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Green Man Geocoin

Aunt_GeoMima

By Aunt_GeoMima
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Aunt_GeoMima

+Aunt_GeoMima

Posted
Posted

Ahoy fellow geocachers!

 

I've been geocaching since 'almost' the very beginning. I think my first cache was in 2001 and I've been hooked ever since! :)

 

Imagine my delight when one of my first geocaches revealed a large, golden gleaming coin! Nothing could have been closer to REAL treasure! I will never forget the day. I literally pushed down a small child (distracted them with some dumb 'ol bubbles) and held the coin high into the air with a scream of victory. I had no idea what I had just found, but it was truly beautiful and it was all mine!! :)

 

It seems that I remember it being an early release from Moun10bike, meaning a coin that was released before there was even an official way of tracking them properly. I believe I found the coin at a geocache called Salt Creek Bunker in Washington state, near Sequim.

 

Can anyone help me with a provenance for this coin and tell me whether or not they can be tracked now? I have always felt just a little bit greedy that I've kept the coin all to myself, since I do love to share others. Somehow this one has just always been too good to let go.... I'd like to verify it's origins. :)

 

Happy Trails!

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Aunt_GeoMima

+Aunt_GeoMima

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Posted (edited)

I'm having trouble uploading a couple of pics since I don't host my images anywhere, but I'll figure something out if people are interested in seeing pics. I can't believe that the coin is really rare though.

 

I verified the date and location that I found the coin and it was in 2002 at the Salt Creek Bunker cache. I'm still able to find my old log and the depositor's (Herr Fritz) previous entry!!

 

I wonder if there's anyway I can steal the entry?? It's linked to an account that belongs to another active user, so I'm probably out of luck. I can't count my well over 100 finds either. These are the things you really miss when you lose them in the divorce! LOL :)

Edited by Aunt_GeoMima
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RedShoesGirl

RedShoesGirl

Posted
Posted

I'm having trouble uploading a couple of pics since I don't host my images anywhere, but I'll figure something out if people are interested in seeing pics. I can't believe that the coin is really rare though....

 

the coin is fairly rare. you can upload a photo of it to your gallery under your geocaching profile and then share it here. you click on the photo once it is in your gallery, grab the url, which will end in "jpg" and then post it via a comment by clicking on the little photo box under where it says "sizes" - when you roll your cursor over it, it says "insert photo."

 

hope that makes sense.

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haysonics

haysonics

Posted
Posted (edited)

Can anyone help me with a provenance for this coin and tell me whether or not they can be tracked now? I have always felt just a little bit greedy that I've kept the coin all to myself, since I do love to share others. Somehow this one has just always been too good to let go.... I'd like to verify it's origins. :)

 

Here are the details courtesy of Forthferalz's untrackable geocoin wiki :

 

Designed and sold by www.geocachetreasure.com ( defunct )

Mint: probably Northwest Territorial Mint

Style: Medallion

Assay: Merlin Gold® Alloy

Size: 39mm

Thickness: 2.9mm

Finish: Proof-Like

Edition Numbering: Yes To preserve the aesthetic appeal of the artwork on the "Green Man" Geocoin, we have provided edition numbering on the rim of the Geocoin. The number may also be found on the "Certificate of Authenticity"

Price: $10.00 US

 

It was released in 2002 as a limited edition of (I think) 500 however I have seen a few "2005 edition" on ebay over the years as well. They looked the same in the photos. Were they? Was this the only remint? Was the remint limited to 500 like the original?

Edited by haysonics
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Eartha

+Eartha

Posted
Posted

The Green Man is a more recent coin.

 

If you found a Moun10Bike coin, and you found this back in 2001 or 2002, it is owned by Moun10Bike, and you cannot own it. He owns it, and retains ownership of all of his geocoins.

 

If it says "Trackable At Geocaching.com" on it, then it is a trackable geocoin, and you would find a number on it, perhaps on the edge, or on one of the faces, and it should be sent on, to travel.

