, I view the commercial coins as being those produced for sale without a connection to a country, event, organization, or person.

 

For me commercial was anything that was sold, whether it was personal, country, state etc. There was certainly a huge push by a few to keep coins relevant to geocaching... The screw may have been a joke, but it was a profitable joke! :laughing: Add further to the list then K-9 caching, Team Lampskirter, Phone-A-Friend... all were caching related, but they were also produced to make money.

 

I remember the sub-forums lol! But then again I also remember a time when we could open and close threads ourselves. :laughing:

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As someone who considers themself very new to geocoins, I'd like to add my opinion. I got my first geocoin about a year ago, and got hooked. I started slowly with my 1st coin purchase being an AS Templar coin, wich I loved the moment I saw it.. I then began surfing ebay & the coin forum here learning as much as I could.. I realized quickly that Ebay was not the way I would be purchasing much coins since as a newbie I saw some prices skyrocket... Ive only purchased 1 coin from Ebay since ive started... I slowly started building a collection through the forum sales & when new coins that I liked were sold.. I went through what was amazing to me at the time - the madness of a Tsun sale... Both the Neptunes Compass & Earth Turtle's back to back... I heard all the posts about how fast they will sell out & so on and laughed, thinking its impossible... Well I was shocked when all the coins were sold out in less than a minute... I was amazed... I then moved to making alot of trades, since I finally had some decent coins, and found trading with people a great experience... Some really nice traders out there, and I was able to get 2 of my most wanted coins through trades. (Dark side of the Cache & Absolut Geocoin)

In July I started doing home renovations & didnt have the time or money to spend on geocoins or the forums... I just got back on the forums this past week, and started looking at geocoins again..

I noticed a few things had chanced right away..

 

1. I looked on Ebay & coins that I had seen getting bid up right away, were just sitting out there with 0 or 1 bids.. I was very surprised that the overall prices of coins I had looked at on Ebay seems considerably lower..

 

2. In my opinion, there are just too many metals/versions of coins, wich I think effects people views on buying.. It did for me at least.. I remember the last 2 coins that I purchased before I stopped in July.. It was 2 Medusa geocoins that I bought from Geoswag, they were the SE ones that were done for Geowoodstock (Magma & Tempest i believe). Anyway as I got back on recently, I noticed there are now even more versions of the coin and I was kinda dissapointed that there are just so many versions..

I also read a post today in the "wants" section.. Looking for Earth Turtle Oceania Tsun version and some othere version... I remember when I purchased them last year it was only the NEw Zealand and Oceania.. I was kind of surprised to see there are more versions already, and more versions of the Neptunes.. Im not saying that there is anything wrong with all the metals and versions, but for me at least, it seems a bit excessive to have more than 3 or 4 versions of a paricular coin...

Another coin I love is the 4 Musketeers, I remember when I first started getting into them, I traded 2 coins to someone for 1 Musketeer AE or SE not even sure what u call them now, it was an Antique Gold & Blue... I love the coin, and I was willing to give up 2 coins to have what I considered a special version of it (at the time i thought most Musketeers where copper, so this was special).. I was also able to purchase a coin & also trade with Avroair (who was very reasonable with price & trade) for a Marine Musketeer and a Medusa BN & Gold... I remember seeing the BN & Gold going for 25-30 bucks on ebay & saying thats way too much for me. I messaged Avroair and he sold me 1 for a very reasonable price.. But as I look now there are so many versions of each coin its crazy to me.. I see there are like so many different versions of the Musketeer wich are listed as AE.. Well Im new to this like I said, but it doesnt make sense to me that there are alot of different versions that are AE.. (Maybe im wrong, but I thought an AE was 1 limited metal of a coin). If there were maybe 5 versions of the Musketeer overall, I would make a point to collect all 5, so I could have a complete set.. But with so many versions out there, the 3 that I have is all I will have... IF that makes sense..

