eBay expanding the Coins and Paper Currency Categories...

[gedis3]

Not sure of the all the details, was just this blurb in the press release yesterday:

 

<snip>

COINS & PAPER MONEY

We're expanding the US Coins and World Coins sections, increasing visibility for Canadian Coins, and adding a Geocoins category.

<snip>

 

They usually give more details once they get closer to the actual update, so this is just a heads up to those of you that buy and sell on the 'Bay... changes go into effect sometime in mid-April.

[Zoins]

Whee! Here's my R6 (mintage 25) Big Rock Meteorite Geocoin. Those rock bits are supposedly about 4.5 billion years old, roughly the age of the earth.

 

 

I really need to get some dedicated lights for my photos. I have some grayside stuff too but they all have mirrored fields and I have no way to eliminate the camera reflection yet ... so no pics atm.

[gedis3]

That is super cool -- I was wondering what a Geocoin was... now I know, thanks for posting it.

[TomB]

I have heard of geocoins, but still don't quite grasp what they are, could someone please elaborate?

[DC Dawg]

Here's the description from Wikipedia:

A Geocoin is a token used in geocaching. They can be used for one of several purposes.

They can be a signature item used by geocachers, left in geocaches to be found by others and kept as trophies or traded. Geocoins are often minted with the name of their state or country of origin, or with a given geocacher's name or handle. They can also be imprinted with unique codes and used in a similar way as Travel Bugs, where they can be left in geocaches to be moved to other geocaches and then tracked via a geocaching website. Many coins also have a unique icon shown on the geocaching website beside a cache the coin is in. Some geocoins may stay with their owners and travel with them from cache to cache. Due to the fact that many geocoins have unique icons, many people bring such geocoins to geocaching events so that others may see the coins and then collect the icons as part of their stats.

 

And just so that we understand, here is the Wikipedia definition of geocaching:

Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook and "treasure," usually toys or trinkets of little monetary value.

 

I hope that helps.

 

Scott

[TomB]

Thanks, that helps quite a bit. I may understand the theory better, but I guess it does not resonate within me to pursue the idea.

[bsshog40]

I have a Garmin and it has this game of geo cache. I guess that's what this would be??? I never opened it to see what it did.

[Zoins]

The information from Wikipedia is pretty good. Geocoins are specifically for the geocaching community right now. Generally you have to be interested in geocaching to care about geocoins.

 

Geocaching basically involves using your GPS and instructions (like a treasure map) to locate a cache (basically a container of some type) like following a map to X marks the spot. Originally, outdoor enthusiasts used GPS units primarily for activities like mountaineering and sea kayaking where they were better than compasses when navigating in low visibility conditions. However, those activities are not good for learning how to use a GPS. Geocaching started as an activity to learn how to use a GPS receiver but has turned into an activity in its own right.

 

Similar to how the excitement some people get from coin collecting can be difficult to explain to outsiders, the excitement some people get from geocoins can be difficult to explain to outsiders. If you're not interested in geocaching, it might be easier to leave geocoins as a curiosity because to understand them, you have to get into the psychology of geocachers. I can explain it more but will only do it if requested because it gets into what motivates people and collecting geocoins is not like the typical accumulation exercise with most collecting.

 

I actually think geocoins may become an obstacle to attracting YNs because my view is that geocoins are the MySpace of metal rounds (coins/tokens/medals) which probably only makes sense if you understand the phenomena behind MySpace. Geocoins are limited to geocachers but people of all ages are doing it and certain Boy Scouts Troops even do geocaching and issue their own geocoins now.

 

If anyone has questions or would like more info, please ask.

[Zoins]

I just thought of one reason that can be easy to explain. Coin collectors like to think about the life a coin had and indeed that is one big reason for the desire for original coins. However, except for very specific, pedigreed coins, the life of the average coin involves a lot of speculation. One type of geocoin is called a "trackable geocoin" which is a fancy travel bug that let's people move and record locations where they have found the item.

 

Each trackable geocoin has a unique serial number that people log into a website, typically geocaching.com. Let's say I get a trackable geocoin and put it into the wild, I do this by activating it on the website using the serial number and putting it in a cache. When someone finds that cache and my trackable geocoin, they take it home with them and log into the website to see if it's been activated. If the geocoin has been activated, it is considered property of the person who activated on the website and the person's task is log the location of the find and to place it in another cache, thus moving the geocoin. If the trackable geocoin is not activated, it is considered a gift for the geocacher and they get to keep it. By tracking GPS cache locations on a website, many people can be involved with handling and moving the trackable geocoin. When you log into the website, you get to see everywhere it's been and who's handled it. Some geocoins have literally moved thousands of miles over multiple continents. There are even geocoin competitions to see who's geocoin has traveled the farthest over a given amount of time. Some geocoins are stolen and there are also some that remain in a geocacher's possession for months before they are placed into the wild again (to the chagrin of many owners), however for the most part the honor system works well and people get to see where their items go.

 

So while many coin collectors imagine the story of a coin they own, geocachers get a very detailed history of where their geocoin has been, how far it has traveled on what dates and who in the geocaching community has encountered it. This can be more meaningful when the geocachers that find it are your friends in far flung areas.

 

The Big Rock geocoin above isn't a trackable geocoin so it does not have a serial number, it's considered a "reward geocoin." The following trackable geocoin was issued for a UK geocaching competition and you can see the serial number on the left side under the ammo box starting with WL. I've edited out the remaining part of the serial number. Notice under the serial number it says "Track on geocaching.com". The yellow one below was gifted to volunteers who staffed the event and I've heard 50 were made. There were red ones sold in the US, blue ones sold in Europe and green ones only sold at the event.

[gedis3]

Cool info, zoins -- thanks for elaborating...

 

I've been meaning to get a GPS to help track my metal detecting finds, sounds like I have another reason to get one.