To activate or not to activate, that is the question...

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 8:09 am

Just wondering what most people do. Do you activate all of the coins you get?
I don't really get around to too many events and I don't plan on releasing most of mine. So all I did was get the codes, but just hang on to them. I honestly don't really care about the icon in my profile. And I know the coins are more desirable in the event I ever have to/want to sell them.

EDIT - If you only activate the ones you release, just pick the second poll option and explain in a post Smile

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 9:36 am

If other cachers want to Discover them, they would need to be Activated. But if your goal is resale, that's your choice!
But if they are unactivated, you should let other cachers know, before they waste there time writing down the #. I enjoy seeing nice coins...active or not!

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 11:16 am

I activate all of my collection. It's my way of keeping track of my coins and it allows others to discover online (and collect an icon) if they're into that kind of thing. I'm not interested in resale value in terms of activated/unactivated. I've purchased activated coins and they just get transferred over to me, no big deal. I wouldn't pay extra for unactivated vs. activated (just my opinion). I guess in my mind, I'm collecting the physical coin and not exactly worrying about value if a code is used.

I'm starting to get more copies of each coin to hopefully trade. For those I leave them unactivated. It's just easier that way.

And yes, I release coins and will continue to do so. Those are activated (or perhaps not!)

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 12:09 pm

I do activate coins that I release but have a whole bunch of coins that are unactivated and sit in a box for only me to enjoy (heeheehee).

I don't know how many of those will end up released but they will not be released to the wild unless they are activated. Am I going to sell them off? maybe one day but as with any collection, it is hard to part with it.

as far as resale, I know that activating the coin will decrease its value though I don't understand why unless it is that the coin is not "new" even though you could easily activate the coin without ever removing it from its flip or wrapper. If I were to sell an activated coin that was never circulated, I would be sure to mention that when it went for sale.

Like -cheeto-, I will continue to release coins though many of the ones I have out there have gone missing. It is part of the game, unfortunately, but I love to find a coin in a cache.

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 1:01 pm

Every coin we have released has disappeared, every TB for that matter as well. So I don't release new coins, but do activate them so they can be shared with others for discovery purposes.

WGA Member Joined: 2007-11-26 Posts: 3258

My answer isn't quite there...we activate all of them but have some we do not release.

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 1:23 pm

Activate mine to share at events, I refuse to release any because everyone I talk to seems to have missing coins. Poo poo on coin thieves, so I live vicariously through the travels of other cachers' coins!

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 5:13 pm

I activate every one. Its my collection and I like to share them so they need activation. None will ever leave my hands. There are to many coins missing and they are to expensive to put them in the woods. I really dont understand what pleasure the coin stealers get out of it. They dont have the activation code so they are kind of s-----d.

Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 7:09 am

I no longer activate geocoins. I am using them as entry fees in the poker tourneys and they have to be unactivated for that. I decided against activation for three reasons:
1. When I release them they go missing, sometimes right from the cache I put them in. (Yes, it must be a local thief)
2. I forget to bring the few activated ones to events for others to discover anyway and I see mostly all the same cachers at these events.
3. I like playing poker at these big events.

Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:29 pm

On the subject of coins....

I am a novice compared to most in the forums.... but I have come across a couple of ways that I think I might go about sharing mine in the future:

1. Instead of sending the actual coin out to die and disappear, I have seen several people make photos of both sides of their coin and then have it think laminated and send that out to travel.

2. I have seen wooden coins with these "attached" to them... a wooden version of the coin that can travel.

Seem like nice ways of sharing your coin without really having to put it in harms way....

Now that being said.... I have 2 of the Edmund Fitzgerald coins put out by MiGo... the will not be activated or circulated.... too beautiful of a coin for me to lose....

Cujo31

Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 9:11 pm

I have a complete set of civil war coins. I took the coins and phantom droped them in special WSQ's of mine that have particular civil war veterains there. I then post a question on the page that the finder needs to answer and I sent them the code so they can discover that coin. I get to keep the coin but share it with whom ever wants the icon. on the coins page there is a photo of both sides so they can see the actuial coin. Most people seem to like the idea and its a Win, Win for us both.