WHAT DO YOU LEAVE FOR FIRST FINDERS?

September 25, 2003

Do most of you leave something special in a new cache for the first finder? Something unique or valuable? I generally take a smooth rock from a local reef, paint the GC logo on it, write on the cache name with india ink and the phrase "first finder." This goes into the bag with the log book. On occasion, I also have left a nice Casio watch or a good orienteering compass. Do you have unique ideas for first finder items ?

4.8k · September 25, 2003

I left a little multi-tool in a small cache I planted earlier this week. It was well appreciated by the FTF (I kinda knew who it was going to be). I like the painted rock idea. I've seen jpg's of your stuff and was very impressed. I'm not nearly as artistic

1.4k · September 25, 2003

A tuna, onion and mayo sandwich on wheat.

"When in doubt...hit it with a hammer" C²™

September 25, 2003

Haven't left anything so far, but I do edit the cache page and list the FTF in the description.

____________________________

- Team Og Rof A Klaw

All who wander are not lost.

38.2k · September 25, 2003

Usually, nothing. But in a few cases I left a new Geocaching.com hat. I've also left a new pair of binoculars and Swiss army tools. Oddly enough, in no instance did the first finder take the item.

A geocaching.com hat lasted through 5 finders before someone took it. I guess they didn't like green?

The binoculars (an inexpensive pair, but not junk) are still in the cache after 14 finds. I guess sometimes people are afraid to trade because they don't have something equal.

"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on his hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" - Max Beerbohm

September 25, 2003

I noticed too that first finders often don't take the good item intended for them, perhaps as you say, because they don't have something of equal value to trade. That's what got me started on putting those first finder rocks into the plastic bag with the note book. They always take the item, since it has no monetary value, but is a nice thing to have to mark their first find.

2.8k · September 25, 2003

I've only been a "first finder" once and the reward, which just made one daughter that came along so excited, was a simple 1st Place ribbon that was left. She had me write the cache and date on the back and she has it pinned on a bulletin board in her room.

That just goes to show that something doesn't have to be expensive or fancy to provide a lot of enjoyment to the person that finds it.

As for Brian's post above, I was the person that took the geocaching hat (thanks again Brian!) from that cache. See Rocky Horror cache page. The folks that got to the cache before me commented that they already had the item so they left it for the next person. I think that was nice of them. Now if I could only get my kids to let me wear it when we go out.

Back on topic, a first finder prize like the ribbon might be very relevant that anyone would take. When I eventually get a cache of my own placed, the contents I plan on loading it with will hopefully be considered all worthy of a first finder selecting what is useful to them.

3.9k · September 25, 2003

Most of my caches have a FTF gift. I let them know it's for them to keep, and they can trade another item if they wish. I usually do a $5 7-11 Gift card and a swiss army knife. In a cache I just hid, it happens to be a very long multi that will take a few hours to complete, I put a gift for the first 3 finders. It's a leather day planner, gift card & some scratch off lottery tickets.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Because now I am Lost.

September 25, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by Chris&Cindy:
A tuna, onion and mayo sandwich on wheat.

"When in doubt...hit it with a hammer" C²™

Yeah. It's no fun being the first to find one of Chris' caches...

I like to leave a well-hidden container for the first finders.

Inside the container will usually be some interesting software, computer gadgets, stuff from the GC.com store or nothing special. Never a tuna sammich, though.

September 25, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by BrianSnat:
I guess sometimes people are afraid to trade because they don't have something equal.

_

I'm like that. I don't trade unless I can trade up. Unfortunately, I don't trade all that often...I'm a tn/ln type....but not really because I prefer it that way.

somewhat new to the game I haven't been able to make a decision on WHAT to leave. I don't want to go the 'typical' route, not that there is a thing wrong that, but I'd like to be a bit different if I could just think of something.

maybe, perhaps, could be, that what I would like to do, as others have done, is choose 'ONE' thing, something nice, and always leave that one thing. - JamesJM

September 25, 2003

I have made first finder certificates that I leave sometimes. Sometimes I leave a 5 dollar bill. Depends on which side of payday the cache gets placed.

One guy up here has been leaving $20 for FTF in his micros.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have never been lost. Been awful confused for a few days, but never lost!

