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Confused?


luvfrog74

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I am basically a newbie... been around for a while but had a lapse in geocaching for family medical reasons but I am kinda confused about geocoins. I was under the impression that geocoins are just like TB's, just they were special coins rather than a personal object attached to a dog tag... but from reading the forums, it sounds like they are collectable too? How do you collect geocoins that are meant to be tracked? Also, I see people have personal geocoins... do you have some made to track & to keep? Do they all have the same track #? How does one go about getting their own geocoin or into collecting/trading them? I know, a lot of questions but like I said, I'm kinda confused. I have never found a geocoin in a cache yet that I know of but how do you know if it's a collectable or if it is only for tracking? Thanks to all who help with my many questions <_<

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There are two kinds of geocoins,

 

NonTrackable, and

Trackable

 

NonTrackable are just what they say, usually left as swag for people to trade later, or used in trades by collectors.

 

Then there are the Trackables. They perform just like Travel Bugs. The reason you see people collecting these is that they are collecting (usually)unactivated coins through purchases and trades, or buy having their own minted.

 

The Activated Trackable Coins you find in Caches are not meant to be collected.

 

Thank you for taking the time to learn about these before just starting a collection of traveling coins!!

Edited by WRITE SHOP ROBERT
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You seem to have the points right, but not how it works.

Trackable geocoins are supposed to work just like travel bugs, when they are activated and released.

Non trackable geocoins are made as signature items, and used for trading, collecting and cache swag.

Some people collect them and don't activate or release them, and put them in a binder, display case, bank vault, safety deposit box.

Some people activate them, release them and hope for the best.

Some people use them for trade like baseball cards, and keep trading lists, and use the pinned trading thread in here.

You can check the link in my signature to the Groundspeak Knowledge Books for more information and please feel free to ask any questions here. We have a great community here of helpful people always willing to talk about these shiny objects we call geocoins.

You can use the search feature at the bottom left corner of each forum to search only that forum if there is something in particular you are looking for. Check out the pinned threads too.

Also, you weren't a dork regarding your posting, the forums were timing out yesterday, and I had a couple of double posts myself. I deleted the two empty threads for you.

Welcome to the addiction, you still have time to turn back. <_<

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To expand on what WSR has said -

 

Most people who collect geocoins do so for the design of the coin, the meaning or simply because they 'have' to have it!

 

There is a pinned thread at the top of these forums for those who have coins to barter, there are also new coin releases announced on these forums complete with links to the websites that are offering them.

 

Only TRACKABLE geocoins are allowed to be advertised here on the geocoin forum, so what you may see here 'should' be trackable through geocaching.com.

 

One of the joys of caching is to find a trackable coin in a cache, and upon logging the coin, if you find the coin is NOT activated, it was left in the cache as swag and should be traded for appropriately (most range in value from $5-$15).

 

There is a plethora of vendors for geocoins where you can start your collection, but the list of vendors is not inclusive.

 

My advise for you would be to research a coin you find attractive or that strikes your fancy, and find out who made the coin to see if there are any available from the vendor before purchasing from the e-place. You may be able to save yourself a few dollars.

 

Some people on these forums also offer their personal collections up for sale that may include activated, but adoptable geocoins. There is nothing wrong with that, either.

 

Good luck in your quest to start your collection - but please be warned - its an addiction, and you might get broke real quick <_<

 

~J

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Also, I see people have personal geocoins... do you have some made to track & to keep? Do they all have the same track #?

 

one of the coins i have was left as FTF prize and was inactivated

i chose to activate it and keep it as a personal coin, i.e. not release it

 

they don't have the same number

 

how do you know if it's a collectable or if it is only for tracking?

