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2014 Alaska Geocoins Now Available Online


Ladybug Kids

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For the tenth consecutive year, Alaska offers a state geocoin for sale to geocoin fans via online sales.

 

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The geocoins are 38 mm in diameter, 4 mm thick, and feature a multi-color hard enamel obverse and a deep 3D reverse. The geocoins are trackable on geocaching.com and have a matching custom icon. 2014GCAKCoinIcon32.gif2014GCAKCoinIcon16.gif

 

The concept for the obverse of the 2014 Alaska geocoin was drafted by GeocacheAlaska!'s own Joel Vos (NeverSummer) in Homer, Alaska, during the 2014 pathtag design contest. The contest theme was Birds of Alaska. This design was not submitted as a pathtag design, but as an original in-house design for a geocoin. The fundraising committee, headed up by SSO JOAT, took the original pencil-sketch design and worked it into a mint-ready geocoin design.

 

The Spectacled Eider is a striking bird that brings people from around the world to see it in our great state of Alaska. The entirety of the world's population of Spectacled Eiders calls Alaska "Home" for the winter. They spend from 9-12 months a year at sea, only coming to shore to nest and breed. From 1952 to 1993, there has been a 96% decline in numbers in the Yukon Delta region alone. So, in 1993, the Spectacled Eider was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and critical habitat was designated throughout the species North American range. Threats to eiders at breeding areas include ingestion of contaminants, particularly lead from hunters' expended lead shot, and predators.

 

GPS is what helped discover the Spectacled Eiders in the winter! Until GPS receivers were attached to them, nobody knew where they went after departing their nesting grounds. Now that research continues to learn more about their lives, migration, and habitat, we can bring attention to this beautiful bird in Alaska as we Geocachers all recreate responsibly in the outdoors.

 

The reverse of the coin is based upon the design used for the Alaskan geocoins produced in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. It features a Sourdough cacher using a modern GPS to locate his traditional food cache in the shadow of Denali (Mt. McKinley), the tallest peak in North America with an elevation of 20,320 feet (6195 m).

 

150 of each of the satin gold and satin silver geocoins were minted. The geocoins cost $12 each plus shipping and handling with discounts available for sets.

 

Edited by Ladybug Kids
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