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Is geocoin a collectible?


Breezy406

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I have several geocoins, and am fairly new to geocaching. On activating a new coin one of the questions is "Is this a collectible?" What does that mean? I don't know how to answer that. If I'm sending it out in the world, would I answer no? If I activate it but keep it in my personal collection would the answer be yes? I'm just confused with what they're looking for. Please help! thanks, Breezy406

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I have several geocoins, and am fairly new to geocaching. On activating a new coin one of the questions is "Is this a collectible?" What does that mean? I don't know how to answer that. If I'm sending it out in the world, would I answer no? If I activate it but keep it in my personal collection would the answer be yes? I'm just confused with what they're looking for. Please help! thanks, Breezy406

For a coin that is to travel cache-to-cache, and in most cases where the coin owner doesn't even know what the purpose could be, mark it "Not Collectible" or don't even check the box (don't mess with "Collectible" at all).

 

If you have the irresistible urge to click checkboxes, "Collectible" (and the "Collection") is a rabbit hole that will certainly create surprises. Read up on it, and keep a link to the Forum handy. :anibad:

 

If you'll just keep it at home and nobody is to log it, you can leave it unactivated.

Edited by kunarion
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"Collectible" just means you're okay if your coin is taken and added to the finder's collection. 995 times out of 1000 you wouldn't want to do that but for the 5 coins out there that are collectible it serves a purpose.

Yes! The feature is designed to address several issues. But one way to use "the Collection", is by likening your Geocoin to be on loan to a museum. It's a way for honest people to keep a Geocoin, at the behest of the Owner. The Owner has not given up ownership of a Geocoin in a "Collection". People can oooh-and-ahh over it, everyone knows who owns it, and everyone knows who has it, and it's not roaming the world. It's on display, or stored. And you can get it out of the "museum" at any time, upon request. Most people log their own large number of coins into their "Collection" for the specific purpose of not having them listed in the personal Inventory. The coins are in a binder and not for travel cache-to-cache, so they don't need to be available to "Drop" when making a cache log.

 

The Owner should not ever "lose" a Geocoin by marking it "Collectible". That feature enables proper logs into a digital organization area called a "Collection", all above board, with the Owner of course still in control of the coin. On the other hand, don't play around with "Collectible" and "Collections". Use it only when you have a specific purpose for doing so. And be sure the coin's page has info about what's going on with that.

 

When I win or buy a Geocoin, and plan to keep it to myself, I don't even activate it (therefore, it needs no "Collection" management later). I may present it as a prize someday, or sell it unactivated. The recipient than can decide whether or not to activate it.

Edited by kunarion
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"Collectible" just means you're okay if your coin is taken and added to the finder's collection.

 

I believe that was a misconception that has caused many geocoins to go missing, or end up as a keep sake. I don't think that geocoins were meant to be if you find it keep it. I see the collectible feature as a way to keep my trackables in my account, but out of my inventory. :)

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"Collectible" just means you're okay if your coin is taken and added to the finder's collection.

 

I believe that was a misconception that has caused many geocoins to go missing, or end up as a keep sake. I don't think that geocoins were meant to be if you find it keep it. I see the collectible feature as a way to keep my trackables in my account, but out of my inventory. :)

It's perpetuated by the irresponsible "help" text in the Official App, which has been exactly this for years:

 

67a0cbf0-94ca-41a2-8047-ba05351113a6.jpg

 

... no qualifiers, no info, it just tells finders to "hang on to it". See posts in this Forum where finders are "hanging on to it" just in case it may sometime be marked "Collectible". Groundspeak sells Trackables to buyers who are told the things "travel to caches", then tells finders to not keep it, but *wink* *wink*, you can keep it... Wow, looks like Groundspeak is a whole lot more than a listing service! Kinda makes you sick, don't it?

 

In contrast, the text on the web site has greatly improved. Cool. :ph34r:

 

Anyway, in reference to the OP, don't mess with the mine field of "Collectible", just to click boxes for no reason. Geocoins get stolen perfectly well while marked NOT-Collectible. Don't give thieves yet another excuse, when "The App says I can keep it!". :yikes:

Edited by kunarion
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... no qualifiers, no info, it just says to "hang onto it". They sell Trackables, then tell finders to "keep it"... Wow, looks like Groundspeak is a whole lot more than a listing service! Kinda makes you sick, don't it?

