Wheresgeorge - How Do You Do It?

[+Team DEMP]

For those that do swap Where's George at caches, how do you typically do it?

 

Do you replace an existing WG$ with any one you have and then use that WG$ any place, or do you exchange WG$ and then only move those WG$ you pulled from a cache to other caches?

 

I see some that have been to 4 or 5 caches now so I'm guessing folks keep the WG$ they use for caching and place those in other caches? I was just swapping WG$ for any one I had, updating the comment on the WG.com site, and then using the swapped WG$ any place.

 

Not that I want to exclude anyone from participating in this thread, but my question has to do with how those that swap WG$ do it. If you want to discuss other aspects of WG$, such as if a cache WG$ hit is the same as a hit in the "wild", please start your own thread.

 

Thanks,

David

[+briansnat]

I do it a variety of ways. Sometimes I just swap them and move the one I took to another cache. Sometimes I swap and spend the one I pulled out and a most of the time I take the george (or georges) in the cache and add a trade item. In the latter case, I may move the george to another cache, or set it free (spend it).

[+Renegade Knight]

I log them, then spend them, if I even take one.

[avroair]

You are SUPPOSED to take a george and LEAVE a george. That is trading. You then log it into a site and keep it on you until you can place it into another cache.

 

Question:

Newbie cacher finds his seventh cache. There are 3 WG$ in the cache. The newbie 'trades' one.

How many WG$ are left in the cache?

[+briansnat]

You are SUPPOSED to take a george and LEAVE a george. That is trading. You then log it into a site and keep it on you until you can place it into another cache

 

I respectfully disagree. A George is just another trade item and you are free to do whatever you want with it.

[+The BeeGees]

I respectfully disagree. A George is just another trade item and you are free to do whatever you want with it.

Agreed.

As long as you trade evenly or up.

[avroair]

As long as you trade evenly or up.

 

I would agree with this. Let me clarify. T: a WG$ L: nothing

Is unacceptable in my mind. Since in my experience, my WG$ have never been logged in after people have taken them and remain that way. What is the use in placing them if they are no longer tracked?

[+TeamK-9]

I usually just trade something fairly for one (just about anything in my pack) and I'll take it and stop and get a mountain dew or something on my way home...

[+fosterbass]

http://www.wheresgeorge.com/rules.php

 

All Where's George? users must agree to and abide by these guidelines..

Any user violating these rules can have their account suspended or terminated without warning.

Please read and understand these rules before using the site. They are written in plain english, so go ahead and take a minute to read them over.

 

#1 Natural Circulation

The purpose of Where's George? is to track the natural and geographic circulation of currency. This means that any bills you enter should be spent by you in the normal course of everyday life. Giving bills to friends, relatives and/or associates for the purpose of re-entry into the website violates the whole premise of Where's George?. After you enter any bills, just enter them into natural circulation by spending them as you would any other bills. Sending bills via U.S mail or any transportation methods to people in other locales does not constitute natural and geographic circulation. In general, the Where's George? definition of natural and geographic circulation is spending your cash in the course of any normal transaction with any unknown person/entity.

[avroair]

any bills you enter should be spent by you in the normal course of everyday life

 

In other words, geocaching and WG$ don't mix.

[+Team DEMP]

Foster: I was aware of their guidelines though I don't think I ever outright read them, so thanks for posting them.

 

So though we know what the official rules are (though I'd say it's more guidelines since it's just for fun and there's no harm in not following the guidelines), do the vast majority of folks keep a collection of geo WG$ that they continue to circulate or do they just spend the one you swapped? I've know there's some of mine that have gone to at least 4 caches after I placed it, so either it got lucky or folks have a pocket for cache WG$ and one for spending WG$.

[+Worf's Pack]

I have one bill with 5 hits. That has a banner on it saying it is a geocaching bill and it won't be counted with other Where's George's. But to answer the question I swap them one for one. Except for the one I spent for the raffle at the Geojamborree2.

