Why steal a coin or bug?

[+Juan Durrer]

I haven't been doing this forever, but I've seen some very cool coins and some amusing bugs. Nonetheless, I can't think of any reason to keep any of them.

 

Why would anyone?

 

I mean, if someone gave me one that had personal meaning to me, or if I had an achievement coin, I'd keep it and have people discover it at meets and so on, but otherwise...?

 

What would I do with them? Gaze at them by myself? Lay them out on my bed and roll in them? Let other thieves clandestinely discover them at my secret geo-gallery or at sub rosa meets?

 

If one showed such a collection to geocachers they'd be mortified. I can't imaging a thief would allow legitimate cachers discover the stuff. Their jig would be up as soon as people started logging their discoveries, no?

 

Seriously, why? Do any of you know any coin or bug thieves? Are any of you reformed hoarders?

 

Again, I get the legitimate collecting thing. Like pogs or beanie babies or whatever, it's not for me but I get it. But who would have a stolen pog or a stolen beanie baby collection?

[majormajor42]

well, worst case scenario is that the item is destroyed, perhaps melted down or ends up in a landfill.

 

If they do end up in someone's private collection, I would hope that they would eventually be freed again.

 

not many pawn shops around here but if there were, I suppose I would wander into them to see if a coin ever ends up in a display case.

 

this game/sport/hobby is now going on 10 years. I'm not sure when the first Trackable was created (was it that can of beans?). But, I find it fascinating when, on occasion, a long lost coin/trackable makes it back out into the public again. Of the mere 100 that I have helped along, this has happened twice, where one has gone missing and reappeared over a year later. I wonder what the recorded is for reappear MIA bugs? of course, I would hope that no one purposefully contributed to "loosong" a bug for the matter of this record.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Slight of hand thievery has been around since time began. The fact that someone has it and another doesn't is the primary driving force. Add to that, something like a beautiful coin... well, you get the picture.

 

Not going to even attempt to address the decline in morals.

 

In direct response to the question though, why would anyone collect stamps, baseball cards, hats, classic autos, guns? Simply put, because they can. They have an interest and enjoy the collection. Whether or not somebody else enjoys looking at the collection really is immaterial. What one does with their collection or even why, is as varied as is the number of people that exist.

 

How they obtain the collection is another matter.

 

Whatever toots ones' whistle.

 

If you want to collect, you should. Just make sure you can safeguard it, and enjoy.

[+briansnat]

What would I do with them? Gaze at them by myself?

 

I started collecting the things when they first became popular then I asked myself the same thing. So now when I obtain a geocoin I register it and send it on its way or put it unregistered, in a cache for someone else to find.

 

I know a lot of people who do collect the things and they bring their collections to events for other coin enthusiasts to look at. I'm sure these folk get their coins in a legitimate manner. Taking activated coins out of circulation is thievery plain and simple.

[+EscapeFromFlatland]

scrap metal?

 

But then, why leave the ammo can?

 

I think when I get back to the states that maybe I'll check out a pawn shop or 2 to see if they have coins.

[+t4e]

scrap metal?

 

But then, why leave the ammo can?

 

I think when I get back to the states that maybe I'll check out a pawn shop or 2 to see if they have coins.

 

given the fact that a regular coin is around $10, i doubt it anyone would bother ven going to a pawn shop, would use up more in gas driving there than they would get for it

 

as for people that steal them, all i can say is "shame on them"

 

my biggest loss that really got me upset is the inukshuk i released last year, and after someone that took it logged a "better move this soon", only to keep it for 2 months, it showed up again as a frikin frog, gone is my beautiful inukshuk

[+NeecesandNephews]

I'm not even attempting to defend the practice, as I don't really understand it myself.

 

 

You will find, however, that the coin section of the game, has evolved into a sub-culture (a word I thought fit really well from another thread) in itself.

 

There are cachers, there are coin collectors, and there are cacher/collectors. I think most of the coin collectors are above board, and purchase and trade coins for their collections. I do not know of any that have "stolen" for this reason. If you drop in on the Coin section of this forum you will see the collecting end of it is a very busy endeavor!