 

if its trackable will have a number on the back and most likely will say on it "trackable at geocaching.com"

 

best way to find out if its activated or not is go to this page and enter the number on the coin

 

http://www.geocaching.com/track/default.aspx

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Almost all of my geocoins are trackable, I have several in the "Wild" that is when you release them into caches and I have about 40 that I have collected and keep in a binder, I take these with me to events and they get "discovered" by other geocachers there who write down the tracking number and report that they have seen it. Tracking numbers are all different for each individual coin though some may have the same prfix depending upon who makes it. (That is the first two numbers or letters like Oak Coins often begin "OC" and USA Geocoins often beigin "US" for their tracking code)

 

Believe me, you can spend a lot of money on coins if you start collecting, I have paid in excess of $50 for a coin for my collection but I would do it again if I needed to. The best ones in my collection have been gifts from others, I remember where each of my collection coins came from and why I chose it for my collection, and some have stories behind them, but when I have them at events it never fails, someone will inevitably ask "Where did you get that coin?" or "What is that coin?" to me that makes my collection worth it.

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To expand on what WSR has said -

 

One of the joys of caching is to find a trackable coin in a cache, and upon logging the coin, if you find the coin is NOT activated, it was left in the cache as swag and should be traded for appropriately (most range in value from $5-$15).

 

<_<

 

~J

 

Since I'm fairly new to coins & caching.. if you find a coin in a cache in an area that you're not from (say you're on vacation) and don't know that it's unactivated and you pick it up to keep it moving ? If you think it's a TB and you don't leave equal swag then find out it's a collectable or unactivated coin/gift how do you go about the swag trade? What if you're on the move and don't have time to go back to the cache when you figure out it's unactivated?

 

I personally have been leaving some fun swag items since I've noticed that swag is sorely lagging in my area.

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To expand on what WSR has said -

 

One of the joys of caching is to find a trackable coin in a cache, and upon logging the coin, if you find the coin is NOT activated, it was left in the cache as swag and should be traded for appropriately (most range in value from $5-$15).

 

<_<

 

~J

 

Since I'm fairly new to coins & caching.. if you find a coin in a cache in an area that you're not from (say you're on vacation) and don't know that it's unactivated and you pick it up to keep it moving ? If you think it's a TB and you don't leave equal swag then find out it's a collectable or unactivated coin/gift how do you go about the swag trade? What if you're on the move and don't have time to go back to the cache when you figure out it's unactivated?

 

I personally have been leaving some fun swag items since I've noticed that swag is sorely lagging in my area.

 

If you do pick one up out of a cache and you find it is unactivated then the right thing to do is either put it back in a cache (any cache) if you don't want to keep it (and maybe add a note with it so the next person to find it knows it is to treated as swag), or to put another unactivated coin in a different cache (again with a note). :)

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Since I'm fairly new to coins & caching.. if you find a coin in a cache in an area that you're not from (say you're on vacation) and don't know that it's unactivated and you pick it up to keep it moving ? If you think it's a TB and you don't leave equal swag then find out it's a collectable or unactivated coin/gift how do you go about the swag trade? What if you're on the move and don't have time to go back to the cache when you figure out it's unactivated?

 

I personally have been leaving some fun swag items since I've noticed that swag is sorely lagging in my area.

 

That's a bit awkward, if you don't realise it's an unactivated item until later...

 

I think what I might do first is look back at the logs on the cache where I found the item to see if there were any clues as to who dropped it at the cache as swag. If I could identify that cacher I'd drop them a note explaining how I'd picked up the trackable unknowingly and thank them. Then to try and make amends for not trading even at that time I think I'd get something like a couple of TB tags and drop them off into a couple of caches as surprise swag for the next finders.

 

This situation wouldn't arise if all generous cachers would clearly mark such items as 'Swag' in the first place. :)

 

MrsB

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I know i could probably find this answer somewhere, but i thought i could prob get a reply much faster: so here is my questiom:

 

What does it mean to discover a coin, and what benefits you to do so?

 

You use a "Discovered it" log when you see a geocoin (or a travel bug) somewhere but you don't take it to move along.

 

e.g.

 

It might be one that a friend has retrieved to move on but they take it out of their pocket and show it to you.

 

or

 

A lot of geocachers take their collections of geocoins to events for other cachers to see - You can "discover" the geocoins but they're not for travel.

 

or

 

You find a trackable in a cache and it has a specific mission but it's not one that you can help it with. You could retrieve it and move it to another cache... or you might choose to simply "discover" the item to let the owner know it's been seen by you.

 

The only "benefit" to yourself is that you collect the icon of the trackable by discovering it. Some cachers like to collect as many as possible!

 

MrsB

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