interest in coins declining?

[+yanagi]

I read all posts in this interesting thread and try to find out where I am at the moment.

 

I'm still reading the "news" in this forum everyday. I think it is a pity that some of the communication is going over to facebook. Even if I registered there I'm not a big fan of it and don't use it very often. I really hope that most of the communication of our great community stay here or on a similar place and not on one of the social network places. Well, if not I think it would have a negative input on my interest in coins because easily keeping in touch with all the nice coiners from all over the world at a busy place where only coiners meet is for me at least half of the big fun.

 

On the other side after spending way too much for coins (including our personal coins) in the last year or so I decided to (try to) calm down a little bit. It sounds funny but the more different coins are designed and the more different versions of a coin are offered the easier it is for me to save money.

 

In the end: my interest in coins and in in the communication with coiners is still high!

[ELTADA]

Well, the fact that I had to "log in" when I hopped on the forum today, probably tells you how often I frequent this place these days. I used to be on here daily, checking up on the new designs, seeing what was new with my equally fanatic geocoin crazies - always lots going on. But something changed for me. I began feeling less like a newbie and was overwhelmed at the number of new collectors (maybe what happened with other "old timers" when I came on the scene). The number of designs was so hard to keep up with and I was finding less and less that I wanted to purchase. I also got a bit tired of all the stories of "please send me coins for free because I'm new, young, old, tired, sick, sad my dog ate my homework, etc.". I loved gifting geocoins as a surprise and really enjoyed trading (especially with newbies) even if the trade was terribly lopsided. So these constant begs really annoyed me.

 

But at the risk of sounding negative (oops!), I still LOVE geocoins. I went through my collection recently while I was organizing my sewing room and put out a few on my cabinet for display. My husband suggested I sell them and I'm not ready to do that. I did sell some extras and others that had less meaning for me but the bulk of my collection is staying put. My favourite part of them right now is sitting down with a geocacher and showing them my collection. Finding out their interests and showing them coins I think they might like. Watching their face light up when they see some of the really cool ones, ones that move, the "big ones", ones with glitter, etc. I love telling the stories around my collection - my first purchase, my first trade (thanks bluecherry!), gifts from others, themes I like, making my personal, group projects, etc. I realize that I really do still have a passion for them.

 

Unfortunately, time in my life is short right now and I don't have a lot of time to spend on the forums and in the geocoin world. I also haven't cached in awhile which makes me a bit sad. Part of my personality is to throw myself 110% into something so when a topic consumes me, other interests suffer. I have a really hard time with balance. Currently, I have a couple of other passions so my geocoin interest is suffering I'm afraid.

 

But I have a design for my next personal coin (just needs some tweaks - Jackalgirl, I haven't forgotten about it) and I WILL be producing it at some point...when I have time. So I suspect that will renew my passion for coins and I will get to trade with everyone again...hopefully I still recognize some names.

 

PS - In regards to multiple finishes - with my personal, I had 5 finishes for only 150 odd coins...it wasn't a matter of trying to make more money, it was because I had a hard time narrowing it down to only 2 or 3 - I loved them all!

[+JoenGPS]

So I suspect that will renew my passion for coins and I will get to trade with everyone again...hopefully I still recognize some names.

 

Put us on your trade list Pleeeez

[+AtwellFamily]

Cache Addict had 200 coins for the Belle of Louisville event. There were 590 people on the boat and he sold out in just over 1 hour. Someone still wants coins!

[BlueRajah]

I think that that 5-10 years ago a high % of cachers collected coins. Now that % is lower. However there are far more cachers. So the demand is still high. Look at all the coins produced.

[+kini_ont]

My thinking is that if it's an event coin and folks are going, it will be popular. Personal's not as much but then again offer one, I've yet had anyone refuse to take it

[+007BigD]

Remember getting mystery coins in caches or mysteriously left for you? That was cool! Remember the fun, the excitement, the comradery, the tiffs? That was cool!

We were a community ...so tight, so together. THAT was cool!

 

My collecting and useage of geocoins have changed drastically...i still love em! Still have em on my desk, shelf and drawers by the bin, lock n lock and bag full!!! I incorporate a resident coin into just about every new cache i place (currently 4 yet to publish lol)

I check ebay every other day, although i don't buy much at all...one here, one there every month or so. (I did just pay for 4 earth turtles ) and HOLY BEJESUS...i realized i still have yet to claim a mystery coin!!!

 

This place rocked ...i think outside of building a collection of coins i really desired at one point i just liked getting new coins in the mail!!! Seriously. Now my collecting is pretty much narrowed to benchmarks and a few rarer oldies.

I hoard my original stash coins, scavoks handmades, USA's, a few 05 ammocans and prolly 300 others, lol, and i am glad i have my collection.