 

Most of these collectors are reluctant to put their coins "out in the wild" as travellers due to the risk of loss.

 

I have not been in the game very long and share the disappointment of cachers who find the inventory of a cache inaccurate.

 

My personal belief is... there are many players who do not understand what the travellers are.

 

Many coins and bugs go missing due to caches being muggled, or raided.

 

Many coins and bugs go missing due to lack of knowledge on the travelling aspect.

 

And I think many of them fall into the hands of selfish people who "lust" after them, when they find them.

 

I noted on a log of a cache near me "my young son wanted to keep the coin". I don't know if the parent allowed this, as the log does not indicate. I do know the coin was noted missing by later visitors to the cache.

 

I personally think it is snake-belly low to take a traveller and keep it, unless it was a FTF or similar "gift" in the cache. Unfortunately... it happens.

 

 

Read some of the posts in "Getting Started". Many people new to the game are posting asking questions about hiding caches, what to do with bugs and coins, how do you..., when do you...? I am fairly new here myself, so don't think I am trying to offend these people... but...it seems reading is too much to ask of them. It is easier to come here and ask a question, than it is to search and find the info on the website. This is a topic for another thread so I will just leave it at that.

 

Bottom line? Ignorance. Thats my answer. Ignorance of the "rules", of common courtesy, of morals.

[+briansnat]

My personal belief is... there are many players who do not understand what the travellers are.

 

I don't buy that. The TB tags state specifically what they are, including the words "Don't Keep Me", and many if not most of the ones I've found include the sheet of paper explaining what it is and its mission.

 

Every geocoin I've released was accompanied by a laminated card, or a card inserted in the jacket explaining what it was, its mission (if any) and that it was not to be kept. I've lost over half. Some didn't make it beyond the first cache. When you put a coin in a cache on Friday and the next log on Sunday says the coin is gone and there are no online or paper logs between the two days, it's likely that some low-life went there specifically to steal the coin.

Edited March 6, 2010 by briansnat

[vagabond]

I haven't been doing this forever, but I've seen some very cool coins and some amusing bugs. Nonetheless, I can't think of any reason to keep any of them.

Why would anyone?

 

How many yellow, white,red, or green jeep travel bugs have you seen

[+ThePetersTrio]

My personal belief is... there are many players who do not understand what the travellers are.

 

I don't buy that. The TB tags state specifically what they are, including the words "Don't Keep Me", and many if not most of the ones I've found include the sheet of paper explaining what it is and its mission.

 

Every geocoin I've released was accompanied by a laminated card, or a card inserted in the jacket explaining what it was, its mission (if any) and that it was not to be kept. I've lost over half. Some didn't make it beyond the first cache. When you put a coin in a cache on Friday and the next log on Sunday says the coin is gone and there are no online or paper logs between the two days, it's likely that some low-life went there specifically to steal the coin.

 

Agreed. And I also drill and tag every coin I send out with a laminated card that expressly states the coin is not swag and is a traveler. I also give them the link to use to log the trackable. So unless someone doesn't read English (possible when I have coins traveling the globe) or they are illiterate there is no excuse about not understanding what travelers are.

 

I am a cacher, a collector of coins and have designed my own coins. I enjoy the trading aspect of coins. I have gotten to know some awesome people through coin collecting and trading. But more than anything, I enjoy sharing coins with the caching community. I will never forget the first cache I opened with a coin in it. It may sound silly - but up until that point, I had no idea what a geocoin was and I was intrigued by the aspect of having something travel the globe that I could live vicariously through. I was hooked immediately.

 

Yes, I have had plenty of released coins go missing. It is sad when that happens but it is the risk I'm willing to take because for every coin that goes missing, I get dozens of emails from cachers that are thrilled to find my coin in a cache - the way that I was. Lots of cachers see placing caches as a way to give back to the geocaching community (and I couldn't agree more). I guess I feel the same way about sharing coins.