[+Quoddy]

Geocaching related bills cannot be counted in the "Where's George Top 10". I know regular cirulation it what they're looking for, but it sure makes interesting reading of these "Geocaching" bills after awhile.

 

I carry several denominations of both circulated and uncirculated (but stamped) bills. I always trade at least even, and when I run out of a circulated denomination, I place one my own new one's into it. I have over 300 in circulation, and only return them to caches

[+JMBella]

I buy coffee.

[+windlight]

I ussally trade one for one... I ALWAYS have WG$ with me and i often trade non-WG$ with a WG$ of mine. but if i find something nice in a Cache I'll trade normal and add a WG$ to 'Trade up'. So to say if I find a WG$ in a Cache i always drop it into another Cache.

[+Harrald]

When I do trade for WG$'s I will take one from the cache and replace it with one I've stamped. The one I take from the cache I will spend.

 

Since 2 of our number here in NJ are among the elite on WG I would hope they speak up on this topic.

[+Perfect Tommy]

If there's a George in the cache, I'll swap it with one of mine and, at a later date, drop it in another cache.

If there are no Georges in the cache, I almost always leave one.

If there's an unGeorged bill in the cache, I'll swap it with a George then George it and drop it in a cache later.

I edit the notes for the bills to keep track of where I found a George and/or where I left it.

 

Interesting to see other's stamps and stamping techniques as well as to see where some of these bills end up.

[+Brianslost]

As I read this thread I find I have a chance to ask another WG$ question. What do some of you use for stamps? I would like to find a stamp that says it all. What to do with the bill and how to log it. I have seen other bills with this but where did you get them? I know the WG site used to sell them but they stopped. I try to put a WG$ in every cache I find. I tend to forget an awful lot though. I have yet to see one logged though.

[mortonfox]

I used to add Georges to a cache if the cache didn't have any money in it but I don't do that any more. I figure I've started enough GeoGeorges. What I do these days is I bring a bunch of Georges picked up from caches whenever I go geocaching. If I find a cache with Georges in it then I'll do the swap. I try to move these geocache Georges to a different caching area whenever possible.

[+briansnat]

As I read this thread I find I have a chance to ask another WG$ question. What do some of you use for stamps? I would like to find a stamp that says it all. What to do with the bill and how to log it. I have seen other bills with this but where did you get them? I know the WG site used to sell them but they stopped. I try to put a WG$ in every cache I find. I tend to forget an awful lot though. I have yet to see one logged though.

 

Try Stamp-connection.com. They have pre made WG stamps, or if you prefer, you can design your own wood stamp by selecting the wording, fonts and sizes (and its cheaper than the pre made ones). That way it will say exactly what you want it to say.

 

I have two wood stamps I purchased from them. A 5 line one that says "Follow this bill's travels. See where its been. Track where it goes. Enter the serial # at: www.wheresgeorge.com" and a 4 line one that says simply "See where I've been. Watch where I go. Enter my serial# at: www.wheresgeorge.com".

Edited June 15, 2004 by briansnat

[+Team DEMP]

As I read this thread I find I have a chance to ask another WG$ question. What do some of you use for stamps?

I bought the Ideal 5722 Round Self-Inking Where's George Stamp with red ink from Stamp-Connection.com. All of their Where's George stamps are at http://www.stamp-connection.com/dept/where...rge_stamps.html and the one I got is at http://www.stamp-connection.com/products/WG-I5722.html

 

For the one I got, they send a little alignment guide that you eyeball over the portion of the bill you want to stamp and then set the stamp in it and push.

 

I've found bills with the same stamp as mine but in a different color (picked up a blue one with the same stamp this past weekend). I've also found stamps that were just hand-written. In you are going to do it for geocaching, it doesn't really matter since you know what they are there for.

[+The_Z_Man]

I vitually always leave a WG$ no matter what (unless I forget or there is no room... which isn't often). The WG$ I take I always move to another cache... unless I need to buy something and only have WG$... then I spent them on whatever.

