How To Find GeoCoins

[+Stantastic 4]

Hi Friends,

 

Our family just starting Geocaching last weekend and we're hooked. We read about GeoCoins and of course, our kids (age 12 and 9) are dying to find some, My question is are these usually found in higher level difficulty caches or in premium caches? It seems unlikely that we'll find them lying around in level 1 caches, but I am hoping that we'll be able to find some that our kids will be able to access. Just wondering what those with more experience have discovered. We would also love to leave coins because we think they're super cool. I saw some on eBay. Do people still like to collect them even if they aren' trackable? Thanks so much. I know we have a great deal to learn.

[+cerberus1]

Hi Friends,

 

Our family just starting Geocaching last weekend and we're hooked. We read about GeoCoins and of course, our kids (age 12 and 9) are dying to find some, My question is are these usually found in higher level difficulty caches or in premium caches? It seems unlikely that we'll find them lying around in level 1 caches, but I am hoping that we'll be able to find some that our kids will be able to access. Just wondering what those with more experience have discovered. We would also love to leave coins because we think they're super cool. I saw some on eBay. Do people still like to collect them even if they aren' trackable? Thanks so much. I know we have a great deal to learn.

Curious, did you read somewhere that a standard cache was called level 1, or are you referring to difficulty/terrain ratings?

Trackables might be found in caches of all D/T ratings and most sizes, even some micros (pushing, but possible).

In case you haven't found it yet, everything you wanted to know about trackables.

[+redsox_mark]

You will find coins in all sorts of caches... easy ones, hard ones.

With the "old search", you can see in the "info" column which have trackables in them, and if they are coins.

Old Search

 

I can't see how to do the same with the new search.

 

Note that a trackable being listed in a cache doesn't guarantee it is actually there; but it makes it more likely.

[Pup Patrol]

Just a gentle reminder:

 

Geocoins and travel bugs are not swag to be kept. The items attached to the dog tags are to stay with the dog tag.

 

Trackables are meant to be moved from cache to cache.

 

Help Center - Trackables

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

 

B.

Edited July 25, 2015 by Pup Patrol

[ATMouse]

Additionally, if you want to own geocoins, there is a portion of the forums under the Trackable section dedicated to geocoins and might make interesting reading for you.

[+Stantastic 4]

"Geocoins and travel bugs are not swag to be kept. The items attached to the dog tages are to stay with the dog tag.

 

Trackables are meant to be moved from cache to cache."

 

Okay, this is good to know. Thanks. We obviously have much more research to do. I'll start reading some of the topics listed under Trackables so we don't break any rules because yes, my kids will definitely want to collect coins. That's what kids do. They want to keep stuff, but the idea of tracking a coin is really cool too, so I hope we can find a way to do both. We were thinking of buying some coins from eBay to leave in some of the micro caches we found.

[Pup Patrol]

"Geocoins and travel bugs are not swag to be kept. The items attached to the dog tags are to stay with the dog tag.

 

Trackables are meant to be moved from cache to cache."

 

Okay, this is good to know. Thanks. We obviously have much more research to do. I'll start reading some of the topics listed under Trackables so we don't break any rules because yes, my kids will definitely want to collect coins. That's what kids do. They want to keep stuff, but the idea of tracking a coin is really cool too, so I hope we can find a way to do both. We were thinking of buying some coins from eBay to leave in some of the micro caches we found.

 

I wasn't going to mention this, because some people on this forum like to jump on others if they post something like that.

 

But I know that kids like shiny things or cute things. And that's what trackables often are.

 

These trackables belong to other people. They have put them into caches to be moved along, and enjoyed by other people.

 

It's frustrating and disappointing when your trackables disappear.

 

It's an important lesson for kids to learn that just because you like something doesn't mean that you get to keep it.

 

Before heading to ebay, check out other reputable retailers.

 

Groundspeak for example:

http://shop.geocaching.com/?utm_source=Geocaching&utm_medium=Links&utm_content=Header&utm_campaign=Geocaching+Links

 

Here in Canada, Landsharkz is a great place to deal with:

http://landsharkz.ca/

 

Have fun. Hope the kids continue to enjoy spending time with you as they grow older.

 

B.

[Luckless]

A trackable can be anything. Some trackables have a dog tag attached, some just have a number on it. Any swag/anything you pick up from a cache that has any kind of number on it should be checked out here at geocaching.com to see if it is a trackable. If you are in doubt you can always check back here in the forums for feedback to see if they can tell you anything about where it may have come from.

Trackables aren't meant to be kept. Trackables go missing, coins especially. There are those who collect the coins even though they shouldn't. Trackables also go missing by people who stumble on a cache and don't know what it is, but take what's inside. Trackables go missing due to forgetfulness or they were taken then lost. They also go missing by cachers who took them and don't bother to find another cache to place them in. It's sad when they go missing because someone here is waiting to see a report about its travels. Hopefully your coins stay in circulation, but I've also had them disappear rather quickly. My first trackable went overseas and I received logs in foreign languages which was cool(before it went missing).

I always try to send out really fun trackables that people might enjoy finding in a cache and that hopefully they will move along to another cache so that other cachers can find and enjoy them. It seems the cute trackables are more apt to disappear, but I send them out anyway because I like finding them and I hope others will do their best to see they are placed in a safe cache that is not easily stumbled upon or in an area where things don't seem to go missing . Some of the most memorable trackables I've found were a golf ball with a face carved into it by a professional carver (reported as missing), a life size plastic echidna that started it's journey from Australia (reported as missing), a Blues Brother bear (reported as missing), a purple shirt worn by one of the local mega cachers (her number of cache finds is crazy and the shirt is not going missing because she is wearing it), a tiny Coleman lantern that actually lit up, an avatar duckie that glowed in the dark....

[+Stantastic 4]

Some of the most memorable trackables I've found were a golf ball with a face carved into it by a professional carver (reported as missing), a life size plastic echidna that started it's journey from Australia (reported as missing), a Blues Brother bear (reported as missing), a purple shirt worn by one of the local mega cachers (her number of cache finds is crazy and the shirt is not going missing because she is wearing it), a tiny Coleman lantern that actually lit up, an avatar duckie that glowed in the dark....

 

Thanks for sharing these, Luckless. I love how personal these are. I think we should start by putting a trackable out into circulation and see where it goes. That sounds really rewarding.

 

Thanks for the links, Pup Patrol. I appreciate the feedback!

[+narcissa]

Events are a great place to see people showing off their collections of (their own) geocoins.

[+niraD]

Events are a great place to see people showing off their collections of (their own) geocoins.

And in my experience, events often feature a table with trackables that people are dropping, with the expectation that someone else will retrieve them and keep them moving.

[ATMouse]

My favorite trackable I found was Trice, a toy triceratops.

 

He's missing, too.