Geocoin vs Travel Bug?

[The Gaggle]

Aside form the obvious physical differnces and the fact that you can attach things to TBs are there any practical differences between Geocoins and Travel bugs?

Maybe a daft question but its been bugging me :p ............. sorry couldn't help it!

[Bear and Ragged]

Geocoins are 'nice and shiny' and sometimes get stuck in people's pockets, never to be seen again... :(

TB's are cheaper, and are not such a wrench when they go missing in action.

Neither should be released into the wild if you have even the slightest sentimental attachment to them.

(But don't let that stop you from releasing them! :lol:)

And.
Welcome to the forums! :)

[The Gaggle]

Thanks for the answer

Released my first one today :)

https://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?guid=57da9eea-28a1-4091-89e0-3f5f4862bc1a

:cheers:

[Bear and Ragged]

Nice one!

Keep an eye on photographs that get posted, to make sure they don't show the trackable number. If the number gets posted online (usually in a photo, but sometimes someone will post it in a log) it can be used to 'remove' the traveller to somewhere it isn't... :()

[The Gaggle]

top tip .... will do :)

[pitkin2020]

Thought I would add a few questions here rather than a new topic about geocoins.

With the coins are people just buying them to collect them or are all of them for release like a TB??

If you release the coin into a cache there a possibility it'll ever come back or close enough to retrieve and keep again, I guess its more luck than anything if it does come close again.

Can you have a coin you just keep for yourself but use it for visiting caches (dipping it in i think I have seen it called lol), using it as sort of milestone marker??

Can you get your own coin made??

If you find a coin in a cache what are you supposed to do with it, leave it, move it on, keep it??

Sorry for whats probably dumb questions but i'm still getting my head around all the TB and geocoins stuff lol

[Bear and Ragged]

With the coins are people just buying them to collect them or are all of them for release like a TB??
Both.

If you release the coin into a cache there a possibility it'll ever come back or close enough to retrieve and keep again, I guess its more luck than anything if it does come close again.
You could release a coin (and TB's) with a 'Mission Statement' -preferably attached to the traveler- and ask that the Coin/TB doesn't leave the UK (Or whatever you wanted!)

Can you have a coin you just keep for yourself but use it for visiting caches (dipping it in i think I have seen it called lol), using it as sort of milestone marker??
Yes. Check out the UK Caching Mileage 2011 (just for fun) (https://www.gagb.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=3796) page

Can you get your own coin made??
Yes. But. It can be very expensive... (A cheap way is to make a coin, and use a TB trackable number to track it) Doesn't get a 'nice icon' though, only a TB icon.

If you find a coin in a cache what are you supposed to do with it, leave it, move it on, keep it??
It's a traveler, keep it moving, preferably in line with it's mission!
And you don't need to swap/exchange swag for travelers. Coins and TB's are not part of that process.

There is a Geocoin thread over in the Groundspeak forums. Info on getting coins made is there, and cachers selling coins. I take NO RESPONSIBILITY if you end up buying any coins while you are there! :ohmy:

[pitkin2020]

Thanks for the info that has been really helpful. I have been reading a few threads on the GC forum but find that forum just likes to argue for the sake of arguing lol. I think I may get myself a coin just for keeping track of my own mileage it would be interesting to see. :socool:

[Mrs Blorenge]

Just a few more comments...




With the coins are people just buying them to collect them or are all of them for release like a TB??
You can do either/or/or a bit of both. Some people buy two of each coin they like - one to keep, one to release. But it gets expensive that way.

If you release the coin into a cache there a possibility it'll ever come back or close enough to retrieve and keep again, I guess its more luck than anything if it does come close again. With all the geocoins I've released, I've only come across one of "our" geocoins in a cache perhaps 10 times. If you want one of your travelling geocoins back you can always contact the cacher who has it "in their hands" and ask them to post it back to you if you send them a pre-paid envelope.

Can you have a coin you just keep for yourself but use it for visiting caches (dipping it in i think I have seen it called lol), using it as sort of milestone marker?? Yes, many cachers do this. If you decide to do it then you can allow the geocoin to "visit" caches you've previously found if you want to start from the beginning. Just make it clear in a Note log, dated the same as when you originally found the cache. Put something like "A visit for my personal tracker geocoin to record my mileage."

Can you get your own coin made?? Yes. But as B&R says, it's very expensive - a minimum cost of about £900 last time I looked at the figures for trackable geocoins.

If you find a coin in a cache what are you supposed to do with it, leave it, move it on, keep it?? (Nearly) all the geocoins you find in caches will be activated geocoins belonging to other geocachers. They have been released to travel so that other cachers can have the fun of finding them. Retrieve them, log them, move them into another cache within 3 weeks if possible. Very, very occasionally you may find an unactivated geocoin left by a generous cacher as an extra good bit of swag - if you want to take it you should leave an excellent bit of swag in return (remember most geocoins cost at least £7). Sometimes an unactivated geocoin is left in a brand new cache as a FTF prize - in this case, it's a prize, so you don't need to swap anything for it.

[Slightly Tall Paul]

Can you get your own coin made?? Yes. But as B&R says, it's very expensive - a minimum cost of about £900 last time I looked at the figures for trackable geocoins.


Alternatively, try Pathtags (http://www.pathtags.com). They're a similar size to trolley tokens and you can design your own and have 50 made up and delivered for less than £100. Only downside; they're not trackable at GC.com, unless you attach one (or more!) to a Travel Bug tag.

[Jacaru]

I have 100 coins at a time made to sell on. However, there is a place where you can get a coin made that you design yourself. I have just had a couple made for personal mileage and am going to have another couple made as prizes for a race that I am organising. Here is a link to the place.
http://www.mypersonalgeocoin.de/
Fast service too, from me emailing the design until getting it through my letterbox took 7 days.


http://http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xni5qbf6Vms/Tf9s5ymLNFI/AAAAAAAAASU/1_TQ_EfGl8o/s1600/14.jpg

[DrDick&Vick]

Idea of cost Daryl?

[Jacaru]

Yep, I paid just over 14 euros for each coin.

[Tek_Kaz]

I have 100 coins at a time made to sell on. However, there is a place where you can get a coin made that you design yourself. I have just had a couple made for personal mileage and am going to have another couple made as prizes for a race that I am organising. Here is a link to the place.
http://www.mypersonalgeocoin.de/
Fast service too, from me emailing the design until getting it through my letterbox took 7 days.


http://http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xni5qbf6Vms/Tf9s5ymLNFI/AAAAAAAAASU/1_TQ_EfGl8o/s1600/14.jpg

Just used http://www.mypersonalgeocoin.de/ to make a coin for myself and have found them to be excellent in service and quality of product. The order arrived within 6-7 days as promised with good tracking emails on the state of order throughout.

Thanks to Jacaru for letting me know about this and I would certainly recommend them to others. :applause: