Personalized Signature Items?

[+brdad]

I've looked all around the boards and there's been a lot of mention about signature items but I have seen only a few examples of personalized signature items, (like Moun10Bike's cool coins) but surely there must be some other ideas out there, either hand made or production?

 

Not just any signature item, but one that has the owners geocache name placed on it or attached to it. One example is this "hockamock skeleton key" from a local of my area. Simple, yet a neat addition to a collection or to pass from cache to cache. Beats a happy meal toy of unknown orgin any day in my book.

 

There are two rules for success: 1) Never tell everything you know. 2)

[+Texas-Gal]

My signature item combines elements of personalization, with elements of a travel bug, and even a geocacher card.

 

I created business card-sized signature cards, with a link to my home page. Each card also has an individualized tracking number, which the finder can log on my webpage, and let me know where they found it. The finder can either keep it for themselves, or pass it along in another cache. Finally, I laminate the cards, punch holes in them, and attach them to one of three signature kinds of keychains (globes, flashlights, rabbit's feet).

 

the-cache.com | Texas-Gal's geocaching site

[RedShoesGirl]

This is the link to a pic of my sig item - combines all the things I like in one biz size thingy.

leg stretcher cache

[+beatnik]

quote:

---

Originally posted by brdad:

I've looked all around the boards and there's been a lot of mention about signature items but I have seen only a few examples of _personalized_ signature items, (like Moun10Bike's cool coins) but surely there must be some other ideas out there, either hand made or production?

---

 

For some reason I waited until I had found over 100 caches to start using a signature item. It doesn't fit in small caches. But I ordered pencils from Orential Trading Company. Two dozen for about $4-$5 with 30 characters. That's the cheapest I found.

 

I have three:

 

beatnik was once at this cache

beatnik says geocache Tulsa

geopencil courtesy of beatnik

 

Another cacher over in OKC uses little pewter frogs. Which I like. I've seen business cards as well. Log Book stamps are another way to leave your mark.

 

beatnik

[GeoStars]

Our team leaves a laminated team card at each cache we find and I have left various EMS-related things. I have left generic EMS patches in some but they cost me around $4 apiece so I don't leave them in all caches. I found a place that will make customized patches for me for just under $2 each. The trick is, I need to order 100. Actually I could get them for just under $1 if I order 500 but I doubt I'll need that many. Nice thought though! I plan on ordering 100 patches but with a couple of vacations planned and then the holidays, it'll probably be January before I actually have them in hand.

 

GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

[GeoStars]

Our team leaves a laminated team card at each cache we find and I have left various EMS-related things. I have left generic EMS patches in some but they cost me around $4 apiece so I don't leave them in all caches. I found a place that will make customized patches for me for just under $2 each. The trick is, I need to order 100. Actually I could get them for just under $1 if I order 500 but I doubt I'll need that many. Nice thought though! I plan on ordering 100 patches but with a couple of vacations planned and then the holidays, it'll probably be January before I actually have them in hand.

 

GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

[+Byron & Anne]

Since many of the early caches I found were near a stump I created Byron's Famous Stump to be used exclusively as a geocache item. Since they are hand carved there is no two exactly alike. So I guess you could call it my signature item.

 

Byron

[+Team Teasel]

Our Team uses two. A year ago we started with our Team Teasel Traveling wooden coins with our name, town & State and the date with a tag attached requesting cachers to log in where they find it and put it later on. When the tag is full the last cacher is requested to mail it to our postmistress and she passes it on to us. Feed back on the coins is revealed by watching the web log ons at the sites at which they were left. We later began our Traveling Stars that carry our email addresses requesting that cachers email us directly. This has provided fairly immediate responses and just a whole lot of fun. We like both items. In southern California DredPirate Roberts leaves pirate items as a signature item and prize to first finders and there are a couple of fellas that leave autographed copies of their book as their signature item. This is one of the most fun aspects of the game for us as long after we have left the field the connection to the game keeps on going! At one site, these guys left a picture of themselves at that site and slipped their pic into an envelope with email add on it and a request to move their impromtu hitchhiker along. We added a pic of us imitating thier exact pose as friends of "the hitchhikers" and passed it all on in another cache! Way Fun! We are proud owners by the way of a prized "stump"-thanks tons Bryon and Anne! This is Easel of Teasel signing off!

