Geocoin or shuriken?

[+ElliPirelli]

During the winter I have some free time, which I love to spend travelling.

Here is a tale of my mishap with airport security regarding a Geocoin Club coin of May 2012.

 

 

I just quote my log here, if I may:

 

There is a saying in Germany: "Wenn einer eine Reise tut, kann er was erzählen."

If someone goes on a journey, one can tell stories (about it).

 

And what strange stories!

 

I took this coin with me planning to drop it into a cache in the South of Spain during my holidays.

 

In order to not loose any trackables I put the bag with TBs and Coins into the on board luggage of my bugget flight with Ryan Air.

But passing security at Frankfurt Hahn Airport, a rather small and non important airport in Germany, the security guard got rather excited about something in my backpack.

He searched through all my bits and pieces looking for something star shaped. I have to admit, I had no idea, what he was looking for, as I had forgotten what coins I had taken with me.

 

At last he found the bag with the TBs and coins and got this coin out.

A star. In his opinion a shuriken.

I was quite taken aback, a shuriken? He couldn't be serious, could he?

I had to laugh and explained: 'No, it is actually a geocoin. I have this strange hobby, where I search for boxes out in the nature and this is a game piece of geocaching.'

But no, he was not deterred, it is a shuriken and I'm not allowed to have it.

 

Even as his two colleagues tried calmed him and said, the spikes aren't that sharp at all, this really thorough security guard insisted on calling the federal police.

The two officers of the Bundespolizei were quite relaxed about this coin and said, no, it is not a shuriken, I'm allowed to have it, it's all right with them.

 

Great, can I go now to catch my flight? No, of course not. The security guard must have taken a dislike to me, even though the federal police gave their okay, I was not allowed to take this geocoin in shape of a shuriken on board of my flight to Spain.

What now?

I had to go back into the main area and leave this coin at the information desk waiting for my return from Spain. At the cost of 5 Euro, if you please.

So I left it at Airport Frankfurt Hahn information desk and went back to the security check, which had to be done just as thoroughly as before.

 

I wonder, if they would have stopped my suitcase boarding the plane?

Never mind, I'm not going to try it and will leave this lovely coin in a cache somewhere in Germany.

One could say, at least I have a tale to tell...

 

Regards from Kassel, Germany

ElliPirelli

 

Since April 2003 there is a law in Germany prohibiting the possession of shuriken.

[+fox-and-the-hound]

That's hilarious!

[+yanagi]

Great story!

[+JoenGPS]

Wow.... you just can't make this stuff up!!! That's pretty crazy... Sorry you had that experience and sorry that coin lost the substantial milage and travel adventure!

[+Murazor]

I am not very surprised by this adventure. I fly quite a lot and I observed what can be suspicious to the security guards. Myself I'd never put a geocoin of this shape in my hand luggage but rather in the checked one.

[+fairyhoney]

Thank you for sharing

[+oiseau_ca]

Great story. Thanks for sharing.