What's the general opinion on this sort of thing?

[+Delta68]

We saw this geoclutter

in Swan Lake and just left it there. I made a note of the tracking code but what's the point in discovering a piece of laminated paper?

 

I've seen this sort of thing dropped into the TB Graveyard before so I know others think it's a bit of a cheek as well...

[+third-degree-witch]

Sadly there are plenty of thieves in our hobby,and sometimes a laminated copy is the only way to protect your coin(s).

Edited April 14, 2008 by third-degree-witch

[+XopherN71]

I guess I understand the idea (pay for a neat little coin and this is a way to keep it yet track something). However I can see this being a big problem as it would be far too easy for more than one of these to exist.

 

Oh, my 'coin' hasn't moved in 3 weeks... must be lost or someone decided to keep it, I'll just release another copy and get it going again.

 

Meanwhile...

Joan Cacher kept it because she was going on a trip to New Zealand and wanted to bring it with, once released it magically appears in Iowa and 15 seconds later, New Zealand.

 

I don't agree with doing this unless the owner is VERY disciplined as to not release it a second time. Even then it doesn't seem right, as it's the actual item that is intended to move around. For this very purpose my first coin purchase was a little more expensive. I got one for each of my kids (limited edition) and one extra that would be released and tracked.

[+Cushie Butterfield]

We love geocoins, both collecting them and finding them. It's quite disappointing to find a laminated copy instead of the real thing. We don't bother with them and just leave them where they are. I wouldn't do it with any of ours.

We have released quite a few into caches, a couple are missing but they might turn up again sometime. There were quite a few going from local caches and we thought about going round to collect ours back up but it would be cheaper to buy another coin than to pay for the petrol!

We have activated some of our collection and will take them to events to share but we wont stop releasing them, if we like finding them then it's only fair that we out some out there too.

Edited April 14, 2008 by Team Skully

[+*mouse*]

I sent out a copy of one of my coins - I didn't want to, but with coins disappearing locally at the time I decided to try and hedge my bets to stop it vanishing into the unknown.

 

The copy doesn't get moved on very often, and I know most people would prefer to find the real thing, but the alternative as far as I was concerned was that it lived in a drawer at home. It seemed the lesser of two evils.

 

As long as it is obvious on the TB page that the coin is a copy I don't see a problem.

 

Maybe one day the thieves will magically go away and I can replace my copy with the real thing... that's what I would like to do.....

[+The Lavender Hill Mob]

I have a laminated geocoin in my possession Geocoin.

 

My personal opinion is that once it's MIA it's finished but at least they had the decency to send the coin out in the first place.

[+Happy Humphrey]

I've come across a couple and didn't log them as it seems to me to be the most pointless pursuit ever.

 

Irritating too, as I didn't have the coin's web page to hand and didn't expect a "copy".

 

There's no real difference between seeing a laminated card with a tracking number on it and seeing a photo of the coin on the web - neither gives you possession of the geocoin - and why would you log the photo? The whole purpose of sending a trackable item out is that the actual, real-world item is found by actual, real-world people. The trackable item was back home with its owner (or with a thief) and I never touched it, so why should I "log" it?

 

Taken to its logical conclusion, you could build up a collection of geocoins and "send out" the whole lot by making up a laminated sheet containing all the tracking numbers then sticking it in a cache. In case that goes missing, allow people to download the list from a link on your profile too!

 

It might be annoying if your highly-prized geocoin disappears, but to guard against that happening then just keep it at home and treasure it: you just can't have your cake and eat it. And if your traveller gets stolen, well that was its unfortunate fate.

[+Cushie Butterfield]

It is disappointing to lose a coin when it is out on its travels but that's the risk of putting them out there. We've had one go from the very first cache we placed it. The most annoying is one of the children's coins, we set 4 away at the same time in a race and one has gone. Maybe it will turn up somewhere. We drill all of ours now and put a keyring through the hole with details of the coin's mission and who it belongs to but that doesn't seem to have made much difference.

 

On a similar note I bought a couple of very smart Bison screw tubes to place as caches but I wonder if they will get pinched too, a film pot seems a lot less attractive and probably a better idea to use!

[+The Lavender Hill Mob]

It might be annoying if your highly-prized geocoin disappears, but to guard against that happening then just keep it at home and treasure it: you just can't have your cake and eat it. And if your traveller gets stolen, well that was its unfortunate fate.

Well said.

[+L8HNB]

We don’t bother discovering or moving copies.

 

If that’s what folks want to do then fine, but it should be made plain on the web page. Fortunately, we haven’t come across them very often, only a couple in the two years we’ve been caching.

 

As for our own little collection, as you know, we take them to events for others to discover and enjoy. We log them into the event and about a week later they get logged back into our account. Maybe that’s a way of having a bit of the cake......

 

The reasoning behind this is that those who collect icons can check the event listings to see what’s on offer, it might even persuade them to attend the event!

 

L&H

[+MartyBartfast]

Personally I don't see the problem. A coin is just another kind of TB, when you buy TB tags you get a copy tag so you can rerelease it if the original goes missing. Regarding it being pointless to move a laminated bit of paper, there are worse TBs out there, I've had one that was a bit of a 7-up (or similar) tin can, and I've got one that's a PCI cover (read bit of metal) from an old PC, and I believe theres one that's a breeze block!