 

3.Money, of course money is always a factor... Ive been back for about a week now, and already purchased 2 Travel Gnomes from geoswag.. Cost me $20... After the purchase a second guessed myself, saying do I really want to spend $20 on coins that Im going to release... Ive decided I am going to have to be more crafty in my selection of purchasing coins.. I was looking at the King Tut coin, wich I love alot.... But decided I cant just keep piling up the prices on coins... $20 on Gnomes, another $20 on King Tuts.. and so on.. I saw on Ebay a Musketeer Marine Assassin... I'd love to buy it, but as I said, how can I justify the money on another version of a coin that I have multi versions of, when there are other coins I have no versions of that I could purchase..

 

Sorry for the hella long post, but these are just things that I had been thinking about since I started back up, and when I saw this post I felt it was a way for me to vent/express myself..

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2. In my opinion, there are just too many metals/versions of coins, wich I think effects people views on buying.. It did for me at least.. I remember the last 2 coins that I purchased before I stopped in July.. It was 2 Medusa geocoins that I bought from Geoswag, they were the SE ones that were done for Geowoodstock (Magma & Tempest i believe). Anyway as I got back on recently, I noticed there are now even more versions of the coin and I was kinda dissapointed that there are just so many versions..

I also read a post today in the "wants" section.. Looking for Earth Turtle Oceania Tsun version and some othere version... I remember when I purchased them last year it was only the NEw Zealand and Oceania.. I was kind of surprised to see there are more versions already, and more versions of the Neptunes.. Im not saying that there is anything wrong with all the metals and versions, but for me at least, it seems a bit excessive to have more than 3 or 4 versions of a paricular coin...

 

 

Snipped for brevity. I have no problems with you having an opinion (for the record). If you're going to use some of my coins/minting practices then I should get to respond.

 

I typed out a really long post as a reply to this but I decided that it's not worth tryng to explain things because in the end it doesn't matter, so I erased it all.

 

I love designing coins, don't do many designs and it's 100% my money, time, and sweat invested so I guess I get to do what I want :( ...and I'm honest and very transparent in my sales... if there's fault in all that guess that's the way she rolls :)

 

tsun

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I don't buy coins as an investment, I don't buy coins to fill a collectible set and I haven't even made any trades. I do buy coins because I like a design. Usually I will have a favorite plating color combo on any given design but it is the design I buy for. More versions won't force me to buy coins I don't want and more versions won't make me feel the coins I have bought have lost value.

More versions do allow me another opportunity to buy a design I may not have been able to get in the initial sale that may have lasted all of 10 minutes. It also allows a coiner to sell more of a design without devaluing the existing versions by running thousands of those coins instead of a few hundred. I certainly don't grudge the coiners the small profit they make on these small runs. That in turn keeps the value higher for those that do collect or resell these coins.

Trust me if coiners were after profit alone with no concern for aftermarket value to their customers, we would see far fewer versions and much greater quantities of each version being minted.

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Today was the first time I really took a look at this thread and took the time to read every post through this one -

 

There are some very good points to this thread, but I think the scope of the thread had moved from "Interest in geocoins" to "Why I do or don't buy them". I believe it was Jackalgirl that asked for some manufacturing data from those of us who made coins. I will give you some data at the end of my post.

 

For the purpose of staying on topic, I believe that the interest in the coin buying public has shifted from wicked intricate, detailed & expensive coins to less expensive simple coins for the mere fact that people are tired of seeing their coins disappear from a geocache.

 

The economy had gone from bad to worse to starting to recover all over the world, and now, our lovely post office in the US is raising rates yet again and cutting our Saturday service. This in turn is funneling down to the consumer, and it becomes a burden on personal budgets and greater selectivity by the consumer as well.

 

I agree with Tsun in the sense that making a coin (the entire process) is a pain in the arse - it takes alot of patience, especially when your production facility completely destroys mint ready art, and you have to treat the mint like 3 year olds for them to get it right after about 15-20 emails. But that's what we do because that's what WE LIKE to do.

 

Profit is not a dirty word. Quality designs deserve a quality price, and I have seen some really NICE coins from a few coin makers where the price for one of these coins was certainly warranted.

 

The trend I tend to be leaning towards personally is to create an 'affordable' and 'attainable' coin to afford the opportunity to the consumer to purchase coins at the price offered, and not have to depend on ebay for that same opportunity at a price far over what they were originally sold.

