Purpose of geocoins

[Nivad_MCMLXXIX]

Hello I'm quite new to geocaching...

 

A couple of weeks ago I was able to retrieve some coins from some caches. And just last week I noticed the option "move to collection" besides one of those coins...

 

Since I merely had the intention to take it with me along some caches and leave it in a nice not to easy to find cache, now I started wondering...

 

1. Is it the purpose of these coins to be collected and to create a collection of various coins just like some people do with classical coins or post stamps?

2. Who decides or how is determined when a coin can be collected?

3. Once a coin is collected can it be send on a new journey?

4. If 3 is negative, can you keep it on it's journey instead of collecting it?

5. What are the origins of coins? How and why can they be released?

 

At the moment I'm not very eager to start a collection of anything, though I like the idea of having trackables traveling along all the caches in the world.

 

Grtz Nivad

[+Murazor]

1. Is it the purpose of these coins to be collected and to create a collection of various coins just like some people do with classical coins or post stamps?

2. Who decides or how is determined when a coin can be collected?

3. Once a coin is collected can it be send on a new journey?

4. If 3 is negative, can you keep it on it's journey instead of collecting it?

5. What are the origins of coins? How and why can they be released?

 

1. Yes, along with traveling. Some coins are definitely made for being collected, other are made rather for travels.

2. The owner of the coin in question decides. Nobody else.

3. Yes.

4. This seems to be a misunderstanding and no answer seems to be good enough here...

5. People make coins and Groundspeak provides (sells) codes for them and approves the designs. Technically everyone can make a geocoin.

[+kunarion]

1. Is it the purpose of these coins to be collected and to create a collection of various coins just like some people do with classical coins or post stamps?

If a coin is marked "Collectible" with no info on the coin's page, it's almost always an error -- the coin owner is new and didn't imagine it would be taken and kept due to a menu selection. Contact that coin's owner and mention that it should be marked "Not Collectible" if it's not intended to be placed in a Collection -- and a log note on the coin's page is a good idea, too, in case PM email fails. The only time a coin should be marked "Collectible" is while a coin owner is actively working to get a coin into another specific member's Collection, after which it can be marked "Not Collectible".

 

I'm just guessing, but I guess the coin owner in your case made a mistake. There's a completely different process to give away one's coin. The whole "Collection" thing is confusing (mostly due to Groundspeak's unfortunately chosen word "Collection"), but Collections are mainly for members who have a large number of Geocoins that they have activated and keep in a binder to show and who need a way to manage the coins.

 

2. Who decides or how is determined when a coin can be collected?

The coin owner. If anyone takes and keeps the coin, it remains the property of the coin owner. If it were meant as a gift to a "collector", it would be set up as a gift, and it would likely be brand new in its original coin flip, not activated and marked "Collectible". Since the coin in your case is marked Collectible, you may move it to your Collection (that's an option on the coin's page), but I expect the confused coin owner to then arrive in this Forum to ask what went wrong and how to get it back into play.

 

3. Once a coin is collected can it be send on a new journey?

Once a coin is logged into a member's Collection, it can only be "Discovered". For example, maybe it's part of a set, such as part of a Collection of a series of coins, with that one coin on loan to temporarily complete the set. Menu items are gone, part of the reason coin owners place their coin in their Collection. Usually the reason to place a coin in a "Collection" is to remove it from the Inventory lists. The coin owner's "Collection" is just a digital way to organize large numbers of coins.

 

4. If 3 is negative, can you keep it on it's journey instead of collecting it?

Coins in caches are almost always intended to continue traveling, being placed into caches. Check the coin's web page, and if it has logs about being placed into caches, it is intended to travel. In that case, definitely the coin owner should select "Not Collectible" or this issue will happen again.

 

5. What are the origins of coins? How and why can they be released?

People design and make Geocoins at great expense. Often a nice Geocoin is presented in person to a lucky recipient and is kept, unactivated, or is purchased new from a shop (the common way to get a Geocoin). But some daring coin owners place one into the wilds, and it travels until someone decides they will keep it . Yet it remains the property of the coin owner, is serialized and by definition Trackable to that owner.

 

A new coin may be activated, setting up ownership, then a Drop log is made after it's placed into a cache. At that point, it's a traveler.

Edited September 13, 2014 by kunarion