Virtual Geocoin

[Pilot J]

Out hiking and caching with WVAngler yesterday we came across a virtual geocoin. The owner had copied (in color) the front and back of the coin (actually looked pretty good) and copied the mission and they included a note that the original coin was in the owners private collection and the card was being circulated for cachers to retrieve and move. They put the coin pictures on one side and the mission on the back and laminated the thing. It ended up being 4 x 2 1/4 inches, a little larger than a business card.

Sure would take the pain out of losing a nice coin. Wondering what the general opinoin of this is in the dedicated caching community?

[scoutingwv]

Opinions really vary on this. Personally, I have no problem with it. If people would stop stealing them, more real coins would probably be released. I just think people should make it very clear in the title and description of the coin that it is a copy.

[IanMelFitz]

I'm seriously considering doing it to a coin I'm going to turn loose. Too many coins have gone missing around here.

Enter 26301 on the front page of geocaching.com, and as of tonight :
3 of 4 coins on page 1 are missing. (I was there when the "Time" coin was dropped in CB or Mt clare)
5 of 5 coins on page 2 are missing.

I think the coins on page 3 are both there, I hope the geocoin in Hope Springs Eternal doesn't get stolen, it is pretty cool. I'm thinking I should have taken it far away from here and dropped it.

[Aquacache]

As SWV mentioned, opinions vary on the subject. I believe that people are free to do whatever the wish with their coins. However, I don't bother with the "virtual" ones ... I usually post a note and "virtually retrieve" them.

[IanMelFitz]

I have yet to decide what I'm going to do with the IFRM coin I have. I may end up drilling a hole in it to "devalue" it. Thats what gets me, how valuable are they really??? Sure they cost 5 - 15 dollars for most coins, but they're basically worthless. How much gratification does one really get by stealing monetarily worthless coins from geocaches?

I've got a replica coin I picked up in my inventory right now and I have to say I'm unimpressed with it. - TB116J7 - There's a picture there but it looks better in the picture than it really is.

[scoutingwv]

As SWV mentioned, opinions vary on the subject. I believe that people are free to do whatever the wish with their coins. However, I don't bother with the "virtual" ones ... I usually post a note and "virtually retrieve" them.

Yep - that's why I think they should clearly mark them in the title and description as copies. Some people enjoy moving trackables and want to see and feel the actual coins. I think it's only fair to let them know it's a copy so they don't make a trip to see soemthing new and different to them only to find out it really isn't there.

But again - I think if they weren't stolen so much, the real coins would be found far more often. There have been a large number that have disappeared from caches in the north central part of the state and I won't release any more here. If at all possible, I'll move coins out of the area to other caches.

[Pilot J]

There was no way to confuse this virtual geocoin with the real thing. Front and Back of the coin are on one side of the card and the Mission on the other. I uploaded a picture of it - TBVX7P.

I liked the looks of the other one better tho, where they actually "made" a coin replica and then attached the mission.
I'm thinking it is pretty obvious, up close and personal, that it is not really the actual coin.

Even the $5 coins are an expense and meant to be shared. I'm kinda liking the idea in light of all the misappropriations, especially for the ones that you actually have to meet a challenge to earn the coin, such as the County Challenge or Dharma Initiative.

[scoutingwv]

I need to clarify what I'm thinking a little better ...

You're right - if you look at the picture posted of the coin, you can see it's a copy.

BUT

If you look at the cache page and see the trackables in the cache, that coin looks like any other. Some don't have pictures posted with them. In my opinion, the coin owner should put hte word COPY in the title of the coin and in the description. That way, when someone sees it in the cache, they can tell it's a copy before they make a trip. Kind of like PPro did with his shown here.

[Wintz]

I not really into the whole copy coin idea. Personally, I don't move or discover copies.

To each his own.

[scoutingwv]

<snip>To each his own.

Absolutely.