Geocoin Collectors getting a bad rep

[+MustangJoni]

I am on Facebook, and Geocaching also has an account there. GC recently asked who collected geocoins. I was shocked and appalled that so many of our fellow geocachers feel that we are coin thieves. An overwhelming amount of people think that we get our geocoins out of caches, and that is how we have built our collections.

 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6559...mp;notif_t=like

 

Folks, we need to set the story straight! We are not the problem when it comes to missing coins. We also need to educate our fellow cachers on the difference between collecting and stealing.

[+TeamEccs21]

Joni,

You are preaching to the choir here.

I agree educating new cachers about coins and travel bugs is the best way to keep them moving.

Unfortunately there is no way to stop the real versus accidental thieves.

I'll keep putting out coins for special occasions and hope for the best.

 

Accidental thieves being those who are truly ignorant of coin etiquette, and too dumb or lazy to find out, so when they find a coin they keep it.

 

Another way to keep coins moving is to make sure they are in a baggie and the mission page is with it. Whenever we find a coin naked to the world we bring it home put it in a heavy duty zip lock with the mission page and then release it. This should help keep all but the most determined thieves from keeping it.

[+Team Professor X]

Accidental thieves being those who are truly ignorant of coin etiquette, and too dumb or lazy to find out, so when they find a coin they keep it.

Or they can't read

No excuse is good enough to keep a geocoin or TB. Only mistakes or holidaycachers with one day caching a year!! But that's is dumb also...........

[+longtomsilver]

Yes, as the community grows and grows I realized so many Coins are just dropped out into the boxes some with and some without their plastic-flips. Really a lot are without any paper telling about their mission, even if they don`t have a mission. Many coins just have the shop label paper in their flip.

It`s really a pitty and when I find naked coins even with a ripped flip I give them a new flip and put a paper with their mission, even if they only wnat to travel...

A heavy zip bag is sometimes not so good, because they need a lot of space and its sometimes hard to get the whole bag into small cacheboxes.

 

But newbies should be better informed about the TB and Coin business and how to log and place coins.

[Firefly03]

Yes, as the community grows and grows I realized so many Coins are just dropped out into the boxes some with and some without their plastic-flips. Really a lot are without any paper telling about their mission, even if they don`t have a mission. Many coins just have the shop label paper in their flip.

It`s really a pitty and when I find naked coins even with a ripped flip I give them a new flip and put a paper with their mission, even if they only wnat to travel...

A heavy zip bag is sometimes not so good, because they need a lot of space and its sometimes hard to get the whole bag into small cacheboxes.

 

But newbies should be better informed about the TB and Coin business and how to log and place coins.

 

longtomsilver - I have a mini coin out that we actually put into micro caches. Problem being there is no room if it's in a flip. I drop them knowing full well that they are easier to loose as well as easier to disappear. Sometimes there are reasons the coin are not in flips. I know my coins once they are put into flips, never see a micro again, and that was there whole purpose.

 

Joni - I agree, but how else can we educate cachers?

 

edited: Clarification

Edited August 24, 2010 by Firefly03

[+MustangJoni]

Yes, as the community grows and grows I realized so many Coins are just dropped out into the boxes some with and some without their plastic-flips. Really a lot are without any paper telling about their mission, even if they don`t have a mission. Many coins just have the shop label paper in their flip.

It`s really a pitty and when I find naked coins even with a ripped flip I give them a new flip and put a paper with their mission, even if they only wnat to travel...

A heavy zip bag is sometimes not so good, because they need a lot of space and its sometimes hard to get the whole bag into small cacheboxes.

 

But newbies should be better informed about the TB and Coin business and how to log and place coins.

 

longtomsilver - I have a mini coin out that we actually put into micro caches. Problem being there is no room if it's in a flip. I drop them knowing full well that they are easier to loose as well as easier to disappear. Sometimes there are reasons the coin are not in flips. I know my coins once they are put into flips, never see a micro again, and that was there whole purpose.

 

Joni - I agree, but how else can we educate cachers?

 

edited: Clarification

 

Go to that thread and discuss it. People are reading that! Very few collectors have spoken up!

[+Droo]

You know, in a country where 1 in 5 believe that a man named Obama must be Muslim this is not surprising.

 

I understand that a noob who doesn't know where coins come from will use his/her limited knowledge to connect their experience to answer the question. "I see coins in caches therefore that's where they must come from". A little bit like Frankenstein who is told fire is goood and believes it until his friend's house is burned down.... but being brain-near-dead you'd expect that of Frankenstein.