N61.12.041 W149.43.734

1.1k · September 25, 2003

I have left Starbucks cashcards, unregistered TB tags, and dog tags that say "First Dog to Find XYZ cache". I've thought that it would be easy to put "FTF" on a single button if you've created finders' buttons. Small gift certificates to local shops (good for a dozen bagels, a sandwich, etc.) might also be welcomed.

5.9k · September 25, 2003

This cache had an excellent first finder prize, a new SOG tool. Can't stand a leatherman....

http://fp1.centurytel.net/Criminal_Page/

September 25, 2003

We haven't left anything special yet. I'd love to find a GSPR at a closeout price and leave THAT as a FF prize.

1.2k · September 25, 2003

The kids an I usually put hats or t-shirts out for FTF. Usually from the Battleship Texas gift shop. They have been snapped up pretty quick..lol.

"Afghanistan was a battle. Iraq was a battle. The war goes on."

7.4k · September 25, 2003

Usually, I leave one of my geocoins. Lately, I've left a couple of Skydiver's "First to Find" t-shirts, but I'm not a big fan of the message, so I'm not sure if I will do that anymore.

I've got a new-look Moun10Bike Geocoin coming out, so that will probably be my FTF prize for several caches to come.

September 25, 2003

Interesting to see folks leaving swiss army knives and leathermen. I put out a cache once with a knife listed as one of the items, and could not get it approved until the knife was removed. It appears that there is a rule about knives in caches, although I often encounter them when finding other's caches.

9.1k · September 25, 2003

In my own caches, I like to leave NEW prepaid phone cards and, even more so, gift certificate cards for my favorite sporting goods store. Since it's credit-card sized, I can put the first finders prize right in the logbook so there's no chance it will be missed. And since it's practically the equivalent of cash, the card is always snatched up by the first finder... there's no taste involved when it comes to the color of money.

My favorite FTF prize as a FINDER was a t-shirt that had the name and custom logo of the cache on the front, and a geocaching logo on the back, with the inscription "I was the first to find [name of cache] and all I got was this crappy t-shirt."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Next time, instead of getting married, I think I'll just find a woman I don't like and buy her a house.

September 25, 2003

I'm sort of a FTF specialist - I only have 60 finds so far, but 8 of them have been FTF. I've been known to go out at 3 a.m. to try to bag a FTF - and there's lots of competition out here. The best FTF I've ever seen (although I didn't get it) was when the Sea to Sea group set out a series of 25 caches out here in June. Two of the caches had certificates for a $500 Magellan GPS in them. I've left a gold coin and gold nuggets in caches for the FTF, but lately I've been leaving sets of my signature item - Scenic Caches of the Great American Southwest (there's a thread about them in the Southwest forum) - which seem to be getting fairly popular. I was beat out by about 30 minutes earlier this week on a cache and left the Scenic cards series in it - later the first finder emailed me and said he wished he hadn't beat me so he could have snagged the cards.

Generally speaking, I haven't found too many people leaving much in the way of special items for FTF, but maybe it's just the caches I've hit.

Peace,

Radical Geezer

September 25, 2003

I left a Lord of the Rings DVD as the FTF prize in my first cache with a note to the FF that he didn't need to worry about trading up.

I'm probably going to do a hyper-micro next with a $50 FTF prize - I'll place it in a very challenging location and relocate it to an easier hiding place in the same location after it's been found.

September 25, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by hikemeister:
Interesting to see folks leaving swiss army knives and leathermen. I put out a cache once with a knife listed as one of the items, and could not get it approved until the knife was removed. It appears that there is a rule about knives in caches, although I often encounter them when finding other's caches.

Shhhh... you'll wake the sleeping giant.

Pan

Profanity is the crutch of the inarticulate, ***hole. - Unknown

September 25, 2003

Although I've only hidden one cache, I left a Walkman am/fm radio in it, among other things. After 11 finds, it's still there! I guess the next time I check on the cache, I'll add a note that "trading up" isn't necessary for that particular item?

We don't stop playing because we grow old...we grow old because we stop playing!

1.4k · September 25, 2003

We most often leave first finder or bonus items in our caches. We also usually leave a note on the cache page that if the FTF opts not to take the special items that the next person is welcome to trade for them with a normal trade item, i.e., they are not expected to trade up.

