Geocoins protocol?

weegiegrum · Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:51 am Post subject: Geocoins protocol?

I'm still very new at this, and have just found my first geocoin and I'm not sure of the best thing to do with it. I have been searching though the groundspeak forums and on here, but I still have a couple of questions that I hope someone can help me with.

1. I'm not entirely clear on the difference between a geocoin and a travelbug or other trackable item. It seems to me like they are pretty similar, except that geocoins are more collectable and so tend to go AWOL more often. Is that a fair assessment?

2. Is it OK to take a geocoin and not leave something in return? The one I found has a mission statement to travel around the UK. I'm going to be travelling about the place over the coming month, so I took the coin to help it on its travels; but as I'm new to geocaching I didn't have another coin to leave in it's place. Should I have left it alone? Should I have left something else?

3. This particular coin wants to be first to visit all the counties in the UK. I could[/i] keep it with me, take it to at least five different counties and send a photo back to the owner as proof of its visit, but would that be considered selfishly bad form? Should I just drop it off in another cache ASAP?

4. If a coin or travelbug is listed in a cache inventory but is missing and not logged on the website, should you log a note to that effect? (I did, but not sure if that is the norm).
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weegiegrum

Scotsbob · Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 1:52 pm Post subject:

1 - yes a fair assessment
2 - take it and move it you won't always have an exchange coin or bug you can also leave it if it has a mission statement that you can't help with (take a note of it's number so you can still log it as discovered.
3 - Drop it of ASAP is probably the best answer
4 - if you suspect it may just have been lifted by another cacher recently they might not have been able to log it yet (foreign visitors etc) otherwise post a note in your log

Hope this helps.
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HighlandNick · Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:11 pm Post subject:

I agree with SB except for no 3. I think its entirely appropriate to take it on a trip with you - if it is in the near future. Why don't you email the owner and ask?

Enjoy!

Haggis Hunter · Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 9:17 am Post subject:

On question 2, don't drop off any trackable in a cache and take something out of the cache in place of it. This doesn't include other trackables but things that are left in there for swaps to take place.

For example I have the following message on all of my caches that are large enough to hold swaps in - Travel Bugs are the property of the person who has released them. Therefore I do not count them as a swap item.
Please DO NOT take an item in exchange for any Travel Bugs that you may wish to leave in this cache.

Question 3, I agree with Bob, but it doesn't do any harm to ask the owner if they would like you to take their trackable on a tour.
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weegiegrum · Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 5:47 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the tips, guys. I emailed the owner as suggested and he is happy for the coin to go a-touring for a bit, so that's what I'm doing. Dipping it into caches and posting pictures of it along the way of course.

HighlandNick, I'll be up in your area next week. I'm looking forward to doing your Ness bridges multi if I get time! Very Happy

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weegiegrum

HighlandNick · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 2:47 pm Post subject: