+Griffin! Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 I'm pretty new to geocaching and I was wondering if people often leave FTF prizes. What's the best FTF swag you've seen? Quote Link to comment
+jaydeadheader Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 no FTF's on my record:( keys to a new car would be at the top of my list Quote Link to comment
+radak9 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I'm pretty new to geocaching and I was wondering if people often leave FTF prizes. What's the best FTF swag you've seen? Here are some other threads that may give you some insight: What are good First to Find prizes FTF Prize FTF Prize FTF Prize Most expensive swag or ftf prize Coolest FTF prizes ever! What is a common FTF prize? Quote Link to comment
+narcissa Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 An interesting new place to visit, and a fresh, dry logbook to sign. Quote Link to comment
+Coldgears Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Someone gave a 50 dollar bill for there 40th hide within three weeks. I believe he now has 60 within a month... He just keeps throwing these things out there. It gives me something to do, and it isn't micro-spew either. This guy has lock and locks, nano's, creative hides, he's just a variety geocache spewing machine! Oh, and the fact he has expensive FTF prizes helps too. Quote Link to comment
cejs Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I put crisp $2 bills in my new caches for 1st to find folks. Quote Link to comment
+LukeTrocity Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I got a dollar! And also a FTF certificate...I like the dollar more. Quote Link to comment
+Viajero Perdido Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 An interesting new place to visit, and a fresh, dry logbook to sign. Bingo! The rest is just stuff. Quote Link to comment
+power69 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I'm pretty new to geocaching and I was wondering if people often leave FTF prizes. What's the best FTF swag you've seen? $5 was my biggest[a tough mountain hike/climb] $100 was the largest ftf prize i left in a cache (GC20A37) Quote Link to comment
+lachupa Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I'm on the verge of putting out my first cache. My FTF prize, other than a new place to visit and a dry log, is going to be an unactivated tracakable dragon. That an whoever finds it having that smug feeling of "winning" that some people seem to live for. Quote Link to comment
Skippermark Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I'm on the verge of putting out my first cache. My FTF prize, other than a new place to visit and a dry log, is going to be an unactivated tracakable dragon. That an whoever finds it having that smug feeling of "winning" that some people seem to live for. That's great that you're getting ready to place your first cache. There is nothing more exciting than seeing the logs come in and reading about people's experience when finding it. For most FTFers, the feeling of "winning" comes from beating everyone to the cache and signing in before anyone else. Putting something special in a cache is a nice gesture, but don't feel that it's something you have to do unless of course you want to, then by all means you should. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 FTF prizes aren't all that common in most areas, nor are they expected. The only prize most FTF hounds want is a blank logbook. They can be a nice touch. Years ago there was a group operating in (I think) the Washington/British Coluimbia area who left new GPS units, $500 in cash and other very valuable FTF prizes. The caches were hard to get to and often involved difficult puzzles. I don't know if they are still doing it, but I haven't heard about it in years. Quote Link to comment
+TheAlabamaRambler Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 (edited) The nicest I have found was a SanDisk USB Memory Card Programmer that I've been using since I found it in 2004 and still use weekly to load SD Memory Cards. The nicest I have hidden were several ~$50 fishing reels and a couple pairs of FRS/GMRS radios. Cache degradation and a lack of hoped-for reciprocity (I thought nice swag would lead others to hide nice swag, I was wrong) stopped me from putting anything more than an unactivated geocoin as FTF. I will say I that I greatly admire the local community of regular FTFers who almost always signed the log and left the FTF prize for someone else. Edited August 23, 2010 by TheAlabamaRambler Quote Link to comment
+Section8_paintball Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 We currently have an unactivated "Templar"geocoin as a FTF. We also have one of those little Wal-mart plastic trophies with the cache name on it and FTF stenciled on it. I also have a bouncy ball that means mor eto me than both the others. IT came from a puzzle cache that cost me a few of my marbles ( so I replaced them with the bouncy ball!) I keep them all in a loc n Loc container in our computer desk. Or as my wife calls it . . . my trophy drawer!! LOL Quote Link to comment
