Laminated geocoin?

[+brokenoaks]

My wife and I went out and found a couple of caches today, first time out in about a year. I found something different in one. It was a laminated photo of a geocoin. It had the tracking number so when I got home I looked it up. The owner states that he did not want to get the real one stolen so he keeps it and sends a photo out in its place. Is this an acceptable practice and how wide spread has it become? I guess I don’t have a problem with it but it’s a really cheesy thing to find in a cache and I doubt I would ever move someone’s photos along to another cache.

[+Eartha]

It's called a proxy. I will move this to the geocoin forums, and you will find different opinions about them. You can search "proxy" and find a number of threads about them.

[+baack40]

I guess I don’t have a problem with it but it’s a really cheesy thing to find in a cache and I doubt I would ever move someone’s photos along to another cache.

I really don't undertand why people have a problem with proxies. I sure wouldn't spend $20 or so for a coin and send it out to travel only to be stolen by some creep. I have moved many of these proxies, which I would rather move than a dog tag with nothing attached to it. But to each their own I guess.

[+Walts Hunting]

Personally I leave the proxies where I find them. But that point is the subject of MUCH debate.

[+NanCycle]

I guess I don’t have a problem with it but it’s a really cheesy thing to find in a cache and I doubt I would ever move someone’s photos along to another cache.

I really don't undertand why people have a problem with proxies. I sure wouldn't spend $20 or so for a coin and send it out to travel only to be stolen by some creep. I have moved many of these proxies, which I would rather move than a dog tag with nothing attached to it. But to each their own I guess.

 

I've seen way more proxy coins than dogtags with nothing attached. But I move them all regardless.

Those who object to proxy coins--do you feel any differently whether the proxy was sent out after the original was stolen or whether it was sent to prevent the original from being stolen?

[GregsonVaux]

For me, the debate is even bigger than just proxies, it is about cache quality. Some caches are a joy to find because the container is nice, the hiding place is well thought out, and the swag is of high quality. Other caches have a cheap and crappy container and the swag is some plastic junk from a gumball machine. It is these low quality caches that make people drop out of the sport. Who wants to spend some valuable time looking for a cache only to find something that literally looks like garbage?

 

It is the same with coins. It is well known that people associate quality and value with density. It may come from our cave man days when people felt most comfortable with a heavy rock or stick in their hand to fight off attackers, or it may come from the general rule that heavier things tend to be stronger. This is, of course, a rule with many exceptions. Still, people love the weight and metallic ringing sound of a coin. It is simply a joy to hold one in your hand. It feels like pirate treasure or something your grandparents would have given you on a special occasion when you were very young. A picture gives none of these pleasurable feelings and people, by nature, do not like to be disappointed. You spend all of the time researching and finding a cache just to get a picture. Anyone can do a Google search on the coin name and get a higher quality picture. So, what was the point of the search?

 

I fully understand people not wanting to lose $10 or $20 to a cache thief and that is why cheap geocoins exist. Just this weekend, I was selling trackable geocoins for $5. These were high quality 2-tone coins finished in real 18 karat gold and black nickel with hard enamel. In total, I was selling three differnt finishes for $5 each. This is the kind of coin that you put into a cache. There are countless other coins that can be bought on eBay for $5 or less and sent traveling.

 

If you invite a friend over to your house for dinner and you hand them a peanut butter sandwich, you might start losing friends. What you are saying to them is that they are not worth your time and money. In the same way, if you put cheap pictures into a cache and call them geocoins, people will start avoiding the caches you own or have been to. You may even make some people drop out of the sport altogether. I've talked to a number of my friends about geocaching and more than one has said, "why in the world would you spend a day looking for soggy Tupperware containers full of Happymeal toys?"

[+power69]

I guess I don’t have a problem with it but it’s a really cheesy thing to find in a cache and I doubt I would ever move someone’s photos along to another cache.

I really don't undertand why people have a problem with proxies. I sure wouldn't spend $20 or so for a coin and send it out to travel only to be stolen by some creep. I have moved many of these proxies, which I would rather move than a dog tag with nothing attached to it. But to each their own I guess.

