How are Geocoins and TravelBugs different?

[+scottmcblane]

I am trying to get into caching a lot more but am struggling with something... What is the difference between a geocoin and a travel bug?

[+Panther&Pine]

Coins generally look like big heavy colorful coins.

Travel Bugs are usually dog tag looking things attached to an item.

[+scottmcblane]

Coins generally look like big heavy colorful coins.

Travel Bugs are usually dog tag looking things attached to an item.

No I understand that. But what's the purpose behind it?

[+Panther&Pine]

Coins generally look like big heavy colorful coins.

Travel Bugs are usually dog tag looking things attached to an item.

No I understand that. But what's the purpose behind it?

Humm, well that is a different question all together.

I collect coins (unactivated ones I've purchased), but TB's aren't very pretty- they just travel until they go missing.

Coins are pretty and collectable like baseball cards are, TB's aren't.

Also a cost difference, coins cost more depending on a variety of things. TB tags are just TB tags and generally sell for 5$.

[+scottmcblane]

Hmm ok. So why but them and not activate them? Thanks for your help

[+Panther&Pine]

Hmm ok. So why buy them and not activate them? Thanks for your help

Because they're pretty and if I ever need to sell them I can sell unactivated ones but activated ones doen't hold their value as well.

Some of them are very nice works of art.

I do have some activated, I use them for a variety of tracking and I've got 10 or so out and about in caches.

[+ElliPirelli]

I am trying to get into caching a lot more but am struggling with something... What is the difference between a geocoin and a travel bug?

 

Hmm ok. So why but them and not activate them? Thanks for your help

 

Those are totally different questions.

 

First: Geocoins, Travel Tags and Travel Bugs are generally trackable items, which can be activated and their movement tracked on geocaching.com.

What exactly you send on its journey is up to you and your imagination, also the goal, which your traveler should try to fulfill.

 

Geocoins are generally the nicer designs and colours, but unfortunately are quite often not moved correctly by beginners of the game or even thieves.

Travel Bugs and Travel Tags are mostly unexpensive aluminium tags, which may come with their own unique icon.

From my experience, those are less often missing out of caches, as they are less pretty and so not so desireable for thieves. On TBs there is also an instruction to log and move them on the tag, which most coins don't sport, so it's less confusing for beginners.

 

Second: Don't ever question a collector, why he's collecting.

It's in our blood and genepool to be hunters and gatherers. Some collect simple and unexpensive things like matchbooks, beer mats, bottle caps or picture stamps. Others collect more spaceconsuming things like modell railways or full sized cars.

 

Coin collectors like the combination of great design and craftmanship of the coins. Or the story and meaning behind a certain design.

Most collectors never activate their trackables, others take great pride in their collection and want to show them off at events.

 

So the reason to have TBs and Coins can vary, common for all is the connection to the geocaching site.

[Colorado Bear]

Scottmcb;

 

Travel bug and a geocoin serve the same basic purpose; they have a unique number on them that allow the finder to log them on the Geocaching.com website. The owner sets the mission and releases the "traveler" into the wild. the bug or coin gets pickup up and moved on by the other players. the owner then get to watch their "bug" as it travels.

 

A most travel bugs I have seen look like a dog tag with a bug on it and a number, they are usually attached to an item (figurine of a seven dwarf, teddy bear, racing car, excreta), these you find in a cache take it log it (write a small note, say hello to the owner), and drop it in another cache.

 

Now to make things complicated, players have decals on their car or pictures on their shirts of travel bugs. these are meant to be discovered. They have a unique number on them. Write the number down and go to the website under play -> find trackable->enter the number go to the website for the trackable on the options table select add a log entry->under type of log select discover it. Many time at geocaching event you will find many of these it is a great way to introduce yourself. Many collectors will also allow you to discover their coins.

 

Dipping a trackable; some players keep a trackable (one of their own or another player's with permission) and dip it; taking it from cache to cache and dipping it for the mileage.

 

Geocoins come in a variety of shape, sizes, colors, and costs. When you find them in the wild treat them the same way; take it, log it, and pass it on. If you find that a coin has not been activated it generally means it was placed in cache as SWAG and is yours to keep, but if the coin or bug has been activated it belongs to the player that activated it, keeping one of these is consider stealing.

 

Many bugs and coins go missing for various reasons, taken on purpose and kept for their own (stealing), accidentally lost,muggled, or picked up and forgotten. Personally I have lost track of about 60% of my trackables .