 

So yeah, i likes me coins still

 

Anybody gots a Hollywood benchmark? Perhaps a copper meades ranch or a BN Geocac? ...wanna trade??? OOH...the 05 benchmark pathtag! See...I'm still in it

[+Kealia]

I think I started a thread similar to this one back in about 2008. It seems that there are ebbs and flows of both new collectors and older collectors coming in and out. What I also see are the same sentiments coming up again and again. This isn't a complaint, mind you - I just find it interesting that the same reasons are cited every few years and there really isn't anything 'new' driving perceived drops in interest.

 

I'm still interested, but much less active. I still look at the new threads daily (in one capacity or another ) daily to keep tabs on what's going on. I can say that it's been a long time since I've seen a coin that I had to have, though. A very long time.

 

I still like the personal coins that I either traded for or found early on (Lemon Fresh Dog, Moun10Bike, and too many others to name). I still drop my personal coin in caches that WOW me, when a milestone of some importance is hit, or when I travel to a new place. I've toyed with the idea of doing another personal coin for my alter ego but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

 

If I do and decided to sell it I would set it up similarly to the way the 'old' sales went. Fixed quantity, limited time, 1 edition, F5 frenzy kind-of-thing.

 

I do miss some of the folks and the great debates of old, though.

[+Shop99er]

I was wondering when/if you and/or Hula Bum would make an appearance.

[avroair]

I'm curious what everyone's opinion is to whether or not they feel geocoin interests are declining, or are collectors just becoming more selective on what coins they pursue to add to their collections?

 

There's a selective element. Buying 30 coins a month isn't sustainable... you end up with thousands of $$$ worth of coins and bills to pay... I agree with Kealia that the issues surrounding coins can probably be distilled into 10 different issues that resurface every couple of years.

 

Coins declining = no

Selective buying = yes

 

There's no such thing as a bad geocoin, some are just better than others. And all have a use after their shininess wears off... they can still be travelers!

[+drneal]

I'm curious what everyone's opinion is to whether or not they feel geocoin interests are declining, or are collectors just becoming more selective on what coins they pursue to add to their collections?

 

There's a selective element. Buying 30 coins a month isn't sustainable... you end up with thousands of $$$ worth of coins and bills to pay... I agree with Kealia that the issues surrounding coins can probably be distilled into 10 different issues that resurface every couple of years.

 

Coins declining = no

Selective buying = yes

 

There's no such thing as a bad geocoin, some are just better than others. And all have a use after their shininess wears off... they can still be travelers!

 

geocoins gone "bad"

 

 

and of course

 

okay...i'm sorry...i was bored...wont happen again (at least today )

 

ILYK

[+steben6]

I'm curious what everyone's opinion is to whether or not they feel geocoin interests are declining, or are collectors just becoming more selective on what coins they pursue to add to their collections?

 

There's a selective element. Buying 30 coins a month isn't sustainable... you end up with thousands of $$$ worth of coins and bills to pay... I agree with Kealia that the issues surrounding coins can probably be distilled into 10 different issues that resurface every couple of years.

 

Coins declining = no

Selective buying = yes

 

There's no such thing as a bad geocoin, some are just better than others. And all have a use after their shininess wears off... they can still be travelers!

 

geocoins gone "bad"

 

 

and of course

 

okay...i'm sorry...i was bored...wont happen again (at least today )

 

ILYK

[+TeamEccs21]

My interest is not waning at all.

 

I've always preferred round coins and personal coins. Round personal coins being the best.

 

I have very few shaped coins in my collection and they all have special meaninng.

 

When a Coin I really like comes out I usually try to get all versions of the initial run. I then pick one or two I like best and use the rest for traders.

 

I have co-hosted 4 events with an Event Coin and we have sold out every time, so I think there is still an interest in coins that have some meaning to the purchaser.

Edited June 2, 2012 by TeamEccs21

[GregsonVaux]

Here are my thoughts on this topic:

 

I saw my first geocoin while doing a Google image search for "tengwar" (Tolkien's made-up alphabet). I came across Scavok's Tengwar Geocoin and was immediately in love. I bought a few of them and soon after bought a Scavok "Tree of Life". That was 2009. Because I am fairly new to geocoins, I cannot talk much about the past, but I have now produced quite a few coins and sell between 30 to 100 coins each week, all designed by me.

 

The first thing that I need to say is that I do not do this for profit and I doubt that I am making one given all of my regular and steep expenses. I make and sell coins just because it is a great joy to see my designs come to life. It probably takes me about a month to design each coin and the hours really add up. I often am surrounded by books as I do the research required for my coins to make sure that each detail is perfect. I have no idea whether many or even any of my buyers know whether the images and text on my coins are correct, but it is vitally important to me. It is a lot of work; it is a lot of fun; it is a way for me to express ideas that have no other way of getting out.

 

Some people complain about people using lots of different finishes. I do this because it takes so much time and money to finish a design, so I want to get as much out of it as I can. Each finish to me is a different aspect of the design. This may sounds crazy, but each finish (I call them editions)tells a story. I spend a lot of time researching and thinking up the edition names. To sum it up, each coin that I make tells a complex story and the different editions are a part of that. I don't know if my buyers are aware of that, but I would hope that some of it comes through.