 

Team Teasel []

[+Team Teasel]

Our Team uses two. A year ago we started with our Team Teasel Traveling wooden coins with our name, town & State and the date with a tag attached requesting cachers to log in where they find it and put it later on. When the tag is full the last cacher is requested to mail it to our postmistress and she passes it on to us. Feed back on the coins is revealed by watching the web log ons at the sites at which they were left. We later began our Traveling Stars that carry our email addresses requesting that cachers email us directly. This has provided fairly immediate responses and just a whole lot of fun. We like both items. In southern California DredPirate Roberts leaves pirate items as a signature item and prize to first finders and there are a couple of fellas that leave autographed copies of their book as their signature item. This is one of the most fun aspects of the game for us as long after we have left the field the connection to the game keeps on going! At one site, these guys left a picture of themselves at that site and slipped their pic into an envelope with email add on it and a request to move their impromtu hitchhiker along. We added a pic of us imitating thier exact pose as friends of "the hitchhikers" and passed it all on in another cache! Way Fun! We are proud owners by the way of a prized "stump"-thanks tons Bryon and Anne! This is Easel of Teasel signing off!

 

Team Teasel []

[+briansnat]

Well the famed CCCooper Agency key ring is sitting in well over a thousand caches. I guess that qualifies.

 

"Life is a daring adventure, or it is nothing" - Helen Keller

[+infosponge]

I have a series of personalized ceramic tile magnets I use as a signature item. Each set is limited in quantity, so people that want to have a complete set will usually try pretty hard to get them.

 

http://www.infosponge.com/geo/tiles.html

[+brdad]

All nice ideas, I definately prefer having a user name on the item - being an outsider, if I came acrosss an item like the stump pin I would know know the significance of it. You should engrave your name on the back Byron! The ceramic tiles are cool too, maybe I'll meet up with one some day.

 

There are two rules for success: 1) Never tell everything you know. 2)

[+JBAT66]

I do a little blacksmithing What about simple hooks you could hang on your wall? I wonder how to could make them "geocach'y". hummmm. Ideas anyone?

[+brdad]

quote:

---

Originally posted by JBAT66:

I do a little blacksmithing What about simple hooks you could hang on your wall? I wonder how to could make them "geocach'y". hummmm. Ideas anyone?

---

 

A rustic coin / keychain fob?

An old fashioned square nail?

A mini horseshoe?

A door knocker?

A letter opener?

 

All of these as well as a wall hook you could stamp your user name/URL on - Then it will become "geocachy"!

 

There are two rules for success: 1) Never tell everything you know. 2)

[+Byron & Anne]

quote:

---

Originally posted by brdad:

All nice ideas, I definately prefer having a user name on the item - being an outsider, if I came acrosss an item like the stump pin I would know know the significance of it. You should engrave your name on the back Byron!

---

 

They've always been engraved on the back with "BDK". When I went out to do some maintenance on a cache and there was still a stump pin there I realized that cachers might not know the significance of the pin. I there have started and will continue to put a business card that say "Byron's Famous Stump Pin" and smaller print "Hand carved exclusively for geocaching".

The avaliable space on the back is pretty limited partly because of the pin back.

 

I'm open to any and all suggestions. I do appreiciate them. Thanks again brdad.

 

Byron

[+Web-ling]

I have my infamous "Web-ling visited this cache" pencils. Unfortunately, they don't fit in every cache. I just ordered another gross of them this morning.

 

[Rockman]

My sig item is the stove pictured to the left. I sit around watching football, baseball, or hockey and get to work making them. I don't think people rush out to grab them but they are often snatched up pretty quickly. Funny thing is that I see people selling these stoves on Ebay from $10-$20 and here I am giving them away.

[Rockman]

My sig item is the stove pictured to the left. I sit around watching football, baseball, or hockey and get to work making them. I don't think people rush out to grab them but they are often snatched up pretty quickly. Funny thing is that I see people selling these stoves on Ebay from $10-$20 and here I am giving them away.

[+Bear and Ting]

....engraving "Bear & Ting were here" on Ancient Roman Coins would do a whole lot of good. These coins sure don't last long in the caches and we get alot of compliments and comments on them.

 

Bear

 

I thought I was a little off, then I looked at my GPS and discovered I accurate to 12 ft.