Because the finder is denied getting to hold it, admire the detail and workmanship of the coin. not possible with paper.

[GregsonVaux]

I guess I don’t have a problem with it but it’s a really cheesy thing to find in a cache and I doubt I would ever move someone’s photos along to another cache.

I really don't undertand why people have a problem with proxies. I sure wouldn't spend $20 or so for a coin and send it out to travel only to be stolen by some creep. I have moved many of these proxies, which I would rather move than a dog tag with nothing attached to it. But to each their own I guess.

Because the finder is denied getting to hold it, admire the detail and workmanship of the coin. not possible with paper.

 

I'm going to put my money where my mouth is. I still have a number of South Carolina coins and even though I am not wealthy (the economy has hurt nearly all of us) I am going to sell them at a loss in order to promote putting coins in caches. All three versions will be on sale for $5 each, but I will set a limit of five coins per household. These are really nice coins: one version is 18 karat gold on black nickel and one version is real silica glass fused onto pure copper.

 

I understand that some of these coins might be kept for collections or for trading, but I ask that 50% of all coins that you buy, you put into caches. This is not a rule that I will enforce, but a request to all of you to help keep the sport fun. I'll try to get these coins on sale at my store some time in the next 12 hours.

[+goosefraba1]

I guess I don’t have a problem with it but it’s a really cheesy thing to find in a cache and I doubt I would ever move someone’s photos along to another cache.

I really don't undertand why people have a problem with proxies. I sure wouldn't spend $20 or so for a coin and send it out to travel only to be stolen by some creep. I have moved many of these proxies, which I would rather move than a dog tag with nothing attached to it. But to each their own I guess.

 

I've seen way more proxy coins than dogtags with nothing attached. But I move them all regardless.

Those who object to proxy coins--do you feel any differently whether the proxy was sent out after the original was stolen or whether it was sent to prevent the original from being stolen?

 

I admit.... when I first started with geocoins, I would send out proxies in order to keep them from being stolen. After time, I realized.... what am I going to do with this hunk of metal anyway? So, now I send out the coin first.... and then after it has been lost/stolen I wait a year to release the proxy. That makes the most sense to me now... no need in wasting a tracking number.

[+Bear and Ragged]

>snipped<

-do you feel any differently whether the proxy was sent out after the original was stolen or whether it was sent to prevent the original from being stolen?

I'll move proxies if I find them, but make more of an effort to meet any mission and tell a story if it's a replacement for a coin that went 'missing' rather than the 'I'm not sending out a real coin...' proxy.

[GregsonVaux]

>snipped<

-do you feel any differently whether the proxy was sent out after the original was stolen or whether it was sent to prevent the original from being stolen?

I'll move proxies if I find them, but make more of an effort to meet any mission and tell a story if it's a replacement for a coin that went 'missing' rather than the 'I'm not sending out a real coin...' proxy.

 

As promised, I am now selling coins on my website for $5 each. At this price, these coins are intended to be put into caches. These cache coins can be found at this link:

 

Low cost coins - perfect for caches

[+steve.n.erin]

I'm going to put my money where my mouth is. I still have a number of South Carolina coins and even though I am not wealthy (the economy has hurt nearly all of us) I am going to sell them at a loss in order to promote putting coins in caches. All three versions will be on sale for $5 each, but I will set a limit of five coins per household. These are really nice coins: one version is 18 karat gold on black nickel and one version is real silica glass fused onto pure copper.

 

I understand that some of these coins might be kept for collections or for trading, but I ask that 50% of all coins that you buy, you put into caches. This is not a rule that I will enforce, but a request to all of you to help keep the sport fun. I'll try to get these coins on sale at my store some time in the next 12 hours.

 

It's a deal. I absolutely love finding a coin. I'm always grateful that the owner took a chance. Thanks for the opportunity to pay it forward.

 

But if I get these coins and they are too beautiful to part with, isn't some of that your fault?