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The Official Travel Bug Obituary....


Go JayBee

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BEWARE!!!!!!! I want to put a warning out. There is a cache that coins and trackables seem to go in but don't come out.

 

GCMRVV . If you check the logs the owner drops them in but finders of the cache don't seem to find them. I had lost two trackables to that cache. One I contacted the owner to ask him to remove it from the cache and move it somewhere else and he said it was safe. Now I lost two good items to this cache.

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"A Pubber At Hart" went missing a year ago next week.

 

A new geocacher took it on their second day geocaching, their last visit to the site was 10 days later. Never responded to emails.

 

Voodoo has been ineffective, it's hard to make a doll that resembles "Proteus325".

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Have faith. I had a geocoin go into a cache and the cache was archived because it went missing. I kept pleading for someone who found it before go check to be sure. They said there was snow on the ground. This was in California two years ago. Recently the coin turned up in Tennessee.

Edited by jellis
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we have lost another tb.

tommie (tb of our youngest daugher) is taken by muggles.

:P

the owner of the cache : Ladina skolni (GC1QZ0C) mailed me and wrote: I´m sure that your nice travelbug is stolen by muggles. I´m very sorry. I found in my cache in logbook : Thank you for the gifts - geoplunders. The cache was stolen at all. I moved the cache but it was too late for your travelbug.

:D

it the second one, which is missing.

i think i would put them in the graveyard (GCH28H).

 

de bergjes

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I think we have lost a couple of Coins....not TB...but still.....very sad....very very sad....so here comes the anger part of the grief process.

 

So we emailed the cachers who picked them up last and still show they are in possesion of them.....no response....and its not like these people arent caching anymore - because uhm it shows they just logged in like last week. So yeah at least reply with 'We lost it' or 'We put it in a cache and dont remember' but dont just ignore me. Be a little respectful and answer my email. :)

 

Denial....they cant be gone! :D

 

Acceptance.....No big deal...they were just pieces of metal and not my son....its ok....I will mark them as lost and move on with my caching life, while they will always hold a spot in my heart.

 

Goodbye.....Kansas Sunshine 2008 - KU National Championship Tribute Geocoin

Goodbye.....Kansas Sunshine 2008 Geocoin Monkey Racer 2....Monkey Racer 1 will miss you...and will complete the race on his own.....Goodbye..... :)

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Both of my travel bugs appear to be missing... The first one I placed I dropped at an event, and the person held it for like a month. Then suddenly another cacher grabbed it and held it for about a month as well, before dropping it in a cache in a different city. I was happy for that, except it hasn't moved since and I don't even know if its still in the cache because I couldn't find it (the coords are located on No Trespassing property so I gave up searching for it).

 

My second travel bug I placed in a cache near the place where I work, and I went back to get it (because it never moved...) and the cache had been muggled. I found the container smashed on the ground, and nothing else. I marked it missing, because I'm still hoping that maaaaaayyyyybbeeeee some geocacher picked it up during the month or so it was in there and just hasn't logged it yet...

 

I know they're just bits of metal, but I'm out about 15 dollars now and to me that is a lot of money... Oh well, no one ever said life is fair.

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Just my message. When one of mine goes missing I drop it in one of my archived caches. I put hope into maybe it may turn up someday. Same goes for the geocoins. I had one TB/geocoin, that I dropped into a cache in the mountains. Then the cache went archived later. I kept asking the locals if they could check to be sure if it really was missing. Responses but no finders. 3 YEARS later it turns up at GeoWoodstock in Tennessee.

Also I try to contact the last cachers who visited the last caches my missing trackables were in. Sometimes I get a response "I didn't know I couldn't keep it" or " I forgot I had it still" and they move on. But I hold out hope some will. I will never bury one of mine for ever.

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It works both ways, some TB owners can be ignorant as well.

 

I found a TB dog tag in a cache with nothing attached. I took it and looked it up to find it should have had a 6" drop forged spanner attached. I went and bought another spanner and attached it before moving it on to another cache. I e-mailed the TB owner to let them know and they couldn't even be bothered to e-mail me a simple thank you back.

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I did not get to read the whole thread, but........