 

 

No, Groundspeak is a business and it always has been. They sell geocaching and trackables. And yes, I believe that was a marketing design, the company is well aware of it. :ph34r:

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I believe that was a marketing design, the company is well aware of it. :ph34r:

I could easily believe that! But this kind of thing is not considered a legitimate way to do "business". Why publish it that way, and maintain even the appearance of impropriety! I fully expect that you and I will be called as witnesses for the prosecution in the eventual fraud case. GS has some very lousy advisors.

Edited by kunarion
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I believe that was a marketing design, the company is well aware of it. :ph34r:

I could easily believe that! But this kind of thing is not considered a legitimate way to do "business". Why publish it that way, and maintain even the appearance of impropriety! I fully expect that you and I will be called as witnesses for the prosecution in the eventual fraud case. GS has some very lousy advisors.

 

I hope they have a good witness protection plan, cause I always thought GS was shady as stink. :laughing:

 

I used to enjoy collecting geocoins, and I still have my collection. I'm seeing the AL TB type trackable as the alternative now.

Really nice geocoins are around $20 USD each, so I'm not sure if people even place them in geocaches anymore, as I don't even recall the last time I saw one in the wild. :unsure:

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shady as stink

 

Hey, that's good! Can I use it as my Forum Avatar title? :P

 

I've revived a bunch of my previously lost, "hung on to" coins & tags to myself, and I keep them. They're revived in a much fancier way than I'd ever place, although they may pose for a photo at a cache. One has an 18-carat gold charm. "TB Night Fury" has an attached Sterling silver pendant valued around $80!

 

One or two of my active TBs in the wild, surface at times. Rarely, then they're gone again. I have seen no pattern in coin endurance or disappearance (shiny vs. ugly, secure tag vs. flimsy, attached info, no difference). But up through 2011 or so, coins that I thought must be gone kept turning up. Cachers found it and logged it. Nowadays, once pocketed, it's gone. I guess everybody now has an excess of other people's property piled to the ceiling, which they can't be bothered to return to the owners.

Edited by kunarion
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shady as stink

 

Hey, that's good! Can I use it as my Forum Avatar title? :P

 

I've revived a bunch of my previously lost, "hung on to" coins & tags to myself, and I keep them. They're revived in a much fancier way than I'd ever place, although they may pose for a photo at a cache. One has an 18-carat gold charm. "TB Night Fury" has an attached Sterling silver pendant valued around $80!

 

 

Sounds like a great user name to go along with the stealth required attribute don't it? :anibad:

 

I have one of my collectable TB's attached to one of those "APE" cache type ammo cans. That thing has to be worth a fortune. :laughing:

Edited by Manville Possum
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I have one of my collectable TB's attached to one of those "APE" cache type ammo cans. That thing has to be worth a fortune. :laughing:

I recently thought of making a Geocaching video where I push aside a dozen "APE Caches" that "have accumulated in my garage" (the huge ammo cans all painted up and weathered just right, maybe even have some of the "real movie props" with them). But the military-fresh version is at least $40 a pop, and I haven't seen more than one or two at a time locally (plus, start buying a lot of something, price goes up). That's a lot of time and work for a little inside joke in some video. But still... thinking about that...

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I have one of my collectable TB's attached to one of those "APE" cache type ammo cans. That thing has to be worth a fortune. :laughing:

I recently thought of making a Geocaching video where I push aside a dozen "APE Caches" that "have accumulated in my garage" (the huge ammo cans all painted up and weathered just right, maybe even have some of the "real movie props" with them). But the military-fresh version is at least $40 a pop, and I haven't seen more than one or two at a time locally (plus, start buying a lot of something, price goes up). That's a lot of time and work for a little inside joke in some video. But still... thinking about that...

 

Yeah, my collectible was made for photos as well. :anibad: I've taken it on vacation a few times to take my family's geocaching pictures with it.

 

It also holds quite a bit of fishing tackle. :)

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