Paper Geocoins

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 10:36 am

I was talking with another cacher a couple weeks ago, and he indicated that he is no longer putting his coins out. Instead he is making a photocopy of the coin, laminating it, and placing that out. I understand that the coins are expensive, and it sucks when they go missing, but this just doesn't seem right to me. What does everyone think of this?

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 11:02 am

BigJim60 wrote:

I was talking with another cacher a couple weeks ago, and he indicated that he is no longer putting his coins out. Instead he is making a photocopy of the coin, laminating it, and placing that out. I understand that the coins are expensive, and it sucks when they go missing, but this just doesn't seem right to me. What does everyone think of this?

if you think of it as just a trackable, isn't it just like a travel bug that could be any old toy... just this happens to be a laminated copy of a coin. The flat jack series has you finding a laminated FJ, and his # is on it, but you can't "discover" him unless you "meet" the original that travels with BakRdz.

I think the laminated coin does lessen the fun for the finder, but I can totally understand the issue. RT10 has all of our geocoins in his room mounted on a piece of wood that we got while at the picnic. If he catches me or Mr. RT touching it he has a fit.

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 1:06 pm

If I had a cion I wanted to put out I would do the same thing. If the paper one goes missing its easier to replace than muying a new coin right.

WGA Member Joined: 2007-02-03 Posts: 2180

I picked a "paper coin" up in Racine today. GPBJHH
It's just not the same. They did attach a trinked that was themed to the coin.
We keep all of the coins that we aquire.
Almost all of the travel bugs we have put out have dissapeared.
It doen't really add much to the game for us with or without them.

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 3:57 pm

It doesn't seem right that trackables go missing. Lose enough $10-$13 coins, and you soon see the sense in laminated copies, at least as an owner! Mad

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 5:45 pm

proxy coins have been gaining in popularity just because you can do it, and yeah, it stinks when a coin (or a TB) goes missing or intentionally stolen by someone. It is one of those things, that, if you can't stand to lose it, don't release it. I have had my share of coins and TBs go missing and sometimes I try to contact the cache finders following the drop and the reported missing log to see if someone does have it in their possession. Sometimes they turn up, sometimes not. you can read all kinds of posts about missing/stolen/someone is holding this coin since.... on gc.com.

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:26 pm

The first coin that we found was one of zuma's in a nearby cache. I remember seeing it on its trackable page and thinking it would be so neat to see this coin. I was hoping no one else would get to that cache before we did. We found the cache and that coin, and after having it visit a few caches with us, we dropped it into another cache. Some guy named labrat_wr picked it up on his visit to that cache, and he moved it along.

The point is... A real coin has the bright colors and the shiny metals. It has heft, and it's fun to see where it can go. We have never moved or discovered a paper coin. We have a handful of coins, and they have never been in a cache for travel. We don't usually do trackables, except for Gramps' school kids' TBs each fall, but in the brief time we have been caching (if 3-1/2 years is brief), there seems to have been a decline in the movement of trackables. We see more and more logs about how the TB/coin wasn't in the cache. Maybe it's lack of knowledge about how trackables work, or maybe it's the sheer numbers of new cachers, some of which may have less-than-honorable ethics, but it's sad to see things go this way.

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:03 pm

I consider myself a coiner and as such I'd never release any of my collection because I'd cry if they went missing. Sad

I have discovered my share of paper coins and while I enjoy finding a real coin, I'm cool with a copy. Most of them are done pretty nicely, I think I've only seen one that a wooden nickel with the code written on.

Either way, I'm just glad people are willing to put their coins out there for us to play with. Plus I enjoy collecting the icons on my profile. Wink

If people want to actually see and touch my shinies then they will have to find me at an event.

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:07 pm

Hippie, I don't even want to think about touching your shinies.

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:17 pm

sandlanders wrote:

Hippie, I don't even want to think about touching your shinies.

We will see if you sing the same tune at the Campout. wink

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:31 pm

kungfuhippie wrote:

sandlanders wrote:

Hippie, I don't even want to think about touching your shinies.

We will see if you sing the same tune at the Campout. wink

hey hey hey! None of that talk here. Take it over to the Thread Stealers forum Laughing

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 11:21 pm

I doubt I'll ever pick up a coin from a cache as I normally do not geocache on a regular basis. I plan to set off some of my own in the future. I also do not own any caches. Rolling Eyes

Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 6:31 am

when i do drop coins and TBs off in caches, I try to look at the cache history to see if things tend to be safe or walk away. Just because you find a container large enough for the trackable, it doesn't mean it is a good place to put it. While an ammo box a mile down a deer trail also might be safe, trackables should be movers too, so it is hard to find a happy medium.

Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:16 am

labrat_wr wrote:

While an ammo box a mile down a deer trail also might be safe, trackables should be movers too, so it is hard to find a happy medium.

Says the cacher who recently placed a coin in a cache that's been found only three times in over a year! Shocked

But you did take it on quite a journey before that.

Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:51 am

I currently have 105 coins out in circulation. 70 or so are missing, but there is still 30 - 35 coins that frequently move.

The best have gone over 25,000 miles now.

The worst is when they disappear from the first cache I place them in. So it is a real mixed bag. Personally, I really really like to find coins in caches, so believe in releasing some as a way to pay it forward. Proxy coins are OK, but not really cool like finding a really nice coin you have not seen before.

Here is my 2010 WGA coin, now traveling in Ontario:

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=3201505

zuma