 

When I first started selling coins, I had few customers and I lost a lot of money. Over the past year, interest for my coins has picked up and my coins now sell for a lot more. Just a few hours ago I sold a coin for $92 and another for $31. Lately, I have been regularly selling at least one coin for over $50 each week. This may sound like a lot, but please keep in mind that all of these coins were auctioned starting at $0.99. I start all of my auctions at $0.99, because I want to know what they are really worth and this is the best way to know which designs are a hit and which are less popular. Also keep in mind that I regularly have auctions that end with the coin selling for $5.00 or less. At the end of the day, I probably am still not making a profit, but that situation has been getting better each month.

 

Will I ever make any money with this hobby? I honestly do not know, but I doubt it. More importantly, I am an engineer and I also have a rental property business. I have a number of ways to make a heck of a lot more money. If money was the most important thing in my life, I could easily be making MUCH more than I currently do, but that is not the kind of life that I want to live. I would rather dedicate myself to science, art, and ideas. I regularly give away a lot of my coins because they are my babies and I want them to go to good homes. I'll be giving away 50 of my next design to my colleagues at work and that is not the way to make a profit.

 

So, I like geocoins and they are important to me. What about other people? If you go to eBay, you will see that 1600 are currently for sale. I guess that someone is buying them. I also put a lot in caches and quite a few are still traveling. I do find that the ones in Europe and Australia seem to keep moving for longer periods than the ones in the U.S. My overall feeling is that geocoins as travelers are still quite viable.

 

I sometimes hear people complaining that geocoins should have a cache theme or that they should be personal. I disagree 100%. To me, the point of geocoins is to be rewards for finding a cache. If every coin had a compass rose or an ammo box on it, that would soon become a tiring reward. I would hope that caches would be filled with unusual, unexpected, and high quality rewards. I make coins that do not appeal to everyone, but I am sure that some people really like to see the unusual topics that I put on coins. Somebody needs to speak for the geeks and nerds.

 

Other people say that coins should be personal. For me, every single coin that I have made is highly personal. I may not have my full name on my coins, or a picture of myself, but I don't really think that people want to see that. What is on my coins is my best attempt to express the things that are important to me so that other people can see them the way that I do. I don't think that I am alone in this. I regularly buy coins from a particular vendor who does high volume and works with other artists. A few of the coins he produces are sometimes uninspired, but some, dare I say most, are also breathtaking. It is obvious to me that whoever is designing his coins is putting a lot of themselves and a lot of love into their work.

 

Some people complain that coins don't sell for as much as they used to. I own quite a few coins and I can say that some are works of art while others look slapped together. I think that demand for good coins will remain, while demand for uninspired coins will fade quickly. Also, since coins are so durable, they will tend to pile up. A coin really needs to be special to stand out and grab a high price. Back in the old days, any given coin had few competitors for buyers. Even if people stopped making geocoins, there would still be so many around that supply would remain high. What I am saying is that demand has not gone down, it is just that supply has grown so much because geocoins don't die easily.

Edited June 5, 2012 by GregsonVaux

[McAirTeam]

We just began geocaching and I just activated my first Geocoin, a Pirate Doubloon-Piece of Eight. Beautiful coin but I have not yet released it. After reading these posts I am not sure I even want to. If it is so likely to be stolen immediately after I release it, why bother? I don't mind if it travels for years and I don't get it back but it is a lot of money to just throw to the wild if someone is just going to snag it. Simple travel bugs seem less likely to go awol it would seem, but I do like the coins and can see how people get into collecting and trading. I would love to see one make a round trip successfully, after which I would retire it. It does not seem hopeful.

Edited June 5, 2012 by McAirTeam

[+2bugs]

Since I am about two thirds of the way through off loading my collection that once numbered close to 4000 coins I can add a little perspective. The ePlace is a mystery. I have sold more than a 1000 coins there and I continue to be amazed. Some coins that I think are real winners don't get a single bid. Some weeks half of the coins I offer for sale get no bids at ll. Then a coin that I had only mild interest in will go ape s***. Sometimes I list a coin and get no bids at all and a month later I relist it and it gets 6 bids and goes for $15. Most sell in the $8 to $10 range with surprises every week coming in much higher. Most surprising is that older non trackables are bringing decent prices, $5-$8 with surprises there as well coming in at over $20 quite often, especially for older coins.

 

It is a crap shoot. The best thing for me is hearing people are happy to get my old coins. The process has been fun. The coins sat in buckets for 4 years gathering dust. To sell them I had to drag them all out, organize and alphabetize them. Listing them requires a little research so i learn a little about these old friends as I say good bye to them one by one.

 

Probably by the end of this year of middle of next year I will be shed of all but my military coin collection, which I intend to keep. That is how I started collecting coins in the first place, challenge coins have always been my favorite.

 

2bugs

[+blue elephant crew]

I am also starting the process of a personal coin, something i wasn't sure i wanted to do. I love geocoins and am hoping to have some of my own by fall.