 

Geocachers don't NEED to ask for directions!

[+brdad]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bear & Ting:

....engraving "Bear & Ting were here" on Ancient Roman Coins would do a whole lot of good.

---

 

No, I wouldn't reccomend that either! But a coin box, mini zip lock, or buisness card with it could be neat. Nothing says they'll stay together, but anything helps.

 

Sorry to be obsessing about all this personalization stuff folks, I'm sure it's not always possible (like in microcaches). I just find it interesting to see where some of this stuff comes from. If I picked up a Roman coin in a cache around here that had your name attached, I'd comment on it too. But with no name, it's just another Roman coin...

 

Rockman, I didn't realize a person could make a stove like that!

 

There are two rules for success: 1) Never tell everything you know. 2)

 

[This message was edited by brdad on August 15, 2002 at 02:15 PM.]

[+johnny quest and race bannon]

i like to leave dr pepper pins. i work there and can get them at discount. i hope people like them. i think they do. they do dont they?????

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

We started out with 50 lazer keychains and now use a button such as on the left, except without our pics in it. We got 250 of those. We're shopping around for the next batch of personalized stuff now.

 

Never Squat With Yer Spurs On

 

[This message was edited by Lazyboy & Mitey Mite on August 15, 2002 at 05:20 PM.]

[evilrooster]

I've been binding books as long as I've been caching. Since I use small leatherbound blank books (about 1 1/2"x1"x1/2" to try out new techniques, I have to get rid of the darned things or I'd be drowning in little blank books.

 

Each book I bind, including the mini-tomes, has an evilrooster stamp in it (like my avatar, but in red).

 

The only disadvantage is that some cachers seem to think they're too valuable to trade!

 

Can't do them in micros, though, so I just leave earrings.

 

evilrooster

-the email of the species is deadlier than the mail-

[+Chanceman]

Our caching name is "Chanceman" (after our son, Chance) so we use a Monopoly Chance card as our signature item. After reading through these posts I realize that we should probably be signing the back of the cards. So far we just leave them in the cache with our other trinkets and note in the logs that we left our "calling card".

 

I like the idea of laminating them and attaching our usual trinkets (keychains) through a hole in the card. Great idea!

[+brdad]

quote:

---

Originally posted by The Davies/Kromer Family:

But do they "get" it?

---

 

Exactly what I'm getting at! In at least one other thread, someone was complaining about chess pieces being left in caches. I saw one in a cache I was in the other day. That could be someones "calling card" too, but who would know?

 

I'm toying with the idea of making my own brand and branding a cross section of tree limb and making a wooden magnet, keychain, or coin out of it. I'll think up something before I'm done...

 

Keep Earth clean, it's not Uranus.

[+MysteryLady]

I read a lot of Mysterys (thus the MysteryLady) and had intended to leave a paperback mystery in the caches. After I found a few, I discovered that most of them are too small to hold a paperback book. So.. I'm looking for a "pin" or something small to use for a signature item but so far no luck.

[+Gliderguy]

Recently I have been leaving little aliens like the one in my avatar. They come in white, yellow and blue. Some are armed with some kind of ray-gun, some are unarmed. When some local K-Marts went belly up, they were a dollar for 6. I cleaned them out of stock and have 72 of them now.

[+The Cheeseheads]

I just ordered a bunch of these and these to leave together in caches. They're pretty cute already, but does anyone have any suggestions for putting "Team Cheesehead" or something onto the pencils? Is there such a thing as a do-it-yourself pencil embossing kit?

 

[+bigredmed]

I went to Kinkos and had some business cards made in red (read my Nom de' Cache). I leave these. They were relatively cheap (7 or 8 bucks for 100) and leave space for log entries on microcaches and such.) They are also reproducible as the word processor file that Kinkos uses to set them up is returned to you for future copies without the set up charge.

 

By appointment to the Court of HRM Queen Mikki I.

[+Hiemdahl]

Well, as far as leaving a signature item, I leave a Norwegian 1 Kronen coin. While it is not personalized, there are not too many in circulation here in Texas.

 

On the other hand, I have placed a couple of themed caches, (Thor's Quest II currently acvtive) in which I placed a limited number of serial numbered talismans. They seem to be very popular with the local geocachers. For example, in Thor's Quest III, Professor Jones' Diary there will be 21 numbered Thor's Hammers. The problem is the time it takes to craft them.