 

I think it was LFD that asked earlier what we CAN do to curtail the after market - one thing is by limiting the amount of geocoins any one consumer can purchase to afford the same opportunity to others.

 

So again - has the interest waned? I don't think so, but its up to us as coin makers to suck it up and make coins a bit more affordable for people to enjoy collecting again. When the economy fully recovers, bring out those designs that command a premium, but when it's affordable to do so for the consumer.

 

Minting stats as previously mentioned:

Carousel Lion (minted 08/09 Total production: 350) Total remaining: 84

Regular Editions: 270 Limited Editions: 60 Xtra Limited Editions: 20

 

Geocaching Virtues (minted 01/10 Total production: 250) Total remaining: 47

Regular Editions: 185 Limited Editions: 50 Xtra Limited Editions: 15

 

~J

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2. In my opinion, there are just too many metals/versions of coins, wich I think effects people views on buying.. It did for me at least.. I remember the last 2 coins that I purchased before I stopped in July.. It was 2 Medusa geocoins that I bought from Geoswag, they were the SE ones that were done for Geowoodstock (Magma & Tempest i believe). Anyway as I got back on recently, I noticed there are now even more versions of the coin and I was kinda dissapointed that there are just so many versions..

I also read a post today in the "wants" section.. Looking for Earth Turtle Oceania Tsun version and some othere version... I remember when I purchased them last year it was only the NEw Zealand and Oceania.. I was kind of surprised to see there are more versions already, and more versions of the Neptunes.. Im not saying that there is anything wrong with all the metals and versions, but for me at least, it seems a bit excessive to have more than 3 or 4 versions of a paricular coin...

Another coin I love is the 4 Musketeers, I remember when I first started getting into them, I traded 2 coins to someone for 1 Musketeer AE or SE not even sure what u call them now, it was an Antique Gold & Blue... I love the coin, and I was willing to give up 2 coins to have what I considered a special version of it (at the time i thought most Musketeers where copper, so this was special).. I was also able to purchase a coin & also trade with Avroair (who was very reasonable with price & trade) for a Marine Musketeer and a Medusa BN & Gold... I remember seeing the BN & Gold going for 25-30 bucks on ebay & saying thats way too much for me. I messaged Avroair and he sold me 1 for a very reasonable price.. But as I look now there are so many versions of each coin its crazy to me.. I see there are like so many different versions of the Musketeer wich are listed as AE.. Well Im new to this like I said, but it doesnt make sense to me that there are alot of different versions that are AE.. (Maybe im wrong, but I thought an AE was 1 limited metal of a coin). If there were maybe 5 versions of the Musketeer overall, I would make a point to collect all 5, so I could have a complete set.. But with so many versions out there, the 3 that I have is all I will have... IF that makes sense.

 

I get to respond too! :(

People collect for different reasons, some people like to collect whole sets others like to collect just their favorite metal (I fall into that category, rarity doesn't matter for my personal collection, I keep what I like most). In response to the post, I am a quasi-vendor. I design coins, I have them minted, and then I take a cut or an artist's edition for my work. I would love to work directly with the mint, have my own website and all the other vendor.... blah, blah, blah, but I simply have too many other interests and not enough time. For me minting a new version of the coin is cheaper than making a new one. The mint has crept up prices over and over...

 

Collecting geocoins, pathtags, smurfs or whatever is an expensive hobby. A world economic downturn doesn't help and just after a while I see people look at their 1,000 coins (read $8,000) collection and say... I can use the money I am spending on coins for something else... but for every person who leaves geocoins I see new people join everyday... there are a few of us old timers (split into two categories) left who have endured by either being more selective or creatively financing their hobby through the secondary market. But times and people change.

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I get the feeling that my post was taken in a negative light.. If that is the case, that is not what was intended.. If any coin designer or seller took it as a "cheap shot" at them it really wasnt... I would have no problem speaking my opinion if it was, trust me...

 

I felt that I wanted to speak my opinion about how I felt & things that I noticed.. Thats it. Maybe this wasnt the proper forum thread to do it, and maybe i got off track a bit...