 

Trackable also have a public number associated with them that you can give out to ID it but the person who looks it up cannot log it since they do not have the tracking number, here is one of mine TB2WHVJ.

 

All of this said, I started off by buying coins and releasing them into the wild. As I bought the coins I came to enjoy their beauty as a art form and I started collecting them. I now release very few of them since so many go missing. Every now and then I come across someone who I work or play with that mentions this new game they found called geocaching. I will give them one of my activate coins for them to adopt as their own and play with.

 

The question of activating a trackable that you plan to keep is a matter of opinion, many feel that an activate coin loses some of it value. Personally I activate all of mine, and I do not mind buying activate coins as long as they get adopted over to me (I keep the logs intact). I reason behind my decision to activate is a simple one: At my first geocacheing event I talked with a collector who was showing off his coins, he told me that a the last event several of his coins went missing, presume stolen, and they were not activated. Now if they had been activate the person that stole the coins would have a harder time selling them or putting them into play. I buy many of my coins off Ebay, I have bought three that were activated and once I got them found out the person that sold them to me was not the owner, I filed a grievance with PayPal got my money back and returned the coin to the rightful owner, in each case the person was asked by EBay to leave their site for selling stolen items. This is the reason I activate my coins.

 

I hope this give you a better understanding, now go out and find some to enjoy and log, buy a few of your own. Come join the obsession or addiction of geocoins.

 

Jay

Colorado Bear

[+Droo]

I am trying to get into caching a lot more but am struggling with something... What is the difference between a geocoin and a travel bug?

 

None really.... except that travel bugs have a generic icon only and geocoins can have a generic or custom icon. And they look different. Otherwise they are pretty much the same.

[+scottmcblane]

Scottmcb;

 

Travel bug and a geocoin serve the same basic purpose; they have a unique number on them that allow the finder to log them on the Geocaching.com website. The owner sets the mission and releases the "traveler" into the wild. the bug or coin gets pickup up and moved on by the other players. the owner then get to watch their "bug" as it travels.

 

A most travel bugs I have seen look like a dog tag with a bug on it and a number, they are usually attached to an item (figurine of a seven dwarf, teddy bear, racing car, excreta), these you find in a cache take it log it (write a small note, say hello to the owner), and drop it in another cache.

 

Now to make things complicated, players have decals on their car or pictures on their shirts of travel bugs. these are meant to be discovered. They have a unique number on them. Write the number down and go to the website under play -> find trackable->enter the number go to the website for the trackable on the options table select add a log entry->under type of log select discover it. Many time at geocaching event you will find many of these it is a great way to introduce yourself. Many collectors will also allow you to discover their coins.

 

Dipping a trackable; some players keep a trackable (one of their own or another player's with permission) and dip it; taking it from cache to cache and dipping it for the mileage.

 

Geocoins come in a variety of shape, sizes, colors, and costs. When you find them in the wild treat them the same way; take it, log it, and pass it on. If you find that a coin has not been activated it generally means it was placed in cache as SWAG and is yours to keep, but if the coin or bug has been activated it belongs to the player that activated it, keeping one of these is consider stealing.

 

Many bugs and coins go missing for various reasons, taken on purpose and kept for their own (stealing), accidentally lost,muggled, or picked up and forgotten. Personally I have lost track of about 60% of my trackables .

 

Trackable also have a public number associated with them that you can give out to ID it but the person who looks it up cannot log it since they do not have the tracking number, here is one of mine TB2WHVJ.

 

All of this said, I started off by buying coins and releasing them into the wild. As I bought the coins I came to enjoy their beauty as a art form and I started collecting them. I now release very few of them since so many go missing. Every now and then I come across someone who I work or play with that mentions this new game they found called geocaching. I will give them one of my activate coins for them to adopt as their own and play with.

 

The question of activating a trackable that you plan to keep is a matter of opinion, many feel that an activate coin loses some of it value. Personally I activate all of mine, and I do not mind buying activate coins as long as they get adopted over to me (I keep the logs intact). I reason behind my decision to activate is a simple one: At my first geocacheing event I talked with a collector who was showing off his coins, he told me that a the last event several of his coins went missing, presume stolen, and they were not activated. Now if they had been activate the person that stole the coins would have a harder time selling them or putting them into play. I buy many of my coins off Ebay, I have bought three that were activated and once I got them found out the person that sold them to me was not the owner, I filed a grievance with PayPal got my money back and returned the coin to the rightful owner, in each case the person was asked by EBay to leave their site for selling stolen items. This is the reason I activate my coins.

