Travel Bug vs Geo Coin

[+CacheTestDummies_123]

I understand the concept of travel bugs. You find them, log them, move them to a new cash. Do Geo coins operate in the same way? Is there any difference in the way they are treated?

[+kunarion]

They are pretty much the same thing, typically a small metal object with a Tracking Code. In fact, a Travel Bug dogtag, a registered trademark, is a kind of mass-produced style of Geocoin.  Other designs of tags with attachment holes are Geocoins, called Trackable Tags.

 

Each can move, Discover, Visit, the same way.  But a Travel Bug is a tag, usually attached to something, and they all have the same series name and icon (Travel Bug).  A Geocoin may be an actual coin with no hole, and travel by itself, it often was made in a limited quantity, and may give you a unique icon when you log it.  An inexpensive "Proxy" (laminated sheet or cheaper tag/coin) may be sent by the owner instead of the valuable coin.

 

Edited August 1 by kunarion

[+CacheTestDummies_123]

16 minutes ago, kunarion said:

They are pretty much the same thing, typically a small metal object with a Tracking Code. In fact, a Travel Bug dogtag, a registered trademark, is a kind of mass-produced style of Geocoin.  Other designs of tags with attachment holes are Geocoins, called Trackable Tags.

 

Each can move, Discover, Visit, the same way.  But a Travel Bug is a tag, usually attached to something, and they all have the same series name and icon (Travel Bug).  A Geocoin may be an actual coin with no hole, and travel by itself, it often was made in a limited quantity, and may give you a unique icon when you log it.  An inexpensive "Proxy" (laminated sheet or cheaper tag/coin) may be sent by the owner instead of the valuable coin.

 

Thank you very much! This was very informative and helpful!

[+CacheTestDummies_123]

Follow up question.

I see Geo coins available with what seems to be specific geocachers names on them. How does this happen? And can you commission your own? Example shown.

(not sure if this needs a new thread?)

Edited August 1 by CacheTestDummies_123

[+kunarion]

27 minutes ago, CacheTestDummies_123 said:

I see Geo coins available with what seems to be specific geocachers names on them. How does this happen? And can you commission your own?

 

 

 Yes!  Make them or have a coin company make them, following certain Geocaching.com requirements.  You also buy the Tracking Codes (a minimum of 50 is/was a requirement), digital icons, and series name from Geocaching.com.  Have each coin engraved with its unique Tracking Code, and you're golden.

 

It can become quite expensive to make your own coins this way, but some people work out a kind of pre-sale deal to help cover costs.  There are much cheaper and less complicated ways to make a "custom coin".  Plus you might opt to make it "not trackable", so that it's just Swag, a personal signature item to give away or trade.

 

Edited August 1 by kunarion

[Pup Patrol]

The Help Center is a good place to learn about everything geocaching:

https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php

 

including trackables:

https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.book&id=1

 

At the top of the Trackables forum, there are some pinned threads that are worth reading:

https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/forum/44-trackables/

 

 

--Pup Patrol

 

 

[+CacheTestDummies_123]

8 minutes ago, kunarion said:

 

 Yes!  Make them or have a coin company make them, following certain Geocaching.com requirements.  You also buy the Tracking Codes (a minimum of 50 was the requirement, I don't know if that has changed), digital icons, and series name from Geocaching.com.  Have each coin engraved with its unique Tracking Code, and you're golden.

 

It can become quite expensive to make your own coins this way, but some people work out a kind of pre-sale deal to help cover costs.  There are much cheaper and less complicated ways to make a "custom coin".

 

 

Great! Thank you! What are some cheaper ways?

[+kunarion]

23 minutes ago, CacheTestDummies_123 said:

 

Great! Thank you! What are some cheaper ways?

 

If you own a coin or tag, use its Tracking Code on some item.  Inscribe the code or attach a tag you make.  Now that item is your one-off Geocoin.  If it's to be placed and travel from cache to cache, it needs to be designed to withstand rough handling (and ideally includes info about Trackable items), but otherwise, anything goes.

 

I buy clearance Trackable Tags so that I have a code if I feel the need to make a personal item to carry around.  My ideal tag gives a cool, unique icon when logged.  I find it much simpler to just attach the tag itself.  But sometimes I make a dogtag to attach, such as a laser-engraved "pet tag".

 

 

This one has a commercial tag attached, but I'm showing the engraved tag as an example.  One side has the secret Tracking Code, the other has its public Reference Number.  So not only could I use just that round tag, it is customized so that I can post photos without the "Tracking Code" in view.  Did I mention the whole "custom Geocoin" thing tends to get complicated?  Because it can.  

 

Edited August 1 by kunarion

[+kunarion]

8 hours ago, CacheTestDummies_123 said:

 

cheaper ways

 

Here I have some very nice Year Of The Dragon medallions (four inches wide!) that have small spots where I might inscribe a Tracking code.  I'm using Tracking Codes from Trackable Tags I bought just to do this.  So it's the coin cost + Tag cost + Code inscription cost.  Which isn't insignificant, but it's only 10 coins.  OK, I'm still working on the "code inscription"... I haven't found a company that can engrave codes into metal (on the cheap).  Anyway, there's a poor-man's Geocoin.  Maybe?

 

The other side has a cool Chinese dragon guarding a red stone.

 

I make some fun stuff like this and offer it in trade at a local Mega Event.  This is my first custom-engraved coin, a bold plan this year.  Anyway, I could either go around begging for necessary map cards or whatever to complete an Event puzzle, or I can offer it to a kid in exchange for him finding cards for me.  Which actually works, by the way. 

 

There's no requirement to place a Geocoin of your own into a cache for others to "move for you".  You may keep it, activated or not.  So you can make it as nice as you like, and not risk losing it.  Place a Travel Bug instead, or at least a "Proxy" of a coveted Geocoin.

 

Edited August 2 by kunarion

[+CacheTestDummies_123]

8 hours ago, kunarion said:

 

Here I have some very nice Year Of The Dragon medallions (four inches wide!) that have small spots where I might inscribe a Tracking code.  I'm using Tracking Codes from Trackable Tags I bought just to do this.  So it's the coin cost + Tag cost + Code inscription cost.  Which isn't insignificant, but it's only 10 coins.  OK, I'm still working on the "code inscription"... I haven't found a company that can engrave codes into metal (on the cheap).  Anyway, there's a poor-man's Geocoin.  Maybe?

 

The other side has a cool Chinese dragon guarding a red stone.

 

I make some fun stuff like this and offer it in trade at a local Mega Event.  This is my first custom-engraved coin, a bold plan this year.  Anyway, I could either go around begging for necessary map cards or whatever to complete an Event puzzle, or I can offer it to a kid in exchange for him finding cards for me.  Which actually works, by the way. 

 

There's no requirement to place a Geocoin your own into a cache fo others to "move for you".  You may keep it, activated or not.  So you can make it as nice as you like, and not risk losing it.  Place a Travel Bug instead, or at least a "Proxy" of a coveted Geocoin.

 

This is awesome, I love it!

Thank you for all this information!!

Where do you get the clearance tags?

Edited August 2 by CacheTestDummies_123

[+Max and 99]

31 minutes ago, CacheTestDummies_123 said:

This is awesome, I love it!

Thank you for all this information!!

Where do you get the clearance tags?

You can get clearance travel bugs on shop geocaching but they recently raised the minimum purchase for free shipping.