Geocoins

[+SilentGreenMan]

Where is the best place to buy new and vintage geocoins from a USA vendor.

 

I have searched the web but am having a hard time finding a vendor , any suggestions ?

 

I am relatively new to all this.

 

While I am on the topic , what is the loss rate on "cool" geocoins , do they really get passed around or do they get gobbled up. I mean I don't mind sharing a good coin with strangers , even if I never see it again, as long as it remains in circulation. But I don't want to hand out free coins to people who are not committed to the purpose of sharing geocoins, when I shell out over $ 10.00 to "put it out there".

 

Loss rate 20%,50%,75% , 90%

 

Any idea's or statistics?

 

Maybe a poll ?

[Derf69]

Where is the best place to buy new and vintage geocoins from a USA vendor.

 

I have searched the web but am having a hard time finding a vendor , any suggestions ?

 

I am relatively new to all this.

 

While I am on the topic , what is the loss rate on "cool" geocoins , do they really get passed around or do they get gobbled up. I mean I don't mind sharing a good coin with strangers , even if I never see it again, as long as it remains in circulation. But I don't want to hand out free coins to people who are not committed to the purpose of sharing geocoins, when I shell out over $ 10.00 to "put it out there".

 

Loss rate 20%,50%,75% , 90%

 

Any idea's or statistics?

 

Maybe a poll ?

 

I like searching eBay and then when I find one I like Google search the coin. Most coins on eBay are available from the original manufacturer much cheaper.

[Andronicus]

Where is the best place to buy new and vintage geocoins from a USA vendor.

 

I have searched the web but am having a hard time finding a vendor , any suggestions ?

 

I am relatively new to all this.

 

While I am on the topic , what is the loss rate on "cool" geocoins , do they really get passed around or do they get gobbled up. I mean I don't mind sharing a good coin with strangers , even if I never see it again, as long as it remains in circulation. But I don't want to hand out free coins to people who are not committed to the purpose of sharing geocoins, when I shell out over $ 10.00 to "put it out there".

 

Loss rate 20%,50%,75% , 90%

 

Any idea's or statistics?

 

Maybe a poll ?

 

I like searching eBay and then when I find one I like Google search the coin. Most coins on eBay are available from the original manufacturer much cheaper.

+, ones on e-bay may (or may not) be stolen. Kind of hard to tell until it arrives at your house.

[+mtn-man]

Moving to the geocoin forum.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Where is the best place to buy new and vintage geocoins from a USA vendor.

 

One of the pinned threads here in the geocoin forums includes a list of seller/minters

 

Typically, these places are selling new, unactivated coins that they've minted. For "vintage" coins, you'll probably need to do some trading.

 

Lots of coins sales on eBay. Some sellers there have been around a while and have good ratings. It's worth checking if a coin seen there is still available from the original maker (often true)(and always cheaper, and unactivated).

 

My own success rate on released coins is about 50%. I have a coin that has been out nearly 5 years. I've had some losses that don't bother me, for example, coin in cache, cache bulldozed in fire line. The cache owner even tried a metal detector, but couldn't find that can. I rather like my buried coin.

 

I've had some picked up by 3 finds cachers who never logged on again. I had one held for two and half years before it was released again. I have only one that I'm reasonably certain was taken by someone who knew better. Even that is just a guess.

 

If you can't stand the thought of losing it, don't release it.

[+GeocoinGuy]

For NEW coins - There is the Groundspeak Approved Vendor list (linked in post #5). For Older/Vintage coins - there is a pinned thread (linked here) that you can trade or purchase. Non Trackable coins are not allowed to be offered for sale or bartered on the Groundspeak forum.

 

I would stay away from eBay unless its absolutely necessary and you are jonesing hard for THAT coin.

 

The AVL is your best bet. You will be able to find a variety of geocoins ranging in price from $5 - $25 depending on the vendor. FYI - Cachekins are NOT geocoins. They are aluminum trackable tags and you can find them from some vendors (or even on this forum) for as little as $3.

 

This forum is also used to announce new geocoins that are going to be produced/minted in the near future, usually with a link (if it is already available) or guidance as to where you can find it when it becomes available.

 

Good Luck!

 

~J

[+LionsLair]

 

Loss rate 20%,50%,75% , 90%

 

Any idea's or statistics?

 

Maybe a poll ?

 

 

 

 

This has been brought up before and the % varies from cacher to cacher. Personally my loss rate is around the 90% mark which has detoured me from releasing any coins in the past year or two... I still collect, trade, gift and sell them though.

 

For me, releasing them in the wild is like throwing them out with the garbage. It makes no sense, so I don't do that anymore. Even my alluminum TB tags have not had a good success rate, but I'd rather lose $3-5 than $12-15 every time a thief crosses paths with one of them.

[+traeumer]

 

While I am on the topic , what is the loss rate on "cool" geocoins , do they really get passed around or do they get gobbled up. I mean I don't mind sharing a good coin with strangers , even if I never see it again, as long as it remains in circulation. But I don't want to hand out free coins to people who are not committed to the purpose of sharing geocoins, when I shell out over $ 10.00 to "put it out there".

 

Loss rate 20%,50%,75% , 90%

 

Any idea's or statistics?

 

Maybe a poll ?

 

I put out real coins for about two years. The loss rate was roughly 15 percent per year, and I only have 2 of the roughly 20 real coins left in circulation. Nowadays, I keep the real coins and release proxies. I put out two-inch wooden nickels and customize them with a stamp I designed online (google custom rubber stamps). There was a wonderful writeup about why geocoins go missing (not on the forums), but I never saved the link. The gist was that most missing coins aren't stolen, but lost, held by inactive geocachers, etc.

[+SilentGreenMan]

Thanks for all the information !

[+Tonyalynnm]

I have wondered about this also esp since I have seen where coin designers (Tsun for one) says that people on ebay are making more on her coins then she is? What do the coin designers think? Would they prefer that if we buy one, we buy one from them? I have bought some coins from people thru the forums and I know that I did better then if I had bought them on ebay, however I see some of the designers selling on ebay as well... So would they rather we buy them thru the forums so they don't have to pay the ebay fees???

[+anne.and.eli]

I have wondered about this also esp since I have seen where coin designers (Tsun for one) says that people on ebay are making more on her coins then she is? What do the coin designers think? Would they prefer that if we buy one, we buy one from them? I have bought some coins from people thru the forums and I know that I did better then if I had bought them on ebay, however I see some of the designers selling on ebay as well... So would they rather we buy them thru the forums so they don't have to pay the ebay fees???

 

I am but one small time designer, and generally have different opinions from many of the other designers.

I will often set aside a few of my coins to sell on ebay. For Li'l Dreamers which I sold for $9.50 to forum people, I was regularly getting $15-$30 on ebay. Trust me, that more than covers the ebay fees.

 

With that said, I still sell the bulk of my coins (95% or so) here in the forums. Selling on ebay is kind of a pain for me. I'm sure people who are set up for it have it down to a science, but it takes me a long time to list just one coin, and I can't imagine doing it for the majority of my coins. There's also the added benefit that I like the people on the forums better.

 

As for which I prefer, I'd much rather you buy the coin from me at $9.50 than buy it from me on ebay and of course much prefer you buy it from me than from someone else. There's no reason for you to pay more for the coin when you know it's going for cheaper in the forums!

[+Eartha]

As others have said, please check the pinned trading thread, and the pinned thread with all the vendors listed (there are two).

We never leave threads like this open, because, as you can see, it becomes too tempting for people to advertise in them. So, please check the pinned threads, I am closing this one.