FTF Geocoin Question (Etiquette)

[+FormerDevil]

I'm getting ready to place a cache and have a FTF Geocoin I'd like to place in it for whoever the FTF is. It's trackable so my question is, as far as etiquette goes, should I be the one to activate it and then "drop it" in my cache once it's published or do I let the FTF activate it so that they are the "owners" of the trackable? It's my first time using a FTF trackable coin, so I'm not sure how best to go about it, especially since it's more of a collectible than a traveling trackable. 

 

Thanks!

[+Max and 99]

25 minutes ago, FormerDevil said:

I'm getting ready to place a cache and have a FTF Geocoin I'd like to place in it for whoever the FTF is. It's trackable so my question is, as far as etiquette goes, should I be the one to activate it and then "drop it" in my cache once it's published or do I let the FTF activate it so that they are the "owners" of the trackable? It's my first time using a FTF trackable coin, so I'm not sure how best to go about it, especially since it's more of a collectible than a traveling trackable. 

 

Thanks!

If the gift is for them then let them activate it and own it. 

[Darwin473]

An FTF geocoin like this one does not "have" to be placed in a cache for the first finder, it's just a regular geocoin / trackable.

If you are placing a geocoin / trackable into a cache you're placing, then the best bet is to put the TB in a ziplock bag and add a note with what you intend it for, so the first finder knows if you're putting it in there as a prize for the person who finds it (without activating it, so that the finder becomes the owner) or as a regular TB to be logged and moved (activated, in your name with your description and mission). If it's a prize, I'd also put it in the ziplock bag with the logbook, if your cache is set up that way.

 

In either case, some people will also put a note about that TB in the page description, then edit the page to remove the note once the TB has been claimed / moved.

 

If your cache is going to be in an out-of-the-way spot, hard to reach or a high D/T rating then a TB is a brilliant prize to reward the first finder. If new caches in your area are FTF'd within an hour or two of being published, then you don't really need to add a prize to motivate people to find your cache so you could opt for making it your own TB.

[+frostengel]

Is the cache very challenging to get, maybe a hard and long multi cache or a very difficult mystery cache? If it's a simple traditional cache then I would activate the coin and keep it for myself if I were you. ;-)

I never understood the idea behind a FTF gift. If you wanted to gift the coin better give it to the second finder. The first one got the FTF.... ;-)

[+cerberus1]

7 hours ago, FormerDevil said:

I'm getting ready to place a cache and have a FTF Geocoin I'd like to place in it for whoever the FTF is.

It's trackable so my question is, as far as etiquette goes, should I be the one to activate it and then "drop it" in my cache once it's published or do I let the FTF activate it so that they are the "owners" of the trackable?

It's my first time using a FTF trackable coin, so I'm not sure how best to go about it, especially since it's more of a collectible than a traveling trackable. 

Thanks!

 

You're leaving it as a "prize" for FTF.  I don't feel it's a prize for another if it belongs to you...  I'd leave it unactivated.  

We leave our unactivated signature coins in caches I liked sometimes (with a mention in the Found It log), meant as a "push" to get someone to walk a bit.     

If we pass a family on trail, kids we haven't met yet get one too.  Help start their collection.

Coins cost a bit.  If you're already saying it's valuable enough to be collectible, maybe you're not ready to give it up yet. 

If the work to find your cache warrants a coin as a FTF prize, that's pretty cool for your first time in a while. 

Most here put a couple scratch-offs in if anything...

 

Edited February 27, 2021 by cerberus1

[+lee737]

9 hours ago, frostengel said:

If you wanted to gift the coin better give it to the second finder. The first one got the FTF.... ;-)

I often leave instant lotto tickets, and generally leave one for 2TF too..... sometimes I think I'll wait for FTF to go off, then go and add a prize....