So far we've left CDs, DVDs, compasses, and books.

*****

September 25, 2003

I print off certificates Almost First Cert and here is a first finders Cert.

I make em post card size and frame them

38.2k · September 25, 2003

quote:
Interesting to see folks leaving swiss army knives and leathermen. I put out a cache once with a knife listed as one of the items, and could not get it approved until the knife was removed. It appears that there is a rule about knives in caches, although I often encounter them when finding other's caches.

They are Swiss army tools.

"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on his hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" - Max Beerbohm

September 25, 2003

OK, good point -- I did not read your text clearly. Good thing to keep in mind.

4.2k · September 25, 2003

I always leave a FTF prize of some sort.

For a few it's been Geocaching T-shirts, one wasthe Maellan GPS hat I got from the Magellan Treasure Hunt game, others ahve been GPS stickers and window clings from the GC store, and the last one placed has a laminated FTF certificate made using PPT.

Around here, the FTF prize is always grabbed.

I'll be placing the California Geocoins in the caches I place after they are minted - assuming the thread about them can come to a close and we can get them done! Standby...

September 25, 2003

I have left First Finder prizes, such as a good fountain pen, Dale Earnhardt collector playing cards, and money.I was the first finder of one cache and the prize was (2) $2.00 bills which I thought was pretty cool. Just something about being the first to find a hidden cache.

************************************************************

"Sometimes you gotta look like an *** to get that cache!"...huntforit

************************************************************

9.4k · September 25, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by OneOfEm:
I'm probably going to do a hyper-micro next with a $50 FTF prize - I'll place it in a very challenging location and relocate it to an easier hiding place in the same location after it's been found.

What area do you live in? I'd love to find $50 in a cache.

I've put in $10 Home Depot gift cards as a prize on a couple of my caches. My next three will also include a saxophone playing Smurf. Now, where did I put my picture of it...?

Took sun from sky, left world in eternal darkness

8.4k · September 25, 2003

I have left sealed packs of Iraq's Most Wanted cards. (I still have 5 packs left.) My first cache had a mini S.A. knife that's hardly worth b1thching about. The finder appreciated it. I have just replaced a bunch of much loved, but seldom watched (nearly new condition) vhs movies with dvd's, so they're next to go. I hope the cachers in my area appreciate sci-fi and indy flicks.

Sngans

Sacred cows make the best hamburger....Mark Twain.

September 25, 2003

Becauce ONE of my other interests is wood carving, I leave a hand carved Owl figure as a souvenir for the FTF in my regular caches. Pic on my "web page in progress" www.geocities.com/gvcache

It's something personal, from my own hand, and it is unusual enough that I believe it makes a good souvenir.

"Today's truth remains valid only as long as it withstands the test of tomorrow's discoveries" - George Hicks

[This message was edited by gallahad on September 25, 2003 at 03:34 PM.]

September 25, 2003

Ooops, got mixed up with the edit icons and selected the wrong one...

Too bad this discussion thread system invites us to "delete" a message we previously created, then announces that you can't get there from here.

[This message was edited by gallahad on September 25, 2003 at 04:11 PM.]

9.4k · September 25, 2003

You could have just edited your original post instead of quoting it in a reply to change it.

Took sun from sky, left world in eternal darkness

September 25, 2003

I just placed a cache (and it was approved today) to celebrate my 300th find. I wanted to put some really cool items in this one as my way of saying thanks to all the local cachers who have given me an abundance of great caches to hunt these past few years.

The first few finders are going to make out like bandits.

There's a pair of working walkie talkies (WalkAbouts), a battery charger (for AA Nicads), a Radar Detector (which I actually found in a cache a few years ago) and some other items. First finder is going to have a tough time deciding which item to take I think.

I made it clear that I don't expect anyone to trade up or even trade fairly on this one. I expect them to be replaced with toys and such for the youngsters. It was tough squeezing all everything in the container on this one.

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

"Never declare war on a man who buys his ink by the gallon."

2.3k · September 26, 2003

I'll routinely leave items that I like. Remember the CITO teeshirt when they were about $3-4 each? I bought a bunch of them, and used them for FTF prizes several times. I'll put in items I've made, such as wooden games or puzzles, maybe one of my frames (I do woodworking for craft shows, etc).