 

Recently I place a gecko geocoin into "Anicinabe" and unfortunately it has not been logged yet, or the worse, has disappeared! I will give it some more time since it is fairly recent.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...6d-d6deafb4f827

 

I found a geocoin not that long ago that was homemade, because the original went missing.o why send them to the graveyard? Have a look!

http://img.geocaching.com/track/log/displa...6180b3311b3.jpg

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Well, My AWOL TB 54th Kootenay is almost ready to start a new life. I bought a "Proxy tag" from geocoindesign, and got a new hitch hiker ready to go.

 

The original hitchhiker was a WWI sholder tile from (you guessed it) the 54th Kootenay battalion (CEF). I got a new one off e-bay to replace the old one in my collection. This time, I desided to attache a hitchhiker that I already had multiples of, a collar badge (not to mention that the replacement was in very good condition, and too much $$ to send out). The photo on the bug page now is a bad cell phone pic. I just need to get a better pic with my good camera, then off it goes.

 

We will see if it gets any farther than the first one.

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There seems to be some one for more then one systematically taking TB and not logging them in my area. One of my cache's has had a number of bugs go missing and I've lost 3 or 4 bugs right after they started. There was also a local travel bug hotel that got shut down because the bugs keep getting looted.

 

I guess my question is, why? What's the point of taking a TB and not logging, particulary if your doing it on a large scale. Has this come up elsewere? Has anyone taken any action? Is there action to take?

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There seems to be some one for more then one systematically taking TB and not logging them in my area. One of my cache's has had a number of bugs go missing and I've lost 3 or 4 bugs right after they started. There was also a local travel bug hotel that got shut down because the bugs keep getting looted.

 

I guess my question is, why? What's the point of taking a TB and not logging, particularly if your doing it on a large scale. Has this come up elsewhere? Has anyone taken any action? Is there action to take?

 

Anyone doing this systematically is only doing it for the attention and angst it causes.

 

Let me take a look at your cache, unfortunately it might just be a normal loss rate.

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There seems to be some one for more then one systematically taking TB and not logging them in my area. One of my cache's has had a number of bugs go missing and I've lost 3 or 4 bugs right after they started. There was also a local travel bug hotel that got shut down because the bugs keep getting looted.

 

I guess my question is, why? What's the point of taking a TB and not logging, particularly if your doing it on a large scale. Has this come up elsewhere? Has anyone taken any action? Is there action to take?

 

Anyone doing this systematically is only doing it for the attention and angst it causes.

 

Let me take a look at your cache, unfortunately it might just be a normal loss rate.

 

The bigger issue is with a couple of the larger cache's in the area. For example:

GC1HTFR

GCJVC2

 

It just seems like there has been a rash of TBs and coins that just go missing in the area and I was wondering why this would happen and if there was any thing that could be done.

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Maybe not adding much to the conversation, but being fairly new to geocaching (joined in January, first find in April '10) - I've yet to snag a TB, but when I go to a cache and see that the TB is not there I try to leave a note both at the cache and for the TB itself that it's missing. I hope all those that are mssing eventually find there way home.

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I lost a TB and a Geocoin. The coin is in hands of FatBee but he never responsed on my e-mails :laughing:

The TB is marked missing and no geocacher knows where it is. The first visitor who visited the cache says he knows nothing :grin:

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed, maybe... someday... they will show up in a cache.

 

TB:

Matrjoschka's Ketelbinkie Event 2008

Travelled: 652 Miles

Now marked Missing :unsure:

 

Coin:

Matrjoschka's Moving Accessibility Geocoin #2

Travelled:

1153 Miles and is in hands of FatBee :)

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I did not get to read the whole thread, but........

 

Recently I place a gecko geocoin into "Anicinabe" and unfortunately it has not been logged yet, or the worse, has disappeared! I will give it some more time since it is fairly recent.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...6d-d6deafb4f827

 

I found a geocoin not that long ago that was homemade, because the original went missing.o why send them to the graveyard? Have a look!

http://img.geocaching.com/track/log/displa...6180b3311b3.jpg

 

It maybe too late, but what I do is contact everyone who logged that cache from the date you placed it and ask if they have seen it or maybe picked it up but forgot to log it. Sometimes that works.

