Proxies? Yes? No? How?

[+Zwack_&_Irish_Eyes]

Greetings,

 

So, the title probably says most of it.

 

I've heard too many stories of coins going missing, and some of the ones I have are far too pretty for me to want to release them (not to mention some of them were more expensive than I want to risk losing).

 

So, I came across a proxy the other day, and it had photos of the front and back of the real coin and a bit of a blurb. It was OK, and I can understand doing that.

 

I also have access to a lamination machine, and so I thought I would ask for opinions.

 

Should I create proxies to send out (especially for those coins with their own icons) or just keep them all safe at home?

 

If I was to create a proxy then presumably a piece of card with the tracking number is all that is absolutely required, but what else would people like to see? Images of the coin? Original artwork related to the coin in some way but not necessarily from the coin? Any other ideas?

 

Making a mould and then creating a copy of the coin while it would be nicer seems like an awful lot of work to go to. I've heard of people attaching photos to washers of the right size to simulate the coin, but not all of the coins are circular.

 

So, Thoughts people?

 

Z.

[+Droo]

As you can imagine this topic comes up a lot. A quick search will pull up all the old posts.

 

But in the meantime and in direct response to the issue you raise I say this. If you put NO effort into making your proxy look half way presentable you WILL amp up the ire of those who loathe, hate and will burn any proxy they come across. Just kidding but don't expect much love if you deny the coin and even the effort to make the thing worthwhile moving or discovering. Quality photos of both side.... a heavy washer in between to give it some heft then laminate for protection. You gotta give a little love to get sum.

[avroair]

This topic has been discussed at length, over and over --- here's the general concensus:

 

1) in general people don't like proxies, they travel less and they disappoint the cacher who is looking for a coin

2) coins get stolen very quickly --- thieves, may their souls rot in hell, steal coins at a very fast pace... there has been a backlash against proxies with people simply throwing them away when they are found

3) if you want to put a coin into the wild, don't expect to get it back, heck, you should drill it and attach all kinds of bolts etc to it, since you don't intend to ever see it again!

4) some people have put out novel proxies such as a washer with printed sides of the coins in a plastic coin container, these are better than laminated cards

 

So my advice, put out a proxy but make an attempt to make it different than just a lamintated card...

[+Zwack_&_Irish_Eyes]

OK, perhaps I should have been clearer...

 

1) The only way I can release any of the coins I currently own is as proxies. Is there any reason to release them or should I just forget it?

 

2) Not all coins are circular, using a washer as a proxy does not make sense for a non-round coin. Would a laminated card be considered acceptable by most people?

 

3) I can include images of the coins on a laminated card but I was thinking a piece of original art work related to the coin as well would make the proxy in some ways better than the original. For example a Hyacinth macaw geocoin could have an image of the coin and an original sketch of a Hyacinth macaw on it. Would people like that or is t just a waste of time?

 

4) If I did this I would make sure that the title clearly identified it as a proxy so that people weren't deliberately mislead. Would that make a difference to your answer to question 1?

 

5) Yes, I know that I could attach original works of art to travel bugs and release them but they don't have unique icons, and I already have some coins. Does that make a difference to people's thoughts on the subject?

 

Thanks,

 

Z.

[+Droo]

1) The only way I can release any of the coins I currently own is as proxies. Is there any reason to release them or should I just forget it?

It is really up to YOU what YOU should do. As stated, opinions on proxies vary... you will not please all the people so aim to please yourself with your idea for a traveler.

 

2) Not all coins are circular, using a washer as a proxy does not make sense for a non-round coin. Would a laminated card be considered acceptable by most people?

Obviously washers don't work well with cutout or shaped coins so to fake the feel and heft of a coin a different strategy needs to be figured and employed. Again what and how you do it is up to you. There are no guidelines on how or what you SHOULD do only the experience of folks who've tried, failed, tried again and sometimes succeeded. No matter what you will encounter the same accept it or hate it response to your proxy because of its very nature. But how you present it will affect the ones in the middle who swing both ways.

 

3) I can include images of the coins on a laminated card but I was thinking a piece of original art work related to the coin as well would make the proxy in some ways better than the original. For example a Hyacinth macaw geocoin could have an image of the coin and an original sketch of a Hyacinth macaw on it. Would people like that or is t just a waste of time?

The only answer to that is .... try it and see how it flies.

 

4) If I did this I would make sure that the title clearly identified it as a proxy so that people weren't deliberately mislead. Would that make a difference to your answer to question 1?

Clearly if you don't name a proxy coin as a proxy you will mislead and annoy (to put it mildly) more than a few folks. But even with the clear name some folks will still be annoyed so there is no pleasing all the people and the same answer as that for #1 applies.

 

5) Yes, I know that I could attach original works of art to travel bugs and release them but they don't have unique icons, and I already have some coins. Does that make a difference to people's thoughts on the subject?

A travel bug proxy??

Edited July 19, 2010 by Droo

[+wolfslady]

I'm OK with moving a proxy and have done it. However I think I would enjoy it more if it wasn't just a peice of laminated paper. So yes a work of art would help. Even better the work of art and TB type attachment. Key chain, toy anything that hopefully matches or compliments the coin would make me fell better about (and possibly even enjoy) dragging it along to another geocache. Especially if I'm going to be traveling. The nicer the proxy the more effort I might put into finding a nice place for it. I will pick up a real coin or TB anytime I can. A proxy that had little to no effort put into it is going to get passed over when there are other options so be prepared to have them sit a lot. I put one in a pretty new cache in an area that doen't get tons of them It was still sitting there over a month later even though the cache had pretty regular visits. However there was also a real coin that sat there through several visits too, so who knows. Maybe people around here just aren't into trackables and that that's why I seldom see them within 20 miles of home.

 

Good luck.

[+Zwack_&_Irish_Eyes]

I'm OK with moving a proxy and have done it. However I think I would enjoy it more if it wasn't just a peice of laminated paper. So yes a work of art would help. Even better the work of art and TB type attachment. Key chain, toy anything that hopefully matches or compliments the coin would make me fell better about (and possibly even enjoy) dragging it along to another geocache.

 

Actually, my wife had an idea about using "Shrinky Dink Paper" to make the proxies more "3d". It still wouldn't have the weight of a real coin, but it would have more of a depth to it.

 

So, we'll probably try some ideas out with one proxy (I'm thinking the Hyacinth Macaw coin, as we have a Hyacinth Macaw so could include some feathers) and see how well it does. I'll add a photo to this thread when we've made the proxy. (My wife is the artist though...)

 

Z.

[+Zwack_&_Irish_Eyes]

sorry--double posted.

Edited July 20, 2010 by Zwack_(I.E.'s)

[+wolfslady]

There are some people who use shrinky dinks as signature items you might check out some of the other boards to see how they look. I'm thinking there was a thread on Geocaching topics about signature items but I'm not 100% and don't have time to look right now. It might also give you some other ideas. One I had after I posted was to do some of those smashed pennies like they have at the zoo with a macaw to put with it. Still not as heavy, but it is a coin. Good luck.