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Geocoins


The_Traveling_Bear

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Hi, sorry, I'm relatively new to all of this, but for Christmas I received several geocoins that someone had order from online. I'm a little foggy on the details of what to do with the ones I now have. Do I keep them? Do I drop them at geocaches? What will happen to them if I do? Do they travel from cache to cache like travel bugs do? What is the difference between a geocoin and a travel bug?

 

I'm so confused

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They're yours. You can keep them and just collect, or send them out to (hopefully) travel cache-to-cache. :)

Once the trackable leaves your hands, you have no control (really) what happens to them afterwards.

The only difference (besides cost) between TBs and geocoins is geocoins are shiny, and kinda look like money.

- Often the reason some send out a geocoin "proxy" instead of the original (google geocoin proxy).

There's some info on trackables Here, in the Help Center.

Used to be able to be a bit more subject-specific, but after the help center changed to the new format, I have a tough time figuring what's where. :)

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If you like your Geocoin gifts, you may keep them. You don't even have to “activate” them if you keep them and won't bring them to Events for other cachers to “discover”. You may more easily sell or trade your unactivated cool Geocoins at some time in the future.

 

It's unlikely that you'll ever get a Geocoin back, after placing it into the wilds. So be sure you don't mind the drama and suspense, because you have no control once you place it. It's in the wind. You place it for the fun of seeing how far it goes. You also have the option of placing a “Proxy” instead, a copy in some form that travels like a stunt double, while you have the real one safely at home. You could use the Tracking Number as a decal on a car or a patch on a backpack, and keep the coin to show when people want to "Discover" it. You also can drill a hole in a coin and attach it to an item just like a like TB, if you like.

 

And one difference between Geocoins and TBs is that people who log Geocoins get a new icon in their log list. Many cachers prefer to find the real Geocoin, not a Proxy, and they get bothered when the coin's page doesn't mention that it is a Proxy. A TB doesn't really have “Proxies”, all of its replacements are the TB. And I suppose it's because of that icon. All TB icons are the same “The Travel Bug Barcode Bug” icon.

 

I've placed Travel Bugs with various attachments and some more securely attached than others. I've placed coins that I thought were very cool, and some that were kind of ugly. I hand-scribed my Geo-nick onto the coin. And I placed some with extra important info on a laminated card, some without. And there seemed to be no pattern to which kept going for a long time, and which vanished. Of many I placed, only a few remain in play. Once in a while, one that I thought was lost for sure, pops up, then is gone again. You never know.

Edited by kunarion
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Seems to me you can do what you want with them. You can keep them for collecting purposes. You can activate them and see where they go. You can trade them with other geocachers, give them out as gifts to geocaching friends. Sell them..ect.

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They're yours. You can keep them and just collect, or send them out to (hopefully) travel cache-to-cache. :)

Once the trackable leaves your hands, you have no control (really) what happens to them afterwards.

The only difference (besides cost) between TBs and geocoins is geocoins are shiny, and kinda look like money.

- Often the reason some send out a geocoin "proxy" instead of the original (google geocoin proxy).

There's some info on trackables Here, in the Help Center.

Used to be able to be a bit more subject-specific, but after the help center changed to the new format, I have a tough time figuring what's where. :)

 

Okay, thank you!

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If you like your Geocoin gifts, you may keep them. You don't even have to “activate” them if you keep them and won't bring them to Events for other cachers to “discover”. You may more easily sell or trade your unactivated cool Geocoins at some time in the future.

 

It's unlikely that you'll ever get a Geocoin back, after placing it into the wilds. So be sure you don't mind the drama and suspense, because you have no control once you place it. It's in the wind. You place it for the fun of seeing how far it goes. You also have the option of placing a “Proxy” instead, a copy in some form that travels like a stunt double, while you have the real one safely at home. You could use the Tracking Number as a decal on a car or a patch on a backpack, and keep the coin to show when people want to "Discover" it. You also can drill a hole in a coin and attach it to an item just like a like TB, if you like.

 

And one difference between Geocoins and TBs is that people who log Geocoins get a new icon in their log list. Many cachers prefer to find the real Geocoin, not a Proxy, and they get bothered when the coin's page doesn't mention that it is a Proxy. A TB doesn't really have “Proxies”, all of its replacements are the TB. And I suppose it's because of that icon. All TB icons are the same “The Travel Bug Barcode Bug” icon.

 

I've placed Travel Bugs with various attachments and some more securely attached than others. I've placed coins that I thought were very cool, and some that were kind of ugly. I hand-scribed my Geo-nick onto the coin. And I placed some with extra important info on a laminated card, some without. And there seemed to be no pattern to which kept going for a long time, and which vanished. Of many I placed, only a few remain in play. Once in a while, one that I thought was lost for sure, pops up, then is gone again. You never know.

 

This makes so much more sense than what I was finding, thank you

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