+CacheOCD Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 We currently have an unactivated "Templar"geocoin as a FTF. We also have one of those little Wal-mart plastic trophies with the cache name on it and FTF stenciled on it. I also have a bouncy ball that means mor eto me than both the others. IT came from a puzzle cache that cost me a few of my marbles ( so I replaced them with the bouncy ball!) I keep them all in a loc n Loc container in our computer desk. Or as my wife calls it . . . my trophy drawer!! LOL The trophies sound neat! What part of Walmart can I find them at? Are they part of another larger toy? I hope you don't mind me wanting to use your idea! Quote Link to comment
+BajaBekka Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 This will be my 5th cache FTF price: My Webpage My Webpage It's weird and quirky -- I doubt anyone in their right mind would actually wear it but I thought it was really cool and fun. I found it at a flea market yesterday. It may give someone a quick initial jolt of excitement since it really does look like real money at first glance. Is it too hokey? You be the judge!!! The last few of my caches have had sterling silver rings in them for the FTF (husband is a jeweler). Bekka aka silver skull Quote Link to comment
+roziecakes Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I sometimes make pre-made caches for the FTF finder, but not always. Remember, a FTF prize is not required, but it does make it fun when there is one for some people. Quote Link to comment
+DadandJax Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Here's an image of the bookmark I made for my first hide. I don't think you need to put anything too extravagant in for a FTF but I liked the idea of a souvenier of the cache. The background is a wood image because the cache is hidden below a wood viewing deck overlooking the river. The person that got the FTF was a visitor from Germany and she seemed happy to have a souvenier to take home with her. Quote Link to comment
+Scubasonic Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Got a $50 for a long hike FTF Scubasonic Quote Link to comment
+Scubasonic Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 (edited) oops triple post Scubasonic Edited August 24, 2010 by Scubasonic Quote Link to comment
+Scubasonic Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 (edited) DBL post Sorry Edited August 24, 2010 by Scubasonic Quote Link to comment
+ShortyBond Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 My favorite FTF prizes are unactivated travel bugs. (Or coins.) I generally leave those or something that's unique to Geocaching. Like i'm about to leave a Signal The Frog antenna topper in my next cache. In Micros, i sometimes leave something cheap. Like little parachuting guys or something. Just a little something that says, "Hey, you won!" Quote Link to comment
+dorothy&scarecrow Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 (edited) We currently have an unactivated "Templar"geocoin as a FTF. We also have one of those little Wal-mart plastic trophies with the cache name on it and FTF stenciled on it. I also have a bouncy ball that means mor eto me than both the others. IT came from a puzzle cache that cost me a few of my marbles ( so I replaced them with the bouncy ball!) I keep them all in a loc n Loc container in our computer desk. Or as my wife calls it . . . my trophy drawer!! LOL The trophies sound neat! What part of Walmart can I find them at? Are they part of another larger toy? I hope you don't mind me wanting to use your idea! i bought some mini trophies at the dollar tree. i think i got 6 for a dollar. then i took a sharpie and wrote FTF and my geo-name. Edited August 24, 2010 by dorothy&scarecrow Quote Link to comment
+Bundyrumandcoke Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 A caching mate and I recently awarded a $100 FTF prize on a 5/5 we own. Quote Link to comment
+mattyswift Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 $2 lotto tickets were the ftf in the cache my father found he spent all morning trying to find the multi there was a lotto ticket for the first 5 finders sadley no one won but imagine the possibility!! Quote Link to comment
+the4dirtydogs Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 We don't have that many FTF's but i like coins, gift cards and gold dollar coins. We leave cash and gift cards as FTF prizes. I just like the bragging rights mostly. I've heard of people leaving gps'r also just haven't found one. Quote Link to comment
+AngelSixxDarkEyes Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 I placed my first cache last week in honor of my Dad and I got a wooden puzzle box that you have to figure out how to open then I put a set of unactivated TB's inside of the box for the FTF. Quote Link to comment
+DukeOfURL01 Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 I agree that FTF prizes are not required or expected. I have about 60 FTFs and there was only a prize in about 5% of them. The best one was an ammo can in the forest near my house, the CO recently got a new GPS, and he left his old one in there, it was an eTrex, the yellow one. It was in like new condition, even had new batteries. I must admit that I drove for an hour and a half for that one... I saw a cheap red laser pointer by the cache register in Wally World, and I plan on putting that in one of my caches for an FTF prize in the future. Quote Link to comment
+Juicepig Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 I put a big trophy in one of my last ones, with a note asking them to send a mailing address to get the engraved name plate when they get the FTF Quote Link to comment
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