+Seth! Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 If you haven't seen them, you've heard of them: The famous Moun10Bike Geocoins. Is this the most successful AND unsuccessful travel bug series ever? Many people may not even realize that these are travel bugs. Moun10Bike released his first coin (#002) on September 30, 2001, at his 100th find. Most of you had probably never heard of a geocache back then. I only had three finds back then. Moun10Bike has since released 152 of the coins/travel bugs. Here are some interesting facts (at least, interesting to me): • Of the 152 released coins, only eight --yes, 8!-- are logged into geocaches and may actually still be there waiting to be picked up. • There are five others that are logged into geocaches, but appear to be missing. Someone took them but did not log them out of the cache. • Of the 152, there are 36 logged into 'cache limbo' because their whereabouts is unknown. • Of the eight that are in geocaches, five geocoins are in the United States. There is also the aforementioned coin in Peru, plus one in the U.K. and one in Jamaica. • Most of the log entries say something like, "I'll be moving this to another geocache soon." But then they don't move it. Only a few people actually said, "I'm keeping it." (Note that the geocoin pages DO say that you may keep it, except for the ones that have a lot of miles logged already. Those don't say that.) • There are a few people who have more than one geocoin in their possession. My personal experience with them: • I have found three of them--first finder on each. I released all of them to other geocaches. • I was the first person to find #014. I did not keep it and now it is the most-traveled geocoin, with 11,742 miles! (It is currently in Peru. I'm hoping that my dad can retrieve it this month, but he may not be up for the climb.) If I had kept it, it never would have had this journey. • I was also the first person to find #004 and #030. That one (#030) disappeared from the geocache in which I placed it. All of this leads me to wonder if the geocoins are too successful. I mean, has anyone else launched 152 Travel Bugs, with only eight or so to remain in circulation? (There are a few that were recently grabbed and may actually be in circulation.) As you may have guessed, this is part observation and part gripe. What is particularly annoying are the newbies who grabbed one on their first or third hunt, then promptly quit the sport. There are also a handful of people who have grabbed more than one and are hanging on to them. I would think that one would be enough. Since I've been on numerous hunts with Moun10Bike, I've seen many geocoins drop into geocaches. In fact, I've probably seen more than anyone except Moun10Bike! But I've never just grabbed one right after he put it in. That just didn't seem sporting. But I would like to get my hands on another one! Here's my plan: I'm going to grab the next one I find. I'll keep it in my bag and if I ever come across another, I'll swap it. Hopefully #014 will return to me for a visit some day. I'd also like to get my hands on #013 if it ever returns. (That's my lucky number.) - Seth! (Posted this here rather than the TB forum intentionally.) Quote Link to comment
+oregone Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 Yup, too successfull. I have like 700 finds or something, including about 100 in the greater seattle area (moun10bike's neighborhood) but have never even seen one. That's one of the main reasons why i still don't have a quality sig item after almost 2 years of doing this. Didn't jon spend like $750 or there abouts to get those made? all rights reserved, all wrongs reversed Quote Link to comment
+Wander Lost Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 I'll admit we held on to #116 for quite some time, 8 months. But we always had planned to place it in another cache. We just wanted to wait and place it some distance away. We did just so on our recent trip to Texas. I just checked on it and it looks to be safe in the hands of one of our brave military personal bound for Kuwait. His log indicates that he plans to take it with him when he deploys. Now we'll have to watch closely and try to grab another one. We're all here, because we're not 'all there'. Quote Link to comment
+BDC Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 I will also admit I have #058. I found It when I first started Geocaching. I did have good intentions to place it in another cache. Then one day I went to check out what the goal of the bug was! Lo and behold It also said If I wanted I could keep the coin, so I did. That was a year ago and I now have decided to place the coin In a cache I am going to put out soon. Mostly I want to place It because I want to see the locals scramble for It. That and I might as well let someone else enjoy it for awhile and sit In their possesion. Don't hunt what you can't kill! Quote Link to comment