But no, you can't become the owner of someone else's coin, and if it is activated, you should release it into another cache.

The Green Man coin came out in 2009, so the title of this thread really has nothing to do with the coin that you found. I can change it if you would like me to.

If there is no tracking number on it, then it is a trade item, in which case, it should have been trade for equally/fairly. Trade up, trade even, or don't trade at all.

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haysonics

haysonics

Posted
Posted (edited)

There are 2 coins called Green Man. The picture drneal posted is the one we are discussing. Mystical Green Man is the 2009 one you are thinking about. The original is untrackable however each coin is individually numbered (on the rim). It was sold by www.geocachetreasure.com so probably not a Moun10Bike production.

Edited by haysonics
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Aunt_GeoMima

+Aunt_GeoMima

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Hello Everyone!!

 

I do have the golden coin that drneal posted for us in the earlier post. Mine is #054, stamped on the edge of the coin, produced by geocachetreasure.com.

 

I don't remember where I got the information that it was a moun10bike coin though. Do we know if this in fact 'belongs' to him?? Now I feel like I've been hiding the 'stolen' treasure all of these years!! :) The moderator seems kinda mad at me... ;)

 

I love Pastor B's idea of sharing the coin at events. Since I don't think it's trackable (??), no one could really discover it but it's nice to see it anyway. It seems that I remember Moun10bike stating somewhere that these coins were original geocoins. Do you guys know anything else??

 

Thanks so much for your interest. It's a lot of fun to talk about this beautiful coin!

Edited by Aunt_GeoMima
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Eartha

+Eartha

Posted
Posted

I also love the idea of using at a virtual geocoin by laminating a picture of it and attaching a dog tag!

 

You can only do this if you own it, and if it IS trackable. Not if it already belongs to someone else. But if you did create a "proxy" then you would have to use a TB tag to track it.

 

I'm not mad at you at all, just trying to figure out who actually owns it.

 

If it were a Moun10Bike coin, well, that is a sensitive subject, those are all owned by Moun10Bike. Someone tried to sell one on ebay once, and a very, VERY nice cacher paid over $700 for it, only to return it to Moun10Bike.

I thought that was above and beyond the call of duty. By far!

 

As far as uploading a photo:

Go to your profile.

Scroll down, look on the right for "View your account details"

Scroll and look for "your profile photo" or "your avatar photo" and upload there. Then click on the photo and copy the url, and load that in the forum post using the little "insert image" icon. Hover your mouse over the icons to find it.

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avroair

avroair

Posted
Posted

We just checked and have the original 2002 Greenman with the certificate..... B) . We received that quite a few years back! A classic!

 

They minted a lot of them. And they were available for sale through 2005. I am not aware of any differences between those in 2002 and those later on (other than number engraving).

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Aunt_GeoMima

+Aunt_GeoMima

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I'm still not clear on the ownership thing.... When I originally found the coin, I'm sure it was on a release from Moun10bike. I had no idea that people were returning these coins to him or that they were being sold for so much money!

 

JoenSue: Did you purchase your coin or find it in a geocache?? Does the certificate say anything about moun10bike's association or is it a completely different coin than my own?

 

I haven't run across anyone else that has the coin in their possession so this is fun stuff!

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MustangJoni

+MustangJoni

Posted
Posted (edited)

I would think, since the coin isn't trackable, if Moun10bike left it in a cache, he left it as swag. That would mean that it is yours.

 

I bought about 10 of them, back in the day, and dropped most of them in caches as swag. I have no ownership of those coins. Whoever has them now, owns them as far as I'm concerned.

Edited by MustangJoni
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avroair

avroair

Posted
Posted

I'm still not clear on the ownership thing.... When I originally found the coin, I'm sure it was on a release from Moun10bike. I had no idea that people were returning these coins to him or that they were being sold for so much money!