 

This method has worked well for me... I have a George score of about 850 in one year. Puts me in the top 100 for NY.

 

On a recent trip out west I left 35 WG$ in caches... I didn't find even one WG$... and so far I haven't received one hit on the ones I left. Guess those cachers aren't into Georging.

 

But at some point I will no doubt follow StayFloopy's newly adopted method... have to save somewhere since my new converged PDA/Phone and accessories are pricey... but it will allow me access to the Internet from just about anywhere and accomplish my goal of truly paperless caching.

[avroair]

On a recent trip out west I left 35 WG$ in caches... I didn't find even one WG$... and so far I haven't received one hit on the ones I left. Guess those cachers aren't into Georging.

 

I had the same experience in Pennslyvania, I left off over 20 bills and none have recieved hits, even though people have visited the caches since. They seem to just take them, or else they are still sitting in the caches.

 

I traded 5 with a friend of mine in Colorado, he distributed them to different caches and none of those every showed up again and that was 4 months ago!

 

Oh well. At least the secret agent caches are well stocked!

[+briansnat]

I had the same experience in Pennslyvania, I left off over 20 bills and none have recieved hits, even though people have visited the caches since. They seem to just take them, or else they are still sitting in the caches.

 

I traded 5 with a friend of mine in Colorado, he distributed them to different caches and none of those every showed up again and that was 4 months ago!

 

When I went on vacation in the Sacramento/Folsom CA area 2 summers ago I stamped $100 worth of Georges. They were a lot easier to carry than a sack full of trade items. I probably left about 20 of them in caches and got hits on 3 or 4.

[+Team DEMP]

I think I'm gonna keep WG$ for caching separate from WG$ for everything else. I'll see how that works out. Of course, I only have 1 WG$ on me that I got from a cache so my supply will initially be new WG$.

 

I too was dumping WG$ into a lot of caches even if there wasn't any to trade. I guess it adds up after a while, though I only have a little over 200 caches logged and maybe 1/2 or less had a WG$ of mine placed in them. I don't mind. I'd rather put it in for the next person that wants to trade.

 

Now a bit more OT but still on WG$...

 

I understand trading a WG$ or two for a trade item as Brian mentioned previously. I personally haven't done it, but I can understand it being fine. What I can't really understand is a post along the lines of the following I recently saw:

 

My friend took the money. I traded an x for a y.

 

with the x and y being fair trade items, does his friend thing this is some charity cache?

[+IV_Warrior]

Even though wheresgeorge doesn't really want to track the natural circulation of the bills (if i get one of my bill back, i can't re-log it, unless it circled the globe or something stupid like that) I still just spend any bills I trade out of caches, after logging them on the site, of course.

[mortonfox]

understand it being fine. What I can't really understand is a post along the lines of the following I recently saw:

 

My friend took the money. I traded an x for a y.

For this reason, I think it would be prudent to never have more than one WG$ in a cache at any time.

 

I also noticed that there are a few caches around the NYC area that seem to be plundered only for the WG$. That certainly colored my view on adding WG$ to caches. Again, don't add too many, if you do.

Edited June 16, 2004 by stayfloopy

[+fosterbass]

What I can't really understand is a post along the lines of the following I recently saw:

 

My friend took the money. I traded an x for a y.

 

with the x and y being fair trade items, does his friend thing this is some charity cache?

If the friend in question was one John Dillinger, the WG$ has probably been placed in Here's George (GCJBYC)

[+marmetion]

While working at a bank, was advised to "remove" all defaced bills from circulation, that came across my window. While I was not able to remove all bills, the newer machines that check for counterfeits "kick out" any bill that has been defaced, so that it may be checked for fakes. SOOO if you spend the bill and it makes it into a deposit that makes it to a federal reserve office, that bill will cease to exist, and a new bill will replace it. If you have seen the shredded hundred thousand million dollar paperweights, u now know where George is

[mortonfox]

If the friend in question was one John Dillinger, the WG$ has

I guess it is the fate of all our WG$ to be picked up by famous outlaws from history.

