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Free Geocoins


Shaved Ewok

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I did not see a thread like this but if there already is one I apologize. I was wondering what free geocoin/TB offers everyone might know about that are currently going on. Right now the only ones that I am aware of are the PA National Park coins, the Eat Stay Play campground research offer, and the Great Lakes ones. Does anyone know of any others.

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The ACGA in Atlantic Canada has partnered with both provincial and federal parks to produce geocoin challenges.

 

Coins to date:

 

Fundy National Park 2008

Fundy National Park 2009

Fundy National Park 2010

Fundy National Park 2011 (available starting in May)

Highlands National Park 2010

Kejimkujik National Park 2010 (trackable patch/pin)

Nova Scotia Provincial Parks challenge 2010

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Once I overheard this snippet of mother-in-law wisdom "If you have a good haircut old ladies will want to give you their money." I think vendors just sending you a free coin because you begged them is just as unlikely. However, get a good hair cut and beg for TWO coins; then you can share your wealth with me. :anibad:

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This is a serious thread folks. I wanted to compile a list of all the offers or challenges that can get cachers around the world free coins. Not looking for begging or trading in forums.

 

The only one I knew of ran dry already. A town in Oregon had a challenge coin that was awarded after you found a number of caches around it's downtown. I think that was a move by its chamber of commerce to get people into their downtown and buying things while there (@ restaurants, etc.). Unfortunately, they ran out of coins.

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This is a serious thread folks. I wanted to compile a list of all the offers or challenges that can get cachers around the world free coins. Not looking for begging or trading in forums.

 

There is a cache challenge around the Mt Hood area that you get a coin for. Not sure if it's free.

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This is a serious thread folks. I wanted to compile a list of all the offers or challenges that can get cachers around the world free coins. Not looking for begging or trading in forums.

 

There are many "challenge coins" given out for "free". PA, DE, MA, SC come to mind. Remember, they are in the business to get you go to their area and spend money. The Maryland Challenge coin will cost you at least 1000 miles of traveling within the state and depending where you live possibly a few overnighters. All of these coins are pretty much set up the same way. One challenge official actually told us " We get you to come here and spend a couple hundred dollars for a six dollar coin" We don't know anyone giving away free coins via email. Free is a relative term in this instance. :P

Edited by JoenSue
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This is a serious thread folks. I wanted to compile a list of all the offers or challenges that can get cachers around the world free coins. Not looking for begging or trading in forums.

 

There are many "challenge coins" given out for "free". PA, DE, MA, SC come to mind. Remember, they are in the business to get you go to their area and spend money. The Maryland Challenge coin will cost you at least 1000 miles of traveling within the state and depending where you live possibly a few overnighters. All of these coins are pretty much set up the same way. One challenge official actually told us " We get you to come here and spend a couple hundred dollars for a six dollar coin" We don't know anyone giving away free coins via email. Free is a relative term in this instance. :P

 

Free is a dangerous word. Nothing is ever free. I agree with the statement above that although it's listed as 'free' you have to do a lot and probably fork out a good amount of money before receiving that 'free' coin.

 

If you think about it you could purchase a beautiful coin (that you actually want) for less than the amount you would spend driving and doing overnighters to get some of these challenge coins.

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I guess as long as it has made it on here, has anyone actually gotten an Eat Stay Play "free" coin?? I keep finding the little plastic tokens and I even signed up but it sounded like a pyramid scheme so I declined.

 

Yes, I earned the free coin. It was a decent coin, I sent it traveling but it has been 'in the hands of' someone since last July.

I know there was a lot of angst over this marketing ploy - so my penance is that now I pick up the tokens whenever I find them. Actually I keep meaning to make another game out of them, but haven't done so yet.

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There's no such thing as a free lunch.

 

Even if people do compile a list of challenge, or free coins, it won't be long before they are no longer available. These are limited offers, I'm sure, and the challenge ones are usually specific for a certain area.

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But a free coin that makes you go to a location isn't costing you anything if there are good cachs there.. a good set of cachs causes people to seek out locations and spend money to travel there with out a free coin.. so if a town gets some business out of it too great (if there are great finds there too of course).

 

I'd love to recommend to my town that they invest in free coins.. since there are tons of cach's in my area.. that people already come to find.. as a thank you to the cach'ers who come here.. which might turn into a draw for more cach'ers in turn.

Edited by sheltiedogshowlover
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As far as "free" coins... look at the "Pay it Forward" thread in these forums... or the other various cointests.

 

I'm not aware of too many "earn"-style coins out there.

 

Really? :~/

 

There is a purpose to the "Pay It Forward" mission thread. That purpose is to get coins in caches and moving by adopting over one of your "extra" coins to someone who wants to see one travel. The goal is that these people who receive adopted coins will remember the gesture and pay it forward by adopting over one of their coins to someone else, and so on and so forth. Granted it's more of an honor system than a requirement to "pay it forward," and I'm not naive enough to believe that no one who posts in the "Pay It Forward" thread views it as a "free coin" deal. After all, there are few "regulars" in the geocoin forums who have referred friends to the "Pay It Forward" thread, rather than offering up one of their extras. I'm not bitter - honestly. However, it is not titled the "Free Coin" mission for good reason. The whole spirit of that thread is to spread generosity and the joy of trackables, not so people could get something for nothing.