 

I hope this give you a better understanding, now go out and find some to enjoy and log, buy a few of your own. Come join the obsession or addiction of geocoins.

 

Jay

Colorado Bear

 

Thanks so much for your kind reply. I think I am beginning to understand now.

 

Just one more question at this stage... Are there an infinite number of designs for geocoin a or can you collect a certain "series" or "group" of coins.

 

I used to collect pokemon cards as a kid so this is very appealing to me

[+nevadanick]

Thanks so much for your kind reply. I think I am beginning to understand now.

 

Just one more question at this stage... Are there an infinite number of designs for geocoin a or can you collect a certain "series" or "group" of coins.

 

I used to collect pokemon cards as a kid so this is very appealing to me

 

Some collectors go for certain coin 'types' ... events, nature, fun, visual appeal, shapes, color, etc. It's up to the collector.

 

Unlike just 'pokeman' cards, think 'trading cards' overall. You can collect any or all offered for any purpose, or you can select one sport like baseball, football, hockey. Or ... like comic books. Collect anything that's in print, or select one adventure series to follow. Some coins will have only one or two 'versions', while others like the 12-12-12 multi-event coin, there were 67 (iirc) versions made. Only a few people have tried to obtain all 67 different ones, while some settled for just a few and others have just one as a remembrance for the event.

 

The other consideration is cost. A single pokeman card didn't (?) sell for $10-20 plus shipping. A complete set of 67 versions of 12-12-12 coins would run well in excess of $1,000 at retail. If monetary is not a factor, I'm sure you could spend a thousand or more per month worldwide just on 'new' releases. Develop a taste for past coins and it could put a serious dent in ANY wallet.

 

Happy coining ... and welcome to coin-addict paradise ...

Edited March 11, 2013 by nevadanick

[+scottmcblane]

Thanks so much for your kind reply. I think I am beginning to understand now.

 

Just one more question at this stage... Are there an infinite number of designs for geocoin a or can you collect a certain "series" or "group" of coins.

 

I used to collect pokemon cards as a kid so this is very appealing to me

 

Some collectors go for certain coin 'types' ... events, nature, fun, visual appeal, shapes, color, etc. It's up to the collector.

 

Unlike just 'pokeman' cards, think 'trading cards' overall. You can collect any or all offered for any purpose, or you can select one sport like baseball, football, hockey. Or ... like comic books. Collect anything that's in print, or select one adventure series to follow. Some coins will have only one or two 'versions', while others like the 12-12-12 multi-event coin, there were 67 (iirc) versions made. Only a few people have tried to obtain all 67 different ones, while some settled for just a few and others have just one as a remembrance for the event.

 

The other consideration is cost. A single pokeman card didn't (?) sell for $10-20 plus shipping. A complete set of 67 versions of 12-12-12 coins would run well in excess of $1,000 at retail. If monetary is not a factor, I'm sure you could spend a thousand or more per month worldwide just on 'new' releases. Develop a taste for past coins and it could put a serious dent in ANY wallet.

 

Happy coining ... and welcome to coin-addict paradise ...

 

Thanks!!!

[+Eartha]

Just remember, you don't collect coins that are traveling. You collect them by trading for them, or buying them, or being gifted one.

You should not discover one if you have not seen it in person. That is "virtual logging" and is considered abuse of the geocaching.com system. Keep your tracking number secret, try not to post them online, even in a photograph.

There is a lot of geocoin history in these forums, but there are thousands of geocoins that never even see the forums. Only trackable geocoins, trackable on geocaching.com, can be sold in the forums. There is a pinned trading thread for non-trackable coins, at the top of this forum.

Travel bugs are never, ever for collecting. Move them from cache to cache.

Check the links in my signature for more information.

[+Chief301]

Hmm ok. So why but them and not activate them? Thanks for your help

 

The same reason people buy stamps and don't use them to mail letters....some people are collectors 😊

[+Sassysnorlax]

The other consideration is cost. A single pokeman card didn't (?) sell for $10-20 plus shipping. A complete set of 67 versions of 12-12-12 coins would run well in excess of $1,000 at retail. If monetary is not a factor, I'm sure you could spend a thousand or more per month worldwide just on 'new' releases. Develop a taste for past coins and it could put a serious dent in ANY wallet.

 

PLEASE!!!!

It's PokeMON, not pokeMAN!