Just a thought, but as a keen Geocacher myself (and I’m pretty certain quite a few activators/chasers are too!) I wondered if there has ever been a thought to having a SOTA Geocoin produced?? The Logo would look great on one and would be a worthy addition to the line of SOTA merchandise. Many Geocachers are coin collectors, so I’m sure it would sell well.
My apologies if there has been one in the past and I’ve missed it!
73
Jonathan
M6HBS
In reply to M6HBS:
Many Geocachers are coin collectors
So that is why my Geocoins keep going missing!
I looked in to it in the past for an on line game I was involved with (we wanted our own Doubloons) and they worked out insanely expensive unless you ordered thousands. In the end we got our Doubloons because the US developers thought it was a good idea and funded the minting of tens of thousands.
I think if you could get them made cheaply enough there would a market but I am guessing you would have to self fund and it might take a few years to get your money back. I would certainly have some off you.
Steve GW7AAV
So that is why my Geocoins keep going missing!
Yes, I know that feeling Steve after having a few go walkies myself. I don’t put them into caches anymore, just occasionally buy ones I like the look of that, strangely, aren’t themed with Geocaching.
I would imagine that with the popularity Geocaching now there must be cheaper ways to get them produced and in smaller production runs. The popular ‘Sidetracked’ series of caches has a coin to go with it and I have several coins that are limited in their production numbers and are produced by small groups. The Severn Valley Railway appeal of several years ago being one example.
It was just a thought that as there are several items of SOTA merchandise about such as the flags, it might be an idea to look into having Geocoins produced. As always, cost would be the deciding factor though.
73
Jonathan
M6HBS
In reply to M6HBS:
I would’nt like to spend £5 / £9 on a coin only for it to go a miss, how many caches have been muggled, how many travel bugs and coins gone missing, im still into geocaching but after losing a handful in a month, all the newbies are coming into the game and not thinking what to do just take everything, i was talking to deceangi the other day who said a farmers son took a cache, whats happening in this world
In reply to M0SGB:
I am not into outdoor hunt the slipper myself, but I have found a few caches by accident, and I left them as I found them. However, it is nothing new that if you leave stuff lying about it is likely to vanish, so why put expensive stuff in a cache? You could always leave chocolate money as a reward for the finder!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
From geocaching.com :-
“Food items are always a bad idea. Animals have better noses than humans, and in some cases caches have been chewed through and destroyed because food items (or items that smell like food) are in the cache. Even the presence of mint flavored dental floss has led to destruction of one cache.”
In reply to G8ADD:
You could always leave chocolate money as a reward for the finder!
under rules and regulations;
Cache Contents
Use your common sense in most cases. Explosives, fireworks, ammo, lighters, knives (including pocket knives and multi-tools), drugs, alcohol or other illicit material shouldn’t be placed in a cache. As always respect the local laws. Geocaching is a family activity and cache contents should be suitable for all ages.
Food items are always a bad idea. Animals have better noses than humans, and in some cases caches have been chewed through and destroyed because food items (or items that smell like food) are in the cache. Even the presence of mint flavored dental floss has led to destruction of one cache.
taken from http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.
Steve m0sgb
In reply to M0SGB:
I would’nt like to spend £5 / £9 on a coin only for it to go a miss,
how many caches have been muggled, how many travel bugs and coins gone
missing, im still into geocaching but after losing a handful in a
month, all the newbies are coming into the game and not thinking what
to do just take everything, i was talking to deceangi the other day
who said a farmers son took a cache, whats happening in this world
I think Geocoins are becoming more of a collectors item now rather than something to put into caches, although that defeats the original idea of them. You are right though about newbies coming in and not abiding by the rules. I picked up 3 TB’s yesterday from 2 caches which hadn’t been logged in those or out of their previous caches for over 3 months. I replaced one of my own caches yesterday too, the previous one having been stolen. A common problem round here now, with ‘serial removal’ of caches becoming a pastime for some spoilsports.
As I said earlier, just a suggestion though!
73
Jonathan
M6HBS
In reply to G1INK:
Now if there was chocolate to be found in geocaches then I think I’d be very interested in searching for them! Actually it makes sense not to put food in them. We had some mice eat through 2 separate polythene storage crates (one inside the other) to get at the bird feed stored in the shed. I was impressed to see how much plastic had been eaten away, and with 10kg of bird seed to eat, the mice lived like kings… until my little nipper got them!