[mortonfox]

SOOO if you spend the bill and it makes it into a deposit that makes it to a federal reserve office, that bill will cease to exist, and a new bill will replace it. If you have seen the shredded hundred thousand million dollar paperweights, u now know where George is

It depends on the sensitivity of the machine. I don't have any direct experience with the Fed's scanning machines but there is anecdotal evidence that WG$ do survive that trip to the Fed as long as they are marked discreetly. Ask on the Where's George forums if you need examples.

 

Of course if the bill has stamps all over the place and has the serial numbers highlighted then all bets are off. So be careful.

[+nikcap]

Thanks for bringing up the topic. I've often wondered this myself. Ultimately, I'm pretty random on how I trade and use WG$. I almost always place one of my own, home-grown Georges in every cache I visit or place. I will always take one George from a cache, or two Georges there are several in the cache. Once I log them in (which is usually the next day) I take note on the Georges travels. If it is marked as a Geocaching George or it's entire history of 4+ entries are clearly caches, I make sure it goes back into another cache. Otherwise, it's free game. More likely then not, it will end up in another cache, but every once in a while when I'm scrapping change out of the cache mobile's ashtray or from under the seats, I'll spend the George and get it into the wild.

[+briansnat]

I just received several WG stamps today from Stamp-connection.com. They might start appearing in my future caches, so anybody who is looking for a stamp, keep your eyes open.

[+1mech]

I place Georges in most of the caches I visit. If there is one already there, I will take it in trade, and usually just spend it, placing it back in general circulation. Of course if I do find one in a cache, I make sure to log it as found!!!! I am sure most georgers will tell you, they don't care a whole lot what you do with the bill as long as you LOG IT IN AS FOUND!!!! You are free to spend mine or place them in another cache, whatever you wish, but please do log it in!!

1Mech

[+tneigel]

Well, I've done almost all of these things. I used to respect them highly and log every one and put it in another cache, thinking that was the correct way. Then I saw several building up in caches or Floopy's 3 at a time. I would exchange one. But then I saw those being raided. I was thinking Hey..... I exchanged one, then others just keep them. By then I guess I messed up my George account or lost it. After a bit of a pause, I created a new account, but lost interest in logging them.

 

Starting passing them by and just writing in the log. I felt guilty for not spending them, and guilty if I took one. Then I figured, if I am not logging the item, why take it at all.

 

Then settling down to taking one occassionally and moving it on to another cache without logging. I'll roll it up tight and stick it in a new micro. Always seem to have one in my geo bag at any one time. Maybe, maybe I have seen one in circulation outside of geocaching.

 

If I took 3 for spending over the years it was a lot. I took a few, left a trade and even stated in the log I would use the money for new cache hides. But I didn't do much of that and just pass them on. Even when I wanted to spend one, I would just end up spending my own dollar and keeping the george. I keep foreign money when I can find it. One item only from a cache. But never saved georges. Maybe when I come across one, I will laminate it to a TB (and be arrested or something).

 

So, where's george? He is around and that is fine with me. I like it, and as a citizen, have no problem with writing that on the bill. Pretty passive sport. Never log them anymore, too many other caching things on my plate. Maybe if I got something for logging say, fifty of them (a free dollar), I would have the drive to start logging them again. But then again, if I just kept the fifty of them, .... hummm. (nah...)

 

Its good there are a variety of ways. It was good to hear that I should actually spend the bugger too. Its good they should be replaced with something of equal value. Sometimes its not. I should log it if I take it... I know... If I think of all the Floopy Georges I could have had..... I guess when I think about it, I'd still be here doing the same thing. I now deface quarters with my T sign, and starting to collect any other ones (only one) I can find. I embedded three into plastic along with a TB. Maybe I'll do that with a George as well. (But I'll log it first.)