One puzzle was still there, when one of my caches was stolen a few days ago.

Joel (joefrog)

"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for ye are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!"

September 26, 2003

A blank log book and the first exposure on a camera.

Visit the Mississippi Geocaching Forum at

http://pub98.ezboard.com/bgeocachingms

September 26, 2003

I just found something cool -- not a first find, but nice anyway. Someone made a GC logo pin. It looks like they printed out lots of small color logos, had them laminated, and glued a pin on the back.

Pretty nice.

September 26, 2003

When I leave a FTF gift, I expect them to take it and trade something else besides. It is a gift, not a trade item.

_______________________________

"You've just killed a small animal. It's time for a light beer."

http://www.geocities.com/cacheinon

September 26, 2003

We have not placed a lot of caches (4) but each one had a 'First To Find' certificate with the cache name and some other stuff on it and a 'I was first' button. Ummmmm, I suppose I should add that, so far, they have all been collected by the same team. (well deserved, they went out in the dark to get the first part of one of them!)

Two of the caches have run their course now (they were made from natural logs) so I will be placing two more VERY soon. It will be interesting to see who gets FTF on them.

Only nuts eat squirrels,

Snake

September 26, 2003

I've left FTF prizes in two of my caches. The first was a multicache with quite a few stages, so the prize was a Best Buy gift card (which was much appreciated.) The other cache was a pretty easy traditional; I found a First Place ribbon at the dollar store, and wrote the name of the cache on the back of it. Kinda goofy, but then so was the cache.

----

When in doubt, poke it with a stick.

September 26, 2003

Of all the ones above I like the blue ribbon best.

Cheap & easy...What could be better?

September 26, 2003

Speaking of cheap & easy...

I was going to say I leave my phone number on the back of a photo for FTF, but suddenly it doesn't seem as appropriate.

Unregistered geocoins and travel bug tags make great FTF prizes.

============================================

You can't be "FTF", but you could be next...

September 26, 2003

On occasion I leave a brand new Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket. Who knows, it could be worth a lot. I'm on a pretty limited budget, but I do like to put something in there for the 1st Finder.

September 26, 2003

I leave collectable Lexmark Cars, or $$$...

September 26, 2003

I like to seed my hides with at least 1 or 2 two items in the $10 range. While I don't expect an "even trade" for those items, it helps set the stage for a good cache. I had one FTF person apologize and come back later with more items for his exchange. I like the custom 1st find items you guys are coming up with.

September 26, 2003

I still haven't found a place I want to place my first cache. It is taking a while as I want it to be at least a 4 and 4. I have been thinking of my FTF prize to be a collection of Gold plated state quarters. There would be no issues of trading up, it would be the FTF prize. I need to find a placement soon because the quarters are still coming out and it increase's the cost lol.

September 26, 2003

I left this one in the cache I just hid.

It's the first time I've left an actual FTF prize.

At my other caches, I just left an assortment of things I would like to find, for the first finder to choose from, since you never know who will want what.

___________________________________________________________

If trees could scream, would we still cut them down?

Well, maybe if they screamed all the time, for no reason.

Click here for my Geocaching pictures and Here (newest)

3.8k · September 27, 2003

I've only placed 1 traditional (but 3 micros). In the traditional I left a GC.COM patch which was snatched by FTF. Got some great ideas from here, though hikemeisters is really nice

~robert

www.CacheGear.com

September 27, 2003

My favorite FTF reward was a packet that included a 6x9 clip board with "geocaching" written on the back, waterproof notepad, waterproof pen set, a whistle & lanyard, and a topo map of the cache site. I loved it!

In my first cache I left a similar packet and included a small gem stone (it fit my theme and hobby).

In my next cache, I am going to include some GC.com store items.

September 27, 2003

I leave Sunglasses, and a FM Radio Flashlight with headphones, They go really quickly. Bridget puts in her "Phoenix Egg" necklaces, hair clips and sometimes beaded bracelets she makes herself.

Of Course there is the GeoCan, if it fits.

BAAAD! BAAAAD!!!!

A BAAAD Ancestor is Good to Find!!!!

http://blacksheep.rootsweb.com/

WHAT DO YOU LEAVE FOR FIRST FINDERS?

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