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As far as "free" coins... look at the "Pay it Forward" thread in these forums... or the other various cointests.

 

I'm not aware of too many "earn"-style coins out there.

 

Really? :~/

 

There is a purpose to the "Pay It Forward" mission thread. That purpose is to get coins in caches and moving by adopting over one of your "extra" coins to someone who wants to see one travel. The goal is that these people who receive adopted coins will remember the gesture and pay it forward by adopting over one of their coins to someone else, and so on and so forth. Granted it's more of an honor system than a requirement to "pay it forward," and I'm not naive enough to believe that no one who posts in the "Pay It Forward" thread views it as a "free coin" deal. After all, there are few "regulars" in the geocoin forums who have referred friends to the "Pay It Forward" thread, rather than offering up one of their extras. I'm not bitter - honestly. However, it is not titled the "Free Coin" mission for good reason. The whole spirit of that thread is to spread generosity and the joy of trackables, not so people could get something for nothing.

 

Ok... I guess somebody misunderstood my meaning of the air quotes around the word free. This is to imply that the coins aren't really free. Sometimes there is intent and emotion lost in the written word.

 

I understand that by putting your name out there on the thread that you understand that one day you should pay it forward (just like the movie). This payment forward might not even be in the form of a coin. Maybe it will be in a kind gesture. Maybe it will be by anonymously sending a mystery coin. Who knows. Maybe it will have nothing to do with coins. I don't believe that any of this is actually stated in the thread, but maybe the pay it forward process could overlap into other meaningful areas in life. To be honest, I didn't really understand where the op was going with the Thread title of Free Geocoins. I was just trying to offer a quick bit of genuine advice as I did not understand completely his intentions.

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As far as "free" coins... look at the "Pay it Forward" thread in these forums... or the other various cointests.

 

I'm not aware of too many "earn"-style coins out there.

 

Really? :~/

 

 

Ok... I guess somebody misunderstood my meaning of the air quotes around the word free. This is to imply that the coins aren't really free. Sometimes there is intent and emotion lost in the written word.

 

 

I think we are on the same page, but separated by a common written language. ;)

 

When I first read your post, my focus was on the "Pay it forward" portion in more direct terms of basic sentence structure: you were specifying the title of something, similarly to an article or other short written work. Can you tell I've been spending time with MLA?! And the "free" in quotes simply quoting the OP. I guess there's more ambiguity with quotation marks in writing. In face-to-face conversation, air-quotes are obvious in their intent/meaning, and we'd all continue on without such mishaps. All good.

 

So, that's our writing lesson for today. Who says you can't get something for nothing?!

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As far as "free" coins... look at the "Pay it Forward" thread in these forums... or the other various cointests.

 

I'm not aware of too many "earn"-style coins out there.

 

Really? :~/

 

 

Ok... I guess somebody misunderstood my meaning of the air quotes around the word free. This is to imply that the coins aren't really free. Sometimes there is intent and emotion lost in the written word.

 

 

I think we are on the same page, but separated by a common written language. ;)

 

When I first read your post, my focus was on the "Pay it forward" portion in more direct terms of basic sentence structure: you were specifying the title of something, similarly to an article or other short written work. Can you tell I've been spending time with MLA?! And the "free" in quotes simply quoting the OP. I guess there's more ambiguity with quotation marks in writing. In face-to-face conversation, air-quotes are obvious in their intent/meaning, and we'd all continue on without such mishaps. All good.

 

So, that's our writing lesson for today. Who says you can't get something for nothing?!

 

Fair enough... sorry I tend to joke around quite frequently and sometimes I'm sure that it is hard to tell if I am being ernest, making fun, or just being a smart-you-know-what. The problem with forum posts and even text messaging is that there are no facial expressions, or inflection in voice, or tone. Really all we got are the smilies <_< <_<... which don't always cut it. So, you have to make do with what ya got... and sometimes ask for forgiveness in miscommunication.

 

On another note, I started the eatstayplay thing about a year and a half ago... realized that I would rather pay for a coin that I actually like than litter caches with commercial plastic tokens. I have heard of people actually receiving the promised coin, though. So, it isn't all a sham... at least they deliver what is promised... albeit fails in comparison to most of the designs that I see published in the threads in these very forums, designed by many of our great artists.

Edited by goosefraba1
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I know there are several Chamber of Commerces in Oregon who do a yearly geocaching challenge i.e.: Canby, Mollala, Lincoln City, Mt. Hood (which usually encompasses Estacada & Oregon City) are a few that come to mind. But there are many more! They usually take place in the late summer to fall, to try and bring in tourism, during the latter months. Anyway, if you choose to make a trip to Oregon, don't forget to visit the Original Stash Tribute plaque GCGV0P , as Oregon was the home of the Original Geocache May 3, 2000. You must complete a certain no. of caches in the challenge in order to receive the Free coin. You have to go to the areas Chamber of Commerce with your online form filled out in order to receive the coin. They do run out very quickly.

Edited by CachingHuntress
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