 

As to the question of why people steal them? Because there are a lot of unethical people in the world who only care about themselves and they don't stop and think about how their actions are impacting the fun for others. I refuse to let the actions of a few selfish people spoil my fun of sharing coins and bugs. So when one of my travelers has been gone for over a year, I try to release a proxy (and not just a paper slip but some object that represents the missing coin with a laminated photo of the actual coin attached) and send it back out. I've had some nice responses to these too. It fuels my creative side to try and figure out ways to make proxies as cool as possible. I've even had one proxy make it all the way to Iraq thanks to the kindness of one of our local soldiers - very exciting to this middle-aged house wife.

 

And since I have this post as a small soap-box I will request that cachers think about the types of caches they place coins and bugs back into. Try to find caches that would be less appealing to the average lazy thief - caches that have a higher difficulty or terrain ratings or premium members only caches. It really does seem to help with the longevity of a coin's travels.

[+brokenoaks]

Taking TB and Geocoins out of a cache and keeping them as ones personal possession has nothing to do with legitimate collecting. it's simply common thievery. anyone who is into Geocaching knows what a trackible is and what to do with it. gees its right there attached to the TB and there is an entire forum category dedicated to them. steeling TB,s is just another one of those self-centered ill responsible acts that some people feel they just have to engage in.

[4wheelin_fool]

They all have serial numbers on them indicating ownership. I don't understand how they could have a value. If you see a listing on E-Bay with activated coins, please ask them to take it down, and they will. It's stolen property. Perhaps there is an online marketplace somewhere where they are being sold. If anyone finds one please post it.

[+welch]

Have you ever gone to bank and gotten a bunch of two dollars bills and spent them into circulation?

There have been something like a billion two dollar bills printed since 1976. Most sitting in bank vaults since the bank doesn't make a point of handing them out, and the customers don't ask for them. Since many people don't know there are piles in various bank/reserve vaults, and rarely see them in circulation they think they are rare or valuable. So when someone gets one they store it away in case they never see another one.

I think maybe a few of the coins that go missing are into the sock drawer of those sort of people.

[+EScout]

I drill a hole for the attachment of a laminated card describing the geocoin, and how to log and move it. I engrave my name on the coin to make it even less collectible. Even with that, they go missing. I used to use the 20% rule: 20% of your outstanding coins will disappear each year. Now I think it is worse than that.

[Keystone]

I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the Geocoin Discussions forum.

[+JoesBar]

If one showed such a collection to geocachers they'd be mortified. I can't imaging a thief would allow legitimate cachers discover the stuff. Their jig would be up as soon as people started logging their discoveries, no?

 

 

Yes.

 

I can't understand why folks steal geocoins and TBs. But it must add something to their poor, miserable lives.

[+Toojin]

A dog liked one of my travel bugs Idaho Spud Boy and all that was left was his feet and nose. Fortunately the Great Dane belonged to a responsible cacher. I am sure that there are many times that things like this happen to bugs and someone is too embarassed to let the bug owner know.

[+Juan Durrer]

How many yellow, white,red, or green jeep travel bugs have you seen

 

I thought I was going to see one last week! I was ostensibly the first person to visit the cache after it was dropped, but no...

 

I still don't get the "why."

 

WHAT is the person who stole it going to do with it?

 

Are they HAPPY to have stolen stuff to keep and look at?

 

I have a coin (currency) collection. Part of the fun is showing it to other people. Part of the fun is having it. I can't imaging it would be fun to have stolen stuff.

[DannyCaffeine]

I don't get it eather. Sure I'd love to have a geocoin but I would eather buy one to keep or just hang onto one for a little bit and then trade it for another and so on.

 

I guess some people get into this game for the wrong reasons. They think they are after treasure and they think "I found it its mine". Real geocachers are not into it for items they are in it for FUN! I'm more after exploring than anything else. IDK some people.

[Mtnbikerfred]

It would be cool to "adopt" one, if the find was socially relevant, and that was the intention i.e. let somone else track it for awhile. It's going to be much cooler to own and put some out there, or take them and put them in caches far away to see if them "come home" etc.

[+leitko4]

It would be cool to "adopt" one, if the find was socially relevant, and that was the intention i.e. let somone else track it for awhile. It's going to be much cooler to own and put some out there, or take them and put them in caches far away to see if them "come home" etc.

 

Ask and ye shall receive. Watch your inbox, Fred!