 

I've never found one, but if I did I'd treat it like any other TB and move it on, trying to help it's mission if it had one and I could.

 

Enjoy the choice!

 

M:

[+Happy Humphrey]

Personally I don't see the problem. A coin is just another kind of TB, when you buy TB tags you get a copy tag so you can rerelease it if the original goes missing. Regarding it being pointless to move a laminated bit of paper, there are worse TBs out there, I've had one that was a bit of a 7-up (or similar) tin can, and I've got one that's a PCI cover (read bit of metal) from an old PC, and I believe theres one that's a breeze block!

 

I've never found one, but if I did I'd treat it like any other TB and move it on, trying to help it's mission if it had one and I could.

 

Enjoy the choice!

 

M:

The pointlessness about the "copy geocoin" it is not that it's a worthless piece of laminated paper: after all, the traditional TB is just a worthless small toy. It's just that the laminated paper isn't even the traveller, it's just a note of the tracking number.

There are examples which don't bother me too much (because they have "COPY" in big letters in the name and were sent out after the original was stolen), but I still think that a better option is to allow the coin a dignified death. Those that are sent out in lieu of risking a real geocoin are just plain evil, however!

[+Dorsetgal & GeoDog]

<snip>Those that are sent out in lieu of risking a real geocoin are just plain evil, however!

 

Just as with many other aspects of the game, there are no rules or guidance on this. The coin is the property of the owner and within reason they can do with them as they will.

 

Yes, I agree it can be a little disapointing not to see the real thing, but can fully understand the sentiment behind it. Cache finders can always check the contents of a cache online before they seek it if they are simply icon hunting!

 

I think "evil" is a bit strong don't you?

 

If you don't like it, don't log it, plain and simple ... move along!

Edited April 14, 2008 by Dorsetgal & GeoDog

[+Happy Humphrey]

If you don't like it, don't log it, plain and simple ... move along!

That's what I did, after quite a moan and whinge about being dragged out of my way to a particular cache to pick up a particular coin - only to find a scrap of paper with a tracking number on it instead! I claim my right to complain when I've been conned...

[+Delta68]

 

If you don't like it, don't log it, plain and simple ... move along!

 

I agree and I wasn't really wingeing or moaning just asking opinions:)

 

I think this thread can be closed now

[+Happy Humphrey]

I think this thread can be closed now

Spoilsport! On the main forum this type of thread can last for months!

 

Just out of interest, to those that would be perfectly fine logging a laminated card with a photo of a geocoin on it, would it be just as acceptable if the card was an un-laminated bit of crumpled paper with the tracking number roughly scrawled on it?

 

Where I'm coming from is that I see the word "laminated" as being used to bolster the provenance of the replacement geocoin, and I wonder whether the presentation is critical.

[+roolku]

It might be annoying if your highly-prized geocoin disappears, but to guard against that happening then just keep it at home and treasure it: you just can't have your cake and eat it. And if your traveller gets stolen, well that was its unfortunate fate.

Well said.

I agree.

 

Whenever I find a (often tattered and barely legible) laminated copy of a coin instead of the real thing I express my disappointment in my log. Maybe the owner will get the hint eventually.

[+Pharisee]

I think it's a bit of a cheek.... we'll be getting imitation plastic caches next Oh.... we already do... 35mm film cans

[+webscouter.]

Just a quick note. Don't assume that the coin owner made the copy. I sent out a coin and by they time it hit it's third cache someone had made a copy of it, sent out the copy and kept the original coin.

[+Pengy&Tigger]

Just a quick note. Don't assume that the coin owner made the copy. I sent out a coin and by they time it hit it's third cache someone had made a copy of it, sent out the copy and kept the original coin.

 

I was going to point out the very same thing. Everyone is assuming it was the owner(s) who sent them out that way. If the coin's page doesn't specify that it's a laminate or copy, then let the owner know. Chances are someones nicked the real coin and sent a copy out.

[+Donmoore]

Current GOAL: Please place this coin copy in many caches!! It wants to travel and provide icons for as many cachers as possible!

 

the above is from the coins page where it does say coin copy.

 

my opinion is that i enjoy seeing these new coins but as an owner of a coin that went AWOL you would be tempted to do the same but something in me still has faith in mankind so i kept on keeping fiath the coin is now in sweden when it should never have left the british isles.

[+Pengy&Tigger]

the above is from the coins page where it does say coin copy.

 

I wasn't referring to that exact coin - the thread title refers to 'a general opinion on this sort of thing' rather than one specific coin. All I was saying is that when you see 'that sort of thing' check with the owner if the coin page doesn't say it's a copy. I'm sure the owner would prefer to know if some scumbag had nicked it.

Edited April 14, 2008 by Pengy&Tigger

[+mumbo jumbo]

Not quite the same as with a coin but I came across one TB recently where it turned out the owner had deliberately released 4 copies (I think): http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=13584 Consequently, the TB has big mileage although I think there's only one left in circulation now (the one I found).

 

It should have been obvious to me on reading the TB's listing what was going on but the explanation appeared by way of an exchange of emails between a previous finder and the owner which had been popped in the TB's bag. I thought it was quite clever myself at the time. I would probably have been miffed to find a photocopy of a coin though despite the understandable reasons why coin owners might do this (I've had two, possibly three, coins go missing recently ).