 

I had another recent incident I mentioned in a posting yesterday. I had a coin that a group of cachers placed it in a 5 star (boat only) cache. Then a cacher who went there a few months after reported the coin was missing. I contacted everyone who was there when it was placed. Nothing, they just pointed fingers at each other. This was early last year. Now someone logs on they discovered my coin in the hands of the cacher who claimed it was missing. How messed up is that.

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Twice this summer I've retrieved bugs from caches that weren't listed in the caches they were in (and we're kind of low traffic here in the geocaching world). Anyhow, one was listed in another cache sometime ago and then the one I got last night was listed in the hands of an individual (many moons ago is when they picked it up).

 

Your travel bugs might not be stolen. They might just be misplaced. Anyhow, I got the bugs moving on their way again. I see one is now stuck in the possession of an individual who picked it up the day I dropped it.

 

And then the one I rescued yesterday is in my possession. My annoyance came after I noodled around forever correcting it and trying to get it back on track mileage wise only to see the owner of the travel bug hasn't been on in a year. Ugh. Had I known that I wouldn't have gone through that much effort.

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:blink: -GEE WHILLIKERS-, why can't people just do the right thing and log these TB and coins, I now have 3 that are MIA, never know they may turn up, two Ferrari's also. Who ever has them I hope they breakdown on you. Will be a while before I send anymore out there for the time being as I can't take the stress of losing anymore to the TB graveyard. I will remember them always, they had such a short life. RIP

 

-moderator edit to remove inappropriate language-

Edited by Eartha
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Well, My AWOL TB 54th Kootenay is almost ready to start a new life. I bought a "Proxy tag" from geocoindesign, and got a new hitch hiker ready to go.

 

The original hitchhiker was a WWI sholder tile from (you guessed it) the 54th Kootenay battalion (CEF). I got a new one off e-bay to replace the old one in my collection. This time, I desided to attache a hitchhiker that I already had multiples of, a collar badge (not to mention that the replacement was in very good condition, and too much $$ to send out). The photo on the bug page now is a bad cell phone pic. I just need to get a better pic with my good camera, then off it goes.

 

We will see if it gets any farther than the first one.

Well 54th Kootenay is off and running again. Hopefully with better luck this time.

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After reading most of the posts in this thread, I'll try to hold on to denial. The Downsized Tourist was sent on his way shortly after airlines started charging for anything you couldn't stuff into your pockets. After a few layovers he was picked up by <name with-held>. Two unanswered polite emails later, he's still listed as being held by <name with-held>. Today I learned that a TB owned by the cacher I consider my "mentor", is also being "stored" by <name with-held>. I also learned that <name with-held> has sent a number of TB's out into the world.

 

Part of me wants to win the lottery so that I can afford to gather up the TB's owned by <name with-held> and apply "leverage" to play by the rules.

 

On the other hand, if I win the lottery maybe I'll just buy a really big bunch of TB tags and launch them from all kinds of places so that <name with-held> can't possibly corral all of them.

 

So <name with-held>, if you're reading this, you'd better hope I don't win the lottery.

 

End wishful thinking. Begin encouraging tale:

 

My very first TB was transported via a very circuitous route from home in Michigan to a launch site in central Florida where it was placed in October '09. It was retrieved in less than a week and went to the Chicago area where it hibernated until late Spring '10. I thought it had suffered some unspeakable fate, but it's out there in action again.

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Yeah our brand new bugs aren't doing so hot. Two made one whole move and thats where it ended.

 

I just don't get it. I wonder if there are people out there that are caching just to steal TB's....

 

I think you're right -- there are deliberate TB-thieves. I put a TB in a local cache, and the next geocacher logged that it wasn't there. The same week another TB went missing from another local cache nearby. I think that there's definitely a TB-gremlin in my local area...I've stopped putting TB's in any local caches.

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I have 5 to list as MIA :D

 

I'm not one to moan and complain, but it is sad when over half your trackables are missing.

 

Copper Emergency Response coin - It moved a staggering 49 miles before going quiet. No activity since Jan 2009. Just emailed the current listed holder to find out what's up.