 

Hiemdahl

[Salvo]

I've been leaving a AM/FM mini radio as one of my cache signature items, either that or a light wand. The kids seem to like them, especially the real little ones.

 

We seem to have more and more families caching out here in Memphis these days.

[+brdad]

Originally posted by Cheesehead Dave:

Is there such a thing as a do-it-yourself pencil embossing kit?

 

Those are cool! First thought is you could just print some up on small index labels and stick it on....

 

you could buy a set of small steel letter stamps and use those, possibly even have a rubber stamp made and ink it on?

 

There are a lot of judgemental people in the world, and I think all those people are worthless dirtballs.

[+Team Shuey]

quote:

---

Originally posted by brdad:

I've looked all around the boards and there's been a lot of mention about signature items but I have seen only a few examples of _personalized_ signature items

---

 

I just came up with this idea tonight:

 

Seed packets with our name printed on them. They are easy to make, and the kids enjoy making them as well. Oh yea... The paper is bio-degradable as well!

 

 

 

It is actually easy to make, and I feel as though I am giving something back to nature as well. Also I can change what type of seeds I want to give out at any time just by changing the graphics, and the seeds of course.

 

If anyone is interested in the patern to make them just email me, and I will send it to you.

 

Team Shuey

Riverview, Florida

Shuey's Web Site

Buy CamelBaks

CLICK HERE

[Eeyore and Shadow]

quote:

---

Originally posted by brdad:

"Originally posted by Cheesehead Dave:

Is there such a thing as a do-it-yourself pencil embossing kit?"

 

Those are cool! First thought is you could just print some up on small index labels and stick it on....

 

you could buy a set of small steel letter stamps and use those, possibly even have a rubber stamp made and ink it on?

 

_There are a lot of judgemental people in the world, and I think all those people are worthless dirtballs._

---

 

Now thats a good idea they used to make steel letter stamps but they were replaced with rubber stamps but there are a lot of the steel sets still out there it wouldn't be ahrd to make a die that would hld the chase of letters and the pencil and emboss them with a bit of paint on the letters. now i have to go find one of the steel stamp sets this could be an adventure on its own.

 

By the way, our sig item is a small hand made felt eeyore tail, they aren't worth anythign and cost pennies to make but to local cachers there is no mistaking Eeyore and Shadow have been to the cache. Not that I would ever expect anyone to take them they will probably lay in the bottoms of caches for years to come. Ha!

 

Eeyore

 

I'm one sat short of triangulation.

[+JoGPS]

My signature trade item (but I don't trade I just one one in)is a tube a 4.5 in long by 1.75in across printed on it is the geocaching logo with there email address and mine inside is a trash bag, also on the outside it called a Cache In Trash Out tote. I did get permission to use the logo. If the cache is to small it does not get one just a TNLN. I have had a lot of good feed back on them………………JOE

 

Look at my profile to see them

[+evergreenhiker!]

Check out this thread:

http://opentopic.Groundspeak.com/0/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=1750973553&f=3000917383&m=8650986845&r=8590992945#8590992945

MountainMudBug has made polymer clay geocoins...you can bake the clay in a standard oven. I'm in the process of designing my own coin.

[+Faveral]

I leave handmade knotted and beaded bracelets, necklaces and keychains. I got a whole bunch of hemp rope and beads from the local arts and crafts store for under $20 and then I spend, on average, 30 minutes to make each one of them. Maybe I should attach my name to them, huh? At least then I'll be getting a little bit of credit for my time! I have fun creating them and even more fun trekking to the caches! (Of course, this is being said after only finding 9 caches... who knows, I may tire of making my "signature" item! But, I can't see myself leaving plastic junk...)

[+GeoVamp]

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Two in every cache

 

"Everything's Eventual"-Stephen King

"Maybe isn't a answer,only yes or no"-R.W.Blackburn

[+TH&G]

Here's ours.

[GrandpaCannon]

My wife has a sewing machine that will do embroidery. She and I designed the patch at the left that I also use as my avatar. I can make then in any color of thread that we have although so far I have only used red, blue and dark green. Now that it is 2003 I have that year on the patches, but I haven't changed my avatar. These are fairly simple to make (the machine does all the real work) and fairly inexpensive for me since we already had the machine.