 

You have to admit it is funny that noobs see coins in caches, see coins go missing from caches, see collectors (where I wonder since the forums are overflowing with posters who try to assist noobs in getting their own coins explaining the facts of life - coinwise that is) trading or talking about coin collections and at some point must see the Ebay sales (several hundred coins for sale everyday) and still come to the conclusion that the stork delivers a bundle of coins to deserving caches and only those lucky enough to be there at the right place at the right time take home the prize.

Edited August 24, 2010 by Droo

[+2Jeeps2Jacks]

You know, in a country where 1 in 5 believe that the current President is Muslim this is not surprising.

 

I understand that a noob who doesn't know where coins come from will use his/her limited knowledge to connect their experience to answer the question. "I see coins in caches therefore that's where they must come from". A little bit like Frankenstein who is told fire is goood and believes it until his friend's house is burned down.... but being brain-near-dead you'd expect that of Frankenstein.

 

You have to admit it is funny that noobs see coins in caches, see coins go missing from caches, see collectors (where I wonder since the forums are overflowing with posters who try to assist noobs in getting their own coins explaining the facts of life - coinwise that is) trading or talking about coin collections and at some point must see the Ebay sales (several hundred coins for sale everyday) and still come to the conclusion that the stork delivers a bundle of coins to deserving caches and only those lucky enough to be there at the right place at the right time take home the prize.

 

If 1 in 5 believes a man named Obama has to be Muslim then a man named Jesus must be the messiah returned.... never mind if he's Hispanic and an immigrant..... and babies, like geocoins, are delivered by storks.

 

How about a reply without your politics embedded in it?

[+Droo]

You know, in a country where 1 in 5 believe that the current President is Muslim this is not surprising.

 

I understand that a noob who doesn't know where coins come from will use his/her limited knowledge to connect their experience to answer the question. "I see coins in caches therefore that's where they must come from". A little bit like Frankenstein who is told fire is goood and believes it until his friend's house is burned down.... but being brain-near-dead you'd expect that of Frankenstein.

 

You have to admit it is funny that noobs see coins in caches, see coins go missing from caches, see collectors (where I wonder since the forums are overflowing with posters who try to assist noobs in getting their own coins explaining the facts of life - coinwise that is) trading or talking about coin collections and at some point must see the Ebay sales (several hundred coins for sale everyday) and still come to the conclusion that the stork delivers a bundle of coins to deserving caches and only those lucky enough to be there at the right place at the right time take home the prize.

 

If 1 in 5 believes a man named Obama has to be Muslim then a man named Jesus must be the messiah returned.... never mind if he's Hispanic and an immigrant..... and babies, like geocoins, are delivered by storks.

 

How about a reply without your politics embedded in it?

What politics? It's a fact, or as factual as a poll can be. Has nothing to do with politics.

Edited August 24, 2010 by Droo

[+drneal]

I really hate facebook...I'm old... but I think I got my reply on there.

 

No stolen coins in my collection, only trades (i like trades,) purchaes, and some very special gifted coins!

 

I mentioned all my geocoins are or will be activated and owned by me (this is a good way for me to fill what would otherwise be some lonely hours without kathy...that's the big reason I started collecting.) It also allows me to let others discover them or collect the icons, and meet other collectors, and geocachers...and let's not forget the TV interview!

 

I still place coins or mail coins for FTF the caches that I have placed, but will make a note the coin is there for the FTF when I release the cache.

 

Educate the Noob's, and enjoy a couple of great hobbies...geocaching and geocoin collecting!

 

ILYK

 

by the way... "FIRE GOOD...GEOCOINS GOOD!"

[+avroair]

I didn't see anything wrong in the thread, just one guy who posted 3 times trying to dictate how people play the game... there have always been those few who try and force their beliefs on the rest of us...

[+tsunrisebey]

I can't see the FB thread, is it still up?

[+MustangJoni]

I can't see the FB thread, is it still up?

 

I can't get to it either.

[+GeocoinGuy]

It's still there...

 

~J

[+drneal]

must be a girl thing !

 

ILYK

 

here comes the hate mail!

[+The Moop Along]

Hold on a minute. Are you saying we are supposed to buy these coins? Not take them out of caches?

 

TMA

[+MustangJoni]

I could finally get in to see the thread again! I don't know what was wrong earlier!

 

I'm proud that our voices are heard there! Hopefully people will realize we didn't grab our collections from caches! LOL