 

Frank The Bear - Has been nearly 6500 miles before going MIA in October 2009. He started his travels in the first cache I placed.

 

Goontastic SometingAwful Keychain - It went a modest 700 miles before dropping off the radar. Unlike the others, I'm pretty sure this one is a goner for good.

 

Silver Elementary Cache Coin - Was hoping to hit all 50 states. It made it to 8. Probably still in the hands of an active cacher, waiting to hear back.

 

Silver Emergency Response GeoCoin - Went 200 miles in the hands of one person before going dark. I would venture to say it's in the hands of the one who took it all of the miles.

 

There are several reasons trackables go missing - Mother Nature, muggles, "unauthorized collectors", etc. They all suck, but I have to come forth and take responsibility - I have caused a trackable to become lost.

 

George the Orange Cone - I collected him from a very mosquito infested cache with the intentions of placing it in a cache during my move to Florida. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I packed him and I have yet to see him since I moved. :D

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We started caching only recently, back in April this year. The idea of TBs got us really hooked and we spent a small fortune on dog tags, TB tags and geocoins....this morning we went through our list only to find 4 TBs marked as missing or not moving :rolleyes: That really sucks. We understand that one little Spooky coin might have been flushed away when the cache had problems but the others - it's sad! We take some comfort that we are not the only one with this problem...

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Please cue the violins now....lol...We launched a TB in 2005,after we hit our twentieth find an injury left my wife bedfast,so no more caching.She and I really enjoyed watching it move,for months a cacher has had it,won't move it,or reply to my e-mails. I know better than most about "life gets in the way" ,but why not drop it or send it back? What has happened to common courtesy?

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Relative Newb at geocaching but have a quick question . Found a TB last week , and am heading to Vegas with it tomorrow to place it . My question is this : The TB came with both tags in the baggie , although only 1 was attached to the item. The other tag does not have a tracking number on it , so not sure if I should keep moving the second tag along as well or not . It is identical to the tag attached to the TB , with the whole spiel about Groundspeak.com etc , but no tracking info . Should I attempt to contact the owner and get this 2nd tag back to them , or just keep moving along both of them.

 

As I have not yet purchased TB's , not familiar with the copy tag , but does seem strange that there is not a tracking number on it . Advice appreciated , hopefully before I head out to LV Monday morning :D:P

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Apparently the copy tag no longer has the tracking number imprinted on it, although I've never seen this for myself. I would suspect the owner didn't know what to do with it.

 

You could try contacting the owner and explain to them what a copy tag is for (should the first one go missing you can re-release the bug using the copy tag) and see if they want it back. Otherwise just move everything along together.

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I am not new to travelbug loss. My first was a space shuttle toy on its way to Florida to hopefully be picked up by a U.S. astronaut to take a ride on the space shuttle. After more than a year of unanswered e-mails and no further logs I have to consider it lost forever. However that is not the worst of the story. I left a beautiful geocoin the fire and ice geocoin, ccropc. It came up missing before it even moved once! I would like to start an outreach campaign encouraging people who might have inadvertently absconded with a trackable designed to put the item back into circulation.

Edited by Team Green Army Men
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I would like to start an outreach campaign encouraging people who might have inadvertently absconded with a trackable designed to put the item back into circulation.

 

Perhaps a bug amnesty! Like they sometimes do at libraries, where you can return your books for no late fines no matter how long you've kept them.

 

Hey it might work, trouble is where to send the lost bugs!

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How about shortest distance before going MIA? A whopping 11 miles for one of my geocoins! Probably more vulnerable to being 'souvenired' than a regular TB.

 

the first tb we ever sent out went mia from the original cache we placed it in so it never actually travelled anywhere other than the cache ;)

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How about shortest distance before going MIA? A whopping 11 miles for one of my geocoins! Probably more vulnerable to being 'souvenired' than a regular TB.

 

the first tb we ever sent out went mia from the original cache we placed it in so it never actually travelled anywhere other than the cache ;)

 

Ditto. The fire and ice geocoin went missing from it's original cache. When Maninblue went to the cache next it was already gone. It is going to be hard to beat out 0 miles, no 0 inches.

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