FTF prize

[+Smitherington]

In my area it is not uncommon for a new cache to include something for the first finder in the form of a gift card or a geocoin of some sort. 

Two questions:

1. What have you seen in your area that was placed in the cache as a FTF prize?

2.  What have you placed in your new caches for the first finder to take?

[+lee737]

We've put unactivated trackable tags and instant lottery tickets in ours before....

[+barefootjeff]

I used to put a printed-out FTF certificate in mine, until on one occasion the FTFer didn't take it, causing the 2TF great confusion. Now I just acknowledge the FTF on the cache page.

 

There was a series here a few years back where the FTF "prize" on each one was an activated themed trackable that the FTFer was meant to move on. I FTFed almost all of them and, as they were fairly bulky, finding suitable caches to move them on to was a bit tricky.

[+niraD]

2 hours ago, Smitherington said:

1. What have you seen in your area that was placed in the cache as a FTF prize?

2.  What have you placed in your new caches for the first finder to take?

A blank log is all I've seen or provided for FTF.

[+kunarion]

3 hours ago, Smitherington said:

In my area it is not uncommon for a new cache to include something for the first finder in the form of a gift card or a geocoin of some sort. 

Two questions:

1. What have you seen in your area that was placed in the cache as a FTF prize?

2.  What have you placed in your new caches for the first finder to take?

 

One cacher often left "a Susan for the FTF" (dollar coin).  I print FTF a themed certificate, sized to the cache container.  One FTF certificate was the size of a postage stamp!

[+ChriBli]

There has not been an FTF prize in any of the few caches I have been first on. However, once I was STF on a difficult puzzle cache long after FTF, and the FTF:er had not claimed the prize which was a nice roll of shiny golden 10 SEK coins for a total value of 100 SEK (around 10 USD).

 

I have provided instant lottery tickets as FTF prize on occasion. For my Christmas calendar themed cache there was actually a little something for the 24 first to find.

[+NanCycle]

The place where we would recycle our aluminum cans would use $2 bills in payment.  I'd use the $2 bills as FTF prizes.

[+cerberus1]

16 hours ago, Smitherington said:

1. What have you seen in your area that was placed in the cache as a FTF prize?

2.  What have you placed in your new caches for the first finder to take?

 

When we started, there were few cachers as well as caches, and I feel "prizes" was a draw to get someone to hit it.

Most we've seen were gift cards for local eateries. Sometimes there'd be a five-dollar bill or lottery tickets.

In a new, upscale community park in another state close by, I got over a hundred bucks fulla "stuff" in one cache, with a few to go.

 - I felt self-conscious and mentioned in my log that I'm sharing with the 2nd/3rd to find. It was another state...

Lately, now that FTF is a "stat" on third-party sites, that's all most are really thinking about, and the rare FTF I get anymore has no "prize".

 

 

When we first started placing hides, we were giving real Leatherman tools, binoculars, real carabiners and other climbing equipment, and even a GPSr for a "5T"as FTF prizes.

Our last three had a coin in two, and one, a birthday cache, had a girls birthday present inside.  The rest is swag.

I don't see the need for an incentive on FTF today with so many cachers (that stat thing...), and if we put new caches out, probably won't do that again

 

 

[+Wet Pancake Touring Club]

One prolific hider in my area would leave foreign coins for FTF. 

[+Gill & Tony]

One of my FTF finds had a rather nice bottle of red hidden  in the same hidey-hole.

 

That was much appreciated.  Gave them an FP in exchange

[+hzoi]

I'll often leave unactivated geocoins, if the container is big enough. Not really possible with the micros I use.

[+Smitherington]

1 hour ago, hzoi said:

I'll often leave unactivated geocoins, if the container is big enough. Not really possible with the micros I use.

I have left FTF prizes outside the geocache with a note inside with the log that tells where to find the prize, such as ‘under a rock by the post’.  I also left one outside the container with camouflage in a situation where discovery by a muggle was very unlikely.