 

JoenSue: Did you purchase your coin or find it in a geocache?? Does the certificate say anything about moun10bike's association or is it a completely different coin than my own?

 

I haven't run across anyone else that has the coin in their possession so this is fun stuff!

 

if the coin is not trackable (has a number) then it's considered trade swag. You can keep it or put it into another cache.

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Eartha

+Eartha

Posted
Posted

Just to clarify, since the original post wasn't that clear on what coin it was, a Green Man coin sent out by Moun10bike and a Moun10bike geocoin are NOT the same thing. We have now determined it is a Green Man coin and if it has no tracking number, it is not Trackable, it was left as swag for someone to keep.

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JoenGPS

+JoenGPS

Posted
Posted

I'm still not clear on the ownership thing.... When I originally found the coin, I'm sure it was on a release from Moun10bike. I had no idea that people were returning these coins to him or that they were being sold for so much money!

 

JoenSue: Did you purchase your coin or find it in a geocache?? Does the certificate say anything about moun10bike's association or is it a completely different coin than my own?

 

I haven't run across anyone else that has the coin in their possession so this is fun stuff!

 

If you can't go to a cache page to log the coin you found (trackable on geocaching.com) then it's swag. Keep it or put it in a cache, it yours!!! This coin has nothing to do with Mount10Bike period. Maybe he left that there as swag (that would be the only connection) way back when but don't get him confused with this coin. If you left nothing and took that coin and the cache is still active, do your karma right, go back & leave a coin in there (or another cache of your choosing if it's archived) :lol:

 

The only exception to this is if a nontrackable coin has something attached to it like a travelbug or tag with a number that is logable/trackable on geocaching.com. The cache page would then tell you what the owners mission is for that traveler when you log it. In that case you would place it in another cache hopefully with the requested mission in mind.

 

Our coin was received as a gift in 2006.

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RedShoesGirl

RedShoesGirl

Posted
Posted
...

As far as uploading a photo:

Go to your profile.

Scroll down, look on the right for "View your account details"

Scroll and look for "your profile photo" or "your avatar photo" and upload there. Then click on the photo and copy the url, and load that in the forum post using the little "insert image" icon. Hover your mouse over the icons to find it.

 

one is better off adding a photo to an archived cache, or even a regular cache instead of uploading a new profile photo.

 

go to the cache page. click on "upload images" on the right side of the page. when the photo is uploaded, click on the photo, grab the url - ending in jpg, and then use the insert image function when commenting.

 

my greenman is #0797. i wasn't even aware there was a number on the side. it is still one of my favorite coins and it is nice having one back in my shrinking collection after gifting one away.

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haysonics

haysonics

Posted
Posted (edited)

Great advice but the OP should note that the green man coin is only his if he left a coin in its place. The coin may be deemed "swag" these days (as its not trackable) but back in 2002 no geocoins were trackable. From what i have read the moun10bike 1 was only made trackable on geocaching.com at some later time (required a software fix as it only had 3 digits) and the proposed 2002 trackable USA geocoin was never made.

Edited by haysonics
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MustangJoni

+MustangJoni

Posted
Posted

Great advice but the OP should note that the coin is only his if he left a coin in its place. The coin may be deemed "swag" these days (as its not trackable) but back in 2002 no geocoins were trackable. From what i have read the moun10bike 1 was only made trackable on geocaching.com at some later time (required a software fix as it only had 3 digits) and the proposed 2002 trackable USA geocoin was never made.

 

From what we've come to understand, the coin in question is a Greenman coin, which may have been left as swag by Moun10bike. Not a Moun10bike coin.

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LadyBee4T

+LadyBee4T

Posted
Posted

 

I verified the date and location that I found the coin and it was in 2002 at the Salt Creek Bunker cache. I'm still able to find my old log and the depositor's (Herr Fritz) previous entry!!