FISUR Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 Moun10Bike's geocoins are probably one of the most sought after cache items in the geocaching community. It's not surprising that many of them don't travel that far, especially since Moun10Bike often provides the option to keep them. Rhode Island Geocaching Quote Link to comment
John E Cache Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Seth!: • Of the 152 released coins, only eight --yes, 8!-- are logged into geocaches and may actually still be there waiting to be picked up. If one of the 8 is for The Search, I don't think it is there even though it is shows up on the page. I think all of the caches were removed. Quote Link to comment
+bigeddy Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Seth!:There are five others that are logged into geocaches, but appear to be missing. Someone took them but did not log them out of the cache. I was the 6th of 7 people to log #035 which was released on December 18, 2001. I kept it for 4 months before I put it in a mountain bike oriented cache (seemed the right thing to do at the time). From there it traveled to another cache and disappeared. I kinda regret letting it go. Quote Link to comment
+dasein Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 If we were ever so fortunate to find one, it would be another permanently out of circulation. Temporarily French Polynesia's most prolific geocachers! Quote Link to comment
+leatherman Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 I've moved #110 and 111 along right after the were placed. Now I wish I had kept one of them. I did keep a coin I don't know much about. It's called a Geo Treasure. It's gold tone and it has the old keltic Green Man on one side. Do not extend your expectations unto others, you will not be disappointed by the stupid things they do. Mokita! Quote Link to comment
+Seth! Posted March 16, 2003 Author Share Posted March 16, 2003 quote:Originally posted by John E Cache:If one of the 8 is for The Searcg, I don't think it is there even though it is shows up on the page. I think all of the caches were removed. It is actually in the commemorative cache created at the event. It has not been posted yet. - Seth! Quote Link to comment
+makaio Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 which I retrieved from After Dark almost a year ago, just after you and Moun10Bike came to PDX for a geocaching visit. I figured I'd keep it, but now I think I'll just hold onto it until I get relocated to Phoenix (sometime this year, hopefully) and find a suitable new cache to place it in. ----- Matt K7MTO Quote Link to comment
+Nurse Dave Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 Hey send we down two and I'll promise at least one will move on. ---Real men cache in shorts. Quote Link to comment
+Thomas & Dingo Posted March 17, 2003 Share Posted March 17, 2003 Man those are some nice coins, I can see why so many are MIA. If found might hold onto for a bit, but would give it up to the right cache. Quote Link to comment
+pdxmarathonman Posted March 17, 2003 Share Posted March 17, 2003 quote:Wow!!! First cache and I got a Moun10bike geocoin. This was an easy first find, look forward to finding more. I was watching a fairly remote cache up in BC and was hoping to get lucky and snag a coin on our spring break trip. But then some lucky son-of-a-gun stumbled upon it, no doubt to keep for his greedy self. Which is exactly what I had in mind! Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted March 17, 2003 Share Posted March 17, 2003 Heard of them. Never seen one. And I'd keep one if I found it. I like coins and that it's a coin and trademark is all the better. Actually I've never seen any geocoins of anyone's but of those I've seen pictures of Moun10bike's is the best. Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
+John & Lynn Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 Guilty as charged! We nabbed Geocoin #45 at the cache site 'Mission Impossible, Double Jeopardy' on 9/1/02. Our son bbridges from Spokane had dropped it off. The ONLY reason we kept it was by invitation, words mean things. At that point it had 62.17 miles on it. Quote Link to comment
The_Brownies Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 Haven't decided if I was going to put it out or not. They are cool but if I do, it will not go in a cache around here. Most likely it's going to travel to Europe and turn up in a geocache there. Moun10bike should have put a pattend out on the name geocoin. He'd probably be rich from all of the royalties from all the geocoin spinoffs. If I were MB I would see if I could still do this and then go after anyone who is selling them for profit. It would be probably be a slam dunk case in the courts since a lot of webpages talking about geocoins refer to Mount10bikes geocoins as the bases for their coins. Quote Link to comment