 

As for what I said, I meant it & still do.. Hey thats just my opinion. Im sure there are alot of people who feel totally different.

 

Tsun & Avroair, I used your coins as examples, well because they are coins that I really like and look for to collect. To be honest, most all of Avroairs designs are "my style" of coin.. Do I personally like that there are so many Musketeer versions.. no, but in no way am I telling someone what to do. And in no way am I saying something is right or wrong..

The Neptunes Compass is an amazing coin, when they came out I wanted the version that I liked the look of the best, not wich version had less minting numbers.. Do I personally think there is a need for more versions than the original 2, no.. but thats just my opinion on it..

 

As for what I had mentioned about the AE Musketeer I had traded 2 coins for.. I just wanted to clear up what I meant by it.. I dont run around targeting a coin because of minting numbers.. But it is a coin that really like alot, and when I was presented with the oportunity to own an AE version of it, I thought wow, even better.. It was just that after I realized there were "x" amount of other AE versions, it kind of deflated it for me.. I wasnt angry or mad, nor did I feel the designer did any wrong by me.. It was what it was..

 

In the end, I thought that coin designers/venders would want to hear the opinions and feedback of the buyers.. I would not be mad or angry if there were 20 versions of every coin.. But it could effect what I buy. Speaking for myself, I also think it could effect my trading.. Maybe I love a coin, a coin that came out a year or 2 ago for example... And Im about to trade a coin that I really like in my collection for it.. Then 3 new metal/versions of the coin im about to trade for come out.. If I really like the new metal versions, I may be inclined to keep my coin & not lose it, and just purchase 1 of the new versions that just came out in a metal that I like... Hey im only speaking for myself....Be it just 1 opinion, I thought I would express it.

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Man!! I've got to pay closer attention!!

 

Let me start my saying I'm not a coin noob. My first personal coin came out in 2005, as did our first event coin. Since then, I have made 5 personal and 19 event coins.

 

Yes, I think interest in coins has fallen way off in general. Trading seems to be down, the two coin listing sites have lost members, and the dam things cost a lot to make, even without the now nearly mandatory tracking numbers.

 

This last year, I have been stuck with lots of left-over event coins. At the last event we hosted, I had a couple of cacher tell me in so many words that if a coin wasn't trackable, then it wasn't worth their time (!). So, they didn't by one of my (as always) non-trackable event coins. OK, that's their choice. But it got me to thinking about this whole thing.

 

I have never been real big on buying coins. The majority of the coins I have were traded for. Several were gifts, and maybe 5% were bought.

 

Now, I might do 5-6 trades a year. Why so few, when in the past, I would do that many in a week?

 

I think it's the trackability issue. When that came in, there was a ripple of excitement, but things pretty much continued. Then, along came unique icons, and the floodgates opened!!

 

Suddenly, coins were falling out of trees, they were all trackable, and had the UI. If you made and/or sold a coin that wasn't trackable, you were one of the unclean. When we did the Hazards of Caching series a few years ago, I actually had one of the folks that have already posted in this thread e-mail me and call me a charlatan because I was (gasp!) charging "trackable prices" for an untrackable coin. Didn't matter that I was charging the cost + postage, and not a penny more.

 

Then one day, the connection to geocaching for a coin seemed to become a thing of the past. I'm not gonna name coins here, but I can think of several that I still don't see as geocoins, no matter if they have tracking numbers or not.

 

These days, if someone makes a non-trackable, it'll get lost in the hoo-ha of the latest trackable coins, with the UI, that may or may not actually have something to do with caching, and sells for 12-20 bucks per unit. And people will fall all over themselves to say how great it is, and ask when do they go on sale, and how many metals are there.

 

I know, things change, but that doesn't mean it's for the best, or that I have to like it.

 

Remember my non-trackable event coins? After that event ended, TTUMS and I talked about actually going over to the Dark Side, and making the coins for our next event trackable. The more I think about it though, the more likely it is I may bag that idea, and possibly stop making coins for our events. They're not worth the modern collector's time, and I'm getting tired of having half of them left after the event.

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