Just want to vent

[+AckerAce]

We've released seven coins/trackables out into the world. Three of them have been taken and kept, never to be seen again. Why do people take them if they don't intend on placing them again? It's so frustrating. That's almost half of our trackables!

 

Just want to vent!

[+mpilchfamily]

They take them for the same reason you buy and collect them. Because they are cool.

[+plumbrokeacres]

That's why I have so many out there enough move and get logged that I don't fret about the stolen ones, take heart in the fact that they may yet show up I've had a couple disappear only to be dropped a year later.

[+Droo]

Two points...

1.... Something for nothing is just too tempting. A nice shiny object in a cache in the woods with nobody looking..... you do the math.

2.... Whoever took your coins may just have forgotten, or dropped out of geocaching suddenly and didn't intend to hurt you like this. These coins may still turn up .... or not.

3... Never give away/release anything you don't want to lose. If the loss is too great just keep the precious thing.

 

My condolences for your loss ... it's something we've all experienced and had to come to terms with each in our own way.

[+AtlantaGal]

To elaborate on Droo...

 

4. With the influx of cellphone app cachers, many pick them up and simply move them without ever properly logging them -whether it's pickup/dropoff/both. I see it at least 1/2 the time.

[GregsonVaux]

As long as a coin has not been destroyed, it is still in play. Coins can go missing and turn up weeks, months, or years later. Yes, some will be stolen and put into "private collections", but that is the risk you take when you set a coin free and even those coins can get back into caches when the thieves grow tired of them.

 

I have released many coins into the wild and some are missing, but many are in exciting places. I regularly receive e-mails from Germany, France, Scandinavia, Australia, China, etc. with updates about my coins. For me, the secret for having fun releasing coins is to buy cheap ones (never more than $5). Cheap coins can be bought on eBay. I am also selling geocoins at a loss to promote placing them in caches. My coins can be found at this link.

 

Cheap coins for caches

[+stickerooni]

I'll add my two cents worth... I agree with many of these above. I've released more than 100 coins and probably 1/3 are out of commission for one reason or another.

 

I think that some DO get stolen, but not all of them.

 

I've had coins that have been missing for nearly two years suddenly re-appear. Once in awhile I'll get an email from someone apologizing and tell me how they found the car in a car seat or at the bottom of a geocaching pack or otherwise just forgotten.

 

I've done the same myself, though not longer than 6 months, generally.

 

I don't release too many coins anymore. $10-$15 to have something go missing/stolen ... not worth it anymore. But I release some just because I enjoy spreading some joy.

 

I wish there was a way to flag those caches where something goes missing all the time. Those are generally the results of someone watching for coins.

 

Personally, I'd like to see Groundspeak change the way coins are logged so that they get logged AFTER picked up and so that finding a coin in a cache is a surprise, rather than having people watch for when they get dropped.

[+Toojin]

Lookee at TBMXBG. It was missing for 4 1/2 YEARS and showed back up!!!

[+steben6]

I'll add my two cents worth... I agree with many of these above. I've released more than 100 coins and probably 1/3 are out of commission for one reason or another.

 

I think that some DO get stolen, but not all of them.

 

I've had coins that have been missing for nearly two years suddenly re-appear. Once in awhile I'll get an email from someone apologizing and tell me how they found the car in a car seat or at the bottom of a geocaching pack or otherwise just forgotten.

 

I've done the same myself, though not longer than 6 months, generally.

 

I don't release too many coins anymore. $10-$15 to have something go missing/stolen ... not worth it anymore. But I release some just because I enjoy spreading some joy.

 

I wish there was a way to flag those caches where something goes missing all the time. Those are generally the results of someone watching for coins.

 

Personally, I'd like to see Groundspeak change the way coins are logged so that they get logged AFTER picked up and so that finding a coin in a cache is a surprise, rather than having people watch for when they get dropped.

I totally agree with your suggestion on how to log them! I made that very suggestion one time on a forum and a bunch of people answered that they didn't like that idea because then they couldn't tell where there coins were when they are sitting in a cache. I see that point of view, but I would much rather have them be safer and logged AFTER they are picked up so they don't show up in cache inventories.

[+mo pirate]

I guess I will add my two coins worth. I have over 100 sent out to travel too. I am lucky if one third are still travelling. So I don't send out many anymore. However, A few have resurfaced 6 months to 2 years later so don't give up hope. I have even found one in the console glove box of the cachemobile from a previous trip of 6-8 months prior. I felt the same pain only from the other side then. Anyhow, I would never put my TITANIC coin out for travell as it would probably never be seen again! It is a collectible only!

[+t4e]

We've released seven coins/trackables out into the world. Three of them have been taken and kept, never to be seen again. Why do people take them if they don't intend on placing them again? It's so frustrating. That's almost half of our trackables!

 

Just want to vent!

 

never loose hope, look at this little guy...Sunshine Flute showed up after 5 years

Edited November 22, 2011 by t4e

[+The Blorenges]

We've released seven coins/trackables out into the world. Three of them have been taken and kept, never to be seen again. Why do people take them if they don't intend on placing them again? It's so frustrating. That's almost half of our trackables!

 

Just want to vent!

 

never loose hope, look at this little guy...Sunshine Flute showed up after 5 years

 

That's a good one.

 

MrsB

[+AckerAce]

Wow, thanks everyone, you have given me hope that maybe they'll turn up again someday.

 

We do try to buy "ugly" coins so they will be less tempting.

 

I think the most frustrating one was a bug we dropped in Niagara Falls. A woman admitted she took it the SAME day....and we never heard from her again. So we know who has it, but there's nothing we can do about it. Did I mention it was the SAME day we dropped it for the very first time? *sigh*

 

Another frustrating one....not to do with human nature....just "nature".... we dropped a coin in Oklahoma and a week later, they had flooding... the entire cache swam away. We've disabled the coin, but I'm still hoping that one will turn up some day, too.

 

Thanks again for the encouragement. I'm going to look at the two coin links that were posted.

 

Paula