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Got my first trackable


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"is it usual?"

 

Well...

 

I get the impression that it's becoming quite a common practice in US to release proxy or copy items in place of real geocoins. I've seen a few proxies moving around UK. Some cachers really dislike finding them and won't log them, others just accept them and move them along like any other trackble.

 

Personally, I only release a proxy geocoin if my original has been released, and then has been MIA for more than a year but different cachers have different views on this matter.

 

MrsB :)

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to me it does not matter at all what a coin is made of,

it is not mine to keep anyway,

if there is a track code, I can log and move it..

 

I lost a few due to lack of good geocache style by other players,

so I replaced one as a paper clone sealed in plastic,

the comments are clear, people dont like it and think it is a cheap and bad thing.

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Mmm, thanks for that, was just wondering. I suppose it comes down to the honesty of people out there at the end of the day. Would be wrong though if people are profiting out of other peoples trackables by finding them and then flogging them on ebay etc. I know if if I start any then it will be the original and then hope for the best!

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May I ask a sort of related question here too please? As you can see we have only recently discovered the joys of geocaching, and we have invested in a geocoin to mark our 100th cache, which we plan to release once we have reached that milestone.

 

My husband wants us to put it into a little ziplock bag to protect it (which I don't object to) but he also wants to add a note to the bag stating the coin's travel objective. I don't think this is necessary, as it will obviously appear on the coin log, but he is concerned that someone might pick it up without realising that it is a trackable, as he doesn't think it is as obvious on a coin as it is on a tag or travel bug.

 

Because we are new to this I wondered if there is any etiquette I should know about, I don't want to offend seasoned cachers by seeming to teach them to suck eggs, if you see what I mean!

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It is quite common to attach information about the trackable's goal to the trackable itself. This is generally done not so much to make sure finders know it is a trackable, but to help it meet it's goal. Generally finders won't check the goal online until after they have picked up the trackable, then it can be too late - especially if you have a specific goal.

 

E.g. if you want the trackable to travel in the UK only. If this is not stated on the trackable, you may have a foreign cacher pick it up, and not discover the goal until they have returned to their home country.

 

And having the goal on the trackable will also help reinforce the fact that it is a trackable (as your husband has suggested).

 

No problems with etiquette - a finder should not be offended in any way by a trackable having it's goal attached to it.

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As redsox_mark said it's quite normal to find a note with a coin or other travel bug stating it's goal, also when you get the coin it will most likely come in a handy little plastic wallet, with a pocket for a small note so there's no real need to put it in another bag, but no problem with doing so if you want to.

 

I don't want to put a damper on things, but travel bugs tend to go missing, and Geocoins more so, therefore if you do release it be prepared for it to be nicked :( although you may be lucky and it might have a long and adventurous life.

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...and this is a good point too:

 

...he is concerned that someone might pick it up without realising that it is a trackable, as he doesn't think it is as obvious on a coin as it is on a tag or travel bug.

 

I'm quite sure that some geocoins get deliberately taken by new cachers - not because they intend to steal them, simply because they're so new to the game that they don't know anything about trackables. They see this lovely shiny medallion thing in the cache, swap it for a skipping rope, and take it home as swag.

If the owner is lucky, eventually the new cacher notices that it has a number on it, does some investigation and realises what it is and it gets put back into a cache. If they're unlucky, the new cacher gets bored with caching after a few weeks and the coin gets dropped in a drawer somewhere, never to go travelling again. :(

 

Most geocoins I release to travel are in their plastic slip case with a printed note in it... "This is a travelling geocoin - it is not swag - please don't keep it...."

 

MrsB

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Oh that's good...I must admit having received it already and seen how pretty and shiny it is, I can see why people would want to keep them! I don't think it has it's own pouch, it came in a box with a pin to satisfy my magpie tendencies, so I shall have to investigate further.

 

Thank you all for your help, much appreciated. We are fast becoming hooked on our new hobby, but we want to make sure we get it all right! :D

Edited by Perditus
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Oh that's good...I must admit having received it already and seen how pretty and shiny it is, I can see why people would want to keep them! I don't think it has it's own pouch, it came in a box with a pin to satisfy my magpie tendencies, so I shall have to investigate further.

 

Thank you all for your help, much appreciated. We are fast becoming hooked on our new hobby, but we want to make sure we get it all right! :D

 

If you don't find any plastic slip case with it, and you'd like one, I might have one the right size and would happily post one to you. Just email us (through our profile) and let me know the diameter of your coin and I'll have a look.

 

MrsB :)

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Oh that's good...I must admit having received it already and seen how pretty and shiny it is, I can see why people would want to keep them! I don't think it has it's own pouch, it came in a box with a pin to satisfy my magpie tendencies, so I shall have to investigate further.

 

Thank you all for your help, much appreciated. We are fast becoming hooked on our new hobby, but we want to make sure we get it all right! :D

 

If you don't find any plastic slip case with it, and you'd like one, I might have one the right size and would happily post one to you. Just email us (through our profile) and let me know the diameter of your coin and I'll have a look.

 

MrsB :)

 

Thank you :) There isn't one, so I will drop you a line if you don't mind

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