Is it appropriate?

[+Shred-Tec]

Is it appropriate to buy a Geocoin that I like, then activate it. Keep the coin in my possession and log visits to caches that I find?

[+Goldenwattle]

Absolutely appropriate. I have a TB that I was given when attending a MEGA and I have kept it for that purpose. I was visiting it to every cache I visited, often adding photographs. Unfortunately I have found, after 10,000 cache finds, it gets very slow to navigate through my visits, so now I don't add them all, and have gone back and deleted some of my visits. Sad that, but it became too slow.

[+Shred-Tec]

2 minutes ago, Goldenwattle said:

Absolutely appropriate. I have a TB that I was given when attending a MEGA and I have kept it for that purpose. I was visiting it to every cache I visited, often adding photographs. Unfortunately I have found, after 10,000 cache finds, it gets very slow to navigate through my visits, so now I don't add them all, and have gone back and deleted some of my visits. Sad that, but it became too slow.

Thanks for the info. But what do you mean when you say "it gets very slow to navigate through my visits". 

[+Goldenwattle]

2 minutes ago, Shred-Tec said:

Thanks for the info. But what do you mean when you say "it gets very slow to navigate through my visits". 

I meant the logs of my visits. I often add photographs of where I have been. This is the TB I have kept for my use only.

https://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=5339812

[+Shred-Tec]

9 minutes ago, Goldenwattle said:

I meant the logs of my visits. I often add photographs of where I have been. This is the TB I have kept for my use only.

https://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=5339812

Ok, Thanks Again. 

[+cerberus1]

1 hour ago, Shred-Tec said:

Is it appropriate to buy a Geocoin that I like, then activate it. Keep the coin in my possession and log visits to caches that I find?

 

Sure.     We know a lot of parents that use a coin for each kid that tags along with them.

When/if the kids are interested later, when creating a new account, they have a list of every cache found with the family.  

[Darwin473]

It's also appropriate to buy GeoCoins that are fancy, expensive, limited edition or that you simply like and keep the GeoCoin in your display cabinet or shelf at home - but put the tracking code on something else. These are called proxies, and can be as simple as a laminated bit of paper, making custom wooden GeoCoins or engraving onto a bit of aluminium. This gives you the benefit of having a nice coin you can keep and display, while still being able to have a tracking code you can "put to work" and send out into the world.

 

The caveat being that there are many geocachers who turn their nose up at proxies and won't move or log them (I've even seen comments by some claiming  they'd throw them in the trash when they find them), but there are also many "geocachers" who will happily keep a coin - be it fancy or a cheap, common one. Such are the winds of fate when it comes to coins. Though for me, I really like trying new ways to make proxies for less than the cost of a basic TB - about $9 for me in Australia, around $5 in the US (not counting sales). So when my proxies go missing, I just see it as an opportunity to build a new one and send it out again for another round.

[+GeoAndIrishSport]

On 7/24/2021 at 2:50 PM, Unit473L said:

It's also appropriate to buy GeoCoins that are fancy, expensive, limited edition or that you simply like and keep the GeoCoin in your display cabinet or shelf at home - but put the tracking code on something else. These are called proxies, and can be as simple as a laminated bit of paper, making custom wooden GeoCoins or engraving onto a bit of aluminium. This gives you the benefit of having a nice coin you can keep and display, while still being able to have a tracking code you can "put to work" and send out into the world.

 

The caveat being that there are many geocachers who turn their nose up at proxies and won't move or log them (I've even seen comments by some claiming  they'd throw them in the trash when they find them), but there are also many "geocachers" who will happily keep a coin - be it fancy or a cheap, common one. Such are the winds of fate when it comes to coins. Though for me, I really like trying new ways to make proxies for less than the cost of a basic TB - about $9 for me in Australia, around $5 in the US (not counting sales). So when my proxies go missing, I just see it as an opportunity to build a new one and send it out again for another round.

Unit473L, so glad that I stumbled upon your answer as I was coming here for the answer to this very thing.  We've never had our own trackables, but just bought a few and honestly didn't want to send the originals out in the world.  I've read they easily go missing, which is sad.

[Darwin473]

On 8/8/2021 at 8:34 AM, GeoAndIrishSport said:

...didn't want to send the originals out in the world

 

For the basic dog-tag style TB, it's much of sameness. There's enough of them floating around that I feel the ones that go missing are more likely to be due to accident or misadventure rather than malice. But anything fancy, limited or otherwise "shiny"... too many people who keep them (whether they know better or not).

 

The easiest way to make a rugged, cheap proxy is to buy or find someone with one of those metal letter and number stamp kits. Stamping the code onto a bit of scrap aluminium only takes a few minutes and it can be in water, snow, sand and lots of other places and last for years. But where possible, I try and make them a little bit nicer.

[+thebruce0]

2 hours ago, Unit473L said:

The easiest way to make a rugged, cheap proxy is to buy or find someone with one of those metal letter and number stamp kits. Stamping the code onto a bit of scrap aluminium only takes a few minutes and it can be in water, snow, sand and lots of other places and last for years. But where possible, I try and make them a little bit nicer.

 

Yep. And the 'nicer' it looks, the more likely it is someone will move it. If it looks TOO nice, the more chance there is someone will keep it . But if it looks like a piece of paper attached to something (or nothing) it may just keep getting passed up either as trash or swag no one wants. Geocachers knows the TB symbol - if you make a proxy, be sure to include the symbol and something that stands out from run-of-the-mill swag. That'll help.