+BDC Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 I fully intend on placing the coin in another cache but If someone wants to keep it so be it. This topic is almost a mute point! Matter of fact here are the instructions: Feel free to place it in a geocache, or pass it on to a friend and see where it goes! If you prefer, you are also welcome to keep it and give it a new home. If indeed Moun10bike wants these to move along I will definatly oblige but he should push that issue a little. You are now welcome to start blasting me now I have to get up, go outside and place a cache. Don't hunt what you can't kill! Quote Link to comment
Moun10Bike Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 I'm really happy to know that people like the coins! To clarify in case anyone wonders, I absolutely do not mind that people keep them when they find them. The only exception is for those coins that have traveled 2000 or more miles. Those I would prefer to see continue their travels. There are currently 12 that have gone that far, and I have edited the goals on their pages so that they no longer suggest that the finder may keep them. FYI, Jeremy has asked that I stop tracking the coins after #200, so I'm planning to come up with a completely new design for coins 201+ in order to distinguish them from the old ones. If you have any suggestions on the design that will help eliminate confusion between the old and new coins, I'd love to hear them. Quote Link to comment
Moun10Bike Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 quote:Originally posted by The_Brownies: Moun10bike should have put a pattend out on the name geocoin. He'd probably be rich from all of the royalties from all the geocoin spinoffs. If I were MB I would see if I could still do this and then go after anyone who is selling them for profit. It would be probably be a slam dunk case in the courts since a lot of webpages talking about geocoins refer to Mount10bikes geocoins as the bases for their coins. There was an incident last year where the maker of the Green Man geocoins wanted to trademark the term and prevent others from using it. I asked her, nicely at first and then forcefully, to drop her bid to take control of the name. I want people to be free to use the word, and like seeing it become a standard term for geocaching coins. Hopefully I won't live to regret that decision! Quote Link to comment
+Ish-n-Isha Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 Thanks Moun10bike for inventing something so rare and unique for us to find. There may be others coins come and go but yours will always stand out. Partly because they were first, but mostly because they are MOUN10Bike coins. You are more than gracious to allow us to keep them. They represent a significant investment and maybe they havent been the best travel bug. For us they symbolize less a cool trinket, and more a guy who gives alot to this sport and others. Thats why we value ours. Ish-n-Isha Cachin's a bit sweeter when you've got an Isha! Quote Link to comment
+TJ Willy Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 quote: Most of you had probably never heard of a geocache back then I remember visiting his website checking those coins out when I stumbled accross them somewhere. I thought they were so neat. Doubt I will ever run accross one, but I do, you can be sure it will stay on the move. Phil Place 'em if you got 'em. Quote Link to comment
+Beefcider Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 I picked up #152 at the Woodard Bay cache. It's only gone 11 miles. Not sure If I'll keep it or not. I'll probably hang onto it and put it in a cache worthy of such a sought after item. Then again, I might not. Moun10bike was cool with that. The bigger the sport grows, the more sought after they will become. videbo tu in caelum Quote Link to comment
+Logscaler and Red Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 Jon If your looking for ideas,I think you could just put the logo and your image on the other side of the coins from where they are now. Point your bike to the right instead of the left. logscaler. Quote Link to comment
+GeoPooh Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 logscaler, I'm a brand spankin' newbie to this activity, but there's one thing I can say for certainty: although one would think that just reversing the bike image on the coin would be an easy solution for the next edition of Jon's coins, I personally think there would be a LOT of folks who wouldn't recognize the difference and would think they had an original. Maybe in addition to reversing the bike, there could be a small line that says "second edition" or something like that to distinguish them from the originals. As for me, if I ever run across one of them, first edition or 2nd edition, I'll probably have to admire it for a while before placing it in a new cache location. Quote Link to comment
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