 

I wonder if there's anyway I can steal the entry?? It's linked to an account that belongs to another active user, so I'm probably out of luck. I can't count my well over 100 finds either. These are the things you really miss when you lose them in the divorce! LOL :)

 

I also have one of the Greenman coins. It was one of the first coins that I ever bought. I have to check and see what number I have.

 

About not being able to count the 100 finds. If you started a new account after a divorce you could always go back and relog those finds BD (before divorce) under your new account. You could also date them the same date as you originally found them. A quick note to the cache owner telling them what you are doing might be in order since it was so long ago. It would be a lot of work though.

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Aunt_GeoMima

+Aunt_GeoMima

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I do think the coin was left in a cache somewhere in my area by moun10bike and it's definitely not what others seem to be referring to as a moun10bike coin, but I still say that I remember that he had the coin made as one of the very early efforts. Does anyone know about this idea? It even seems like I sent him an email years (and years) ago and he confirmed that fact, but I'm just not positive... Oh, how I miss my mind! :) LOL

 

I did leave a shiny, golden $1 US coin in trade for the greenman geocoin and I remember thinking that was as close as I was going to get to trading another coin for it. In those days, a geocoin was VERY rare! :)

 

Thanks so much for sharing everyone! :)

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haysonics

haysonics

Posted
Posted (edited)

Great advice but the OP should note that the green man coin is only his if he left a coin in its place. The coin may be deemed "swag" these days (as its not trackable) but back in 2002 no geocoins were trackable. From what i have read the moun10bike 1 was only made trackable on geocaching.com at some later time (required a software fix as it only had 3 digits) and the proposed 2002 trackable USA geocoin was never made.

 

From what we've come to understand, the coin in question is a Greenman coin, which may have been left as swag by Moun10bike. Not a Moun10bike coin.

I should have clarified that i was talking about trading even or up. My point is that all coins in 2002 could be termed "swag", even the moun10bike 1, as none were trackable on geocaching.com back then.

Edited by haysonics
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Aunt_GeoMima

+Aunt_GeoMima

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Just out of curiosity ONLY, is the coin actually worth any $$??

 

I've been out of geocaching for a few years and I had no idea that geocoins had become so popular. I released a few of them (back in the day), but none of them ever accomplished their goal because people just held onto them instead. :)

 

FUN stuff!

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Eartha

+Eartha

Posted
Posted

An item is worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it, and a seller is willing to sell it for. With geocoins, it's hard to say what it is worth. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you are curious, check ebay (there are no Green Man coins for sale right now), and see what things go for. That $700 for the Moun10Bike was a one time odd thing, years ago. The average price for a geocoin is $10-12, up from $8-10 a few years back. The more rare, and the more wanted, the better price someone might get.

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Bhob

+Bhob

Posted
Posted
back in 2002 no geocoins were trackable. From what i have read the moun10bike 1 was only made trackable on geocaching.com at some later time (required a software fix as it only had 3 digits) and the proposed 2002 trackable USA geocoin was never made.
all coins in 2002 could be termed "swag", even the moun10bike 1, as none were trackable on geocaching.com back then.
it is my understanding that Moun10Bike geocoins, USA geocoins and travelbugs were trackable from the very beginning

at that time, the tracking number column in the database was actually a number

(as opposed to the alpha-numeric code that is used today)

numbers 1 to 10000 were for Moun10Bike geocoins

numbers 10001 to 100000 were for USA geocoins

and numbers 100001 to 999999 were for travel bugs

until Jeep came along that was it

there were pleas from several sources for their items to be made trackable

all were politely but firmly rebuffed

until Jeep came up wuth the incentive (read $) to have the database column changed to alpha-numeric

 

as for dates - go have a look at some of the earlier M10B geocoins

the activation dates are as early as 2001, and there are logs for that same year

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haysonics

haysonics

Posted
Posted (edited)

Thanks Bhob. I really appreciate the info ! I had read that the alphanumeric database was tweaked to allow the 1 - 200 numbers for the Moun10Bike coins but forgot that the database started out numeric. Looks like its back to school for haysonics. I thought Moun10Bike just numbered the coins so everyone would have an individual coin? I know, I know, "it was the first trackable geocoin", i just thought tracking came later. Didn't geocaching.com start out as just a list of caches and logs? When did numeric tracking begin? Wasn't tracking set up after the release of the Moun10Bike coin?, that is, long after 30 September 2001?

