Geocoins - take them or leave them?

[+Docrachel]

Hello Everyone,

 

My name is Rachel and I live in Maryland. Just started geocaching after watching a segment on PBS on "Outdoors Maryland". Geocaching was showcased in a segment and it looked like so much fun. Registered with geocaching.com and reading a lot to familiarize myself with the how tos.

 

I have a question about geocoins. I see some cache descriptions state that a geocoin is available for FTF. However, I thought they were not to be taken or if so, they were to be relocated to another cache. How do you know if you need to leave it or if you can keep it.

 

Thanks a bunch!

[Pup Patrol]

Hello Everyone,

 

My name is Rachel and I live in Maryland. Just started geocaching after watching a segment on PBS on "Outdoors Maryland". Geocaching was showcased in a segment and it looked like so much fun. Registered with geocaching.com and reading a lot to familiarize myself with the how tos.

 

I have a question about geocoins. I see some cache descriptions state that a geocoin is available for FTF. However, I thought they were not to be taken or if so, they were to be relocated to another cache. How do you know if you need to leave it or if you can keep it.

 

Thanks a bunch!

 

Hi Rachel

 

I've seen newly published caches that say "geocoin for FTF", too. Unfortunately, that doesn't always mean that the coin is a gift for the FTF'er.

 

Some people drop a coin in their new cache to attract FTF'ers, but the coin actually belongs to someone else, and is supposed to continue being moved from cache to cache. I really don't like it when cache owners do that. It's misleading and could lead to the coin being kept by someone who doesn't understand the situation.

 

I would be very careful with such statements on cache pages. You need to read the coin's page to see if it belongs to someone who is not going to adopt it to the FTF'er.

 

If the cache owner is actually placing a coin as a gift, they should state that very clearly. If the coin is activated by the cache owner, they should be ready to adopt it out to you.

 

Another problem is when people pick up a coin, and have trouble recording the tracking number. It's easy to mistake some characters. This leads people to think that the coin is not activated, so they mistakenly think they can keep it.

 

When in doubt, contact the cache owner and confirm whether the coin is a true gift or not.

 

 

B.

[+Docrachel]

Makes sense, thanks a bunch!!

[+Docrachel]

So, essentially the geocoin acts like a travel bug?

[+stijnhommes]

So, essentially the geocoin acts like a travel bug?

Yes, geocoins are basically a sort of travel bug.

 

"Normal" travel bugs are often some item with dog tags attached. And these can get quite big. (I've even seen a picture of a cinder block with a travel bug code attached to it.)

Geocoins are smaller and easier to keep moving since they fit in more caches.

[+SwineFlew]

Hello Everyone,

 

My name is Rachel and I live in Maryland. Just started geocaching after watching a segment on PBS on "Outdoors Maryland". Geocaching was showcased in a segment and it looked like so much fun. Registered with geocaching.com and reading a lot to familiarize myself with the how tos.

 

I have a question about geocoins. I see some cache descriptions state that a geocoin is available for FTF. However, I thought they were not to be taken or if so, they were to be relocated to another cache. How do you know if you need to leave it or if you can keep it.

 

Thanks a bunch!

 

Hi Rachel

 

I've seen newly published caches that say "geocoin for FTF", too. Unfortunately, that doesn't always mean that the coin is a gift for the FTF'er.

 

Some people drop a coin in their new cache to attract FTF'ers, but the coin actually belongs to someone else, and is supposed to continue being moved from cache to cache. I really don't like it when cache owners do that. It's misleading and could lead to the coin being kept by someone who doesn't understand the situation.

 

I would be very careful with such statements on cache pages. You need to read the coin's page to see if it belongs to someone who is not going to adopt it to the FTF'er.

 

If the cache owner is actually placing a coin as a gift, they should state that very clearly. If the coin is activated by the cache owner, they should be ready to adopt it out to you.

 

Another problem is when people pick up a coin, and have trouble recording the tracking number. It's easy to mistake some characters. This leads people to think that the coin is not activated, so they mistakenly think they can keep it.

 

When in doubt, contact the cache owner and confirm whether the coin is a true gift or not.

 

 

B.

 

That happen to me once. What happen was that my really good friend was at an event and won an ammo can and a bunch of stuffs along with a geocoin. So she placed the geocoin as a FTF. Well...we found out it was owned by someone else. I made it very clear of what happen on the coin page. I was not a happy camper at all.

[Pup Patrol]

So, essentially the geocoin acts like a travel bug?

 

A coin is *usually* meant to travel from cache to cache, just like a travel bug.

 

A travel bug has its tracking number on the dogtags it's attached to, but a coin has its tracking number engraved/printed right on it.

 

Here's the section about trackables:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/track/

 

And here's the Help Center section on trackables:

 

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.book&id=10

 

 

B.

[Pup Patrol]

That happen to me once. What happen was that my really good friend was at an event and won an ammo can and a bunch of stuffs along with a geocoin. So she placed the geocoin as a FTF. Well...we found out it was owned by someone else. I made it very clear of what happen on the coin page. I was not a happy camper at all.

 

Yup, like that. That's not nice to do to folks.

 

Here's a cache where I posted a note about "travel bug for FTF" as being misleading. I hadn't checked back on this cache for a long time. Looks like the cache, and the coin, not tb, got washed away in high water.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=17a6b73d-5029-47f8-9e36-922249d71ac1

 

 

B.

[+Don_J]

If it is truly a FTF gift, then it should be an unactivated geocoin and the cache description should state this. ie: There in an unactivated Geocoin in the cache for the FTF. If I see anything but this, my first assumption has to be that the coin belongs to someone else and that it is intended to travel.