I had a look at some of the sites that make geocoins. They did seem expensive for what was a die stamped bit of metal. But one also did custom poker chips which were very much cheaper. A plastic poker chip with a logo on it might be a better idea as they work out cheap, don’t smell like chocolate and you would not be too upset if they went walkies.
I’m off to day dream about finding chocolate on mountains…
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to M6HBS:
I thought the point of the geocoins and other trackables was that they visted other caches so many people can also enjoy them. I didnt realise some people add them to their personal coin collection. One coin i picked up had a goal of going abroad, so i duly dropped it off at inverness airport cache, only for me to find it a month later in fort william. I know of at least 2 combined sota/geocaching summits up here, im sure there are many many more. But if some more interest is needed for a sota coin i would certinley have a few also!!
Adrian
MM0TAI
In reply to MM0TAI:
In reply to M6HBS:
I thought the point of the geocoins and other trackables was that they
visted other caches so many people can also enjoy them. I didnt
realise some people add them to their personal coin collection.
Yes that certainly was the original idea Adrian and many still do put them in caches and are lucky to have them travel for many miles & years. Theft of caches & contents is taking it’s toll now though and I don’t put them in any more, but just get the odd one now and again out of interest. For instance, I have one which is commemorative of a U-boat sunk during WWII. Interesting and unusual for a Geocoin. Then there are always events to take them along too…
73
Jonathan
M6HBS
In reply to M6HBS:
I went to the first mega event at ripon 2008, and could not understand how someone could walk around all day with a folder showing off geocoins, yes its ok to discover them, but when are other cachers going to have the chance to see the coins, and like i said before i wont spend money on a coin only to go missing in a few weeks after setting it on a mission, but if you do get one up and running i wish you luck,
Steve m0sgb alias m0sgb in caching
In reply to M6HBS:
A bit of crowning glory; i was the person to complete the skeg-to-ness caches 295 in two days,
Steve m0sgb
In reply to M0SGB:
Hi Steve
I must admit, I rarely take mine to events now. I just buy them now and again for my own pleasure if I see one I like. I’d buy a SOTA one if there were one just because I enjoy SOTA & Geocaching, as a kind of souvenir type thing. It’s a shame that they are likely to go missing if left in a cache, unfortunately that’s just a sad fact of how things are these days and I fully understand your reasoning.
Jonathan
M6HBS (WimpyT2560 in caching)
I very briefly tried geocaching a few years ago. I enjoyed the walking, but the bit at the end where you rummage around in undergrowth and nettles to find someone else’s litter was soul destroying. I quickly gave it up!
Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
Finding one in a drystone wall (demolished by searchers) and another one with drugs in rather put me off. However, we did enjoy looking for one last weekend - and the Satmap does make it rather more fun.
73
Richard
G3CWI
In reply to M6HBS:
Just a thought, but as a keen Geocacher myself (and I’m pretty certain
quite a few activators/chasers are too!) I wondered if there has ever
been a thought to having a SOTA Geocoin produced?? The Logo would look
great on one and would be a worthy addition to the line of SOTA
merchandise. Many Geocachers are coin collectors, so I’m sure it would
sell well.
I have been looking into various forms of SOTA merchandise and one that was considered was a hard enamelled badge say 20 to 25mm square. Would this be suitable?
Probable cost would be around £2.50 depending on quantities bought.
Obviously SOTA has to fund this from award sales so we cannot be too ambitious as there are other demands (such as trophies) on these limited funds.
Barry GM4TOE
SOTA Awards Manager
In reply to GM4TOE:
Morning Barry, a badge sound a better option to me as it could appeal to the non geocachers as well as those that do.
So that said I’d express an intrest in buying some if the become available.
Thanks
Adrian
Mm0tai
In reply to GM4TOE:
Someone had some enamelled badges made in the deep, dark, distant past. I have one somewhere, it got lost when my fleece went through the wash and I could not remember where I put it for safe keeping. I would be in the market for another couple, also my car stickers have seen better days so I would like some new ones.
Just a thought.