Edited by haysonics
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RedShoesGirl

RedShoesGirl

Posted
Posted
...

I should have clarified that i was talking about trading even or up. My point is that all coins in 2002 could be termed "swag", even the moun10bike 1, as none were trackable on geocaching.com back then.

 

since coins were so new, it was hard to estimate a proper value to trade even or trade up. i left maybe 10 of the early canadian coins that were not trackable on GC.com as swag. people weren't sure what to trade for them as they really didn't know what they were exactly.

 

i don't imagine anyone traded a $6 item for the coin which is about what i paid for it. heck, the whole concept of trading even or up seems to have gone by the wayside nowadays, which is too bad.

 

so did we ever figure out who, which person, actually made the greenman coin?

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avroair

avroair

Posted
Posted (edited)

it is my understanding that Moun10Bike geocoins, USA geocoins and travelbugs were trackable from the very beginning

at that time, the tracking number column in the database was actually a number

(as opposed to the alpha-numeric code that is used today)

numbers 1 to 10000 were for Moun10Bike geocoins

numbers 10001 to 100000 were for USA geocoins

and numbers 100001 to 999999 were for travel bugs

until Jeep came along that was it

there were pleas from several sources for their items to be made trackable

all were politely but firmly rebuffed

until Jeep came up with the incentive (read $) to have the database column changed to alpha-numeric

 

as for dates - go have a look at some of the earlier M10B geocoins

the activation dates are as early as 2001, and there are logs for that same year

 

I believe Jon's coins were 001-200 for v1, not sure how they were registered in the database, but there were 200 of them minted.

 

Edit to add, does anyone know if there are different versions of the Greenman or just different mintings of the same coin?

Edited by avroair
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drneal

+drneal

Posted
Posted

it is my understanding that Moun10Bike geocoins, USA geocoins and travelbugs were trackable from the very beginning

at that time, the tracking number column in the database was actually a number

(as opposed to the alpha-numeric code that is used today)

numbers 1 to 10000 were for Moun10Bike geocoins

numbers 10001 to 100000 were for USA geocoins

and numbers 100001 to 999999 were for travel bugs

until Jeep came along that was it

there were pleas from several sources for their items to be made trackable

all were politely but firmly rebuffed

until Jeep came up with the incentive (read $) to have the database column changed to alpha-numeric

 

as for dates - go have a look at some of the earlier M10B geocoins

the activation dates are as early as 2001, and there are logs for that same year

 

I believe Jon's coins were 001-200 for v1, not sure how they were registered in the database, but there were 200 of them minted.

 

Edit to add, does anyone know if there are different versions of the Greenman or just different mintings of the same coin?

 

From what I was able to find, there was the Greenman coin and the Mystical Greenman coin

 

ILYK
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avroair

avroair

Posted
Posted

From what I was able to find, there was the Greenman coin and the Mystical Greenman coin

 

Yes I know about those two coins. I was curious if there are different editions of the Greenman coin from 2002. I know they are all numbered, but is 1 through 500 any different than 501-2000 etc.

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haysonics

haysonics

Posted
Posted (edited)

Yes I know about those two coins. I was curious if there are different editions of the Greenman coin from 2002.

Not as far as I am aware.

I know they are all numbered, but is 1 through 500 any different than 501-2000 etc.

The photos I saw of the 2005 ones on ebay looked like the same finish (Merlin Gold® Alloy)

 

Has anyone seen both?

Edited by haysonics
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