Missing Trackable Rant

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 6:33 pm

Northwoods Tom wrote:

zuma wrote:

Sometimes coins gone for years will reappear.

I know you have been a member for a long time, so I'll ask. What has been the longest period of time so far that a coin has been missing before it showed up again?

The geocaching podcast (www.podcacher.com) has been talking about these on the last few shows. A number of listeners have contributed and a few have interesting stories.

Just this last week one was found by a treasure hunter with his metal detector and they did some research to figure out what it was all about and got it returned. I think this one was missing for about a year.

Here's one they had on show 385 a few weeks ago that was MIA for 6 years. http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?tracker=TB405D

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:36 pm

We've put out 34 trackables over the past few years - 12 are still active. About 50% geocoins and 50% TBs. Although it's disappointing when they go missing, my expectation is actually that most WILL go missing. Those that are still moving are a great pleasure to follow and make it all worth it, and once in a while one pops back up after being inactive for 6 months to a year+. We will continue to put them into play in hopes that a lucky few will continue on. For me that's a realistic expectation.

A new strategy we'll likely be adopting in the future is to use less desireable objects for travelbugs so that people hopefully won't want to keep the objects. If I attach Batman to a TB dogtag it almost certainly will disappear. However if I attach a thimble, a skeleton key, or any routine household item I'm guessing that it will have a better chance of surviving. With coins I'll just put them into a double-fold plastic sleeve with the other half stating PLEASE DON'T KEEP ME and explaining what a geocoin is. Whatever then happens, happens. Cool

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 11:48 am

I had a thread in the Geocoin forum a while back about two of my geocoins that suddenly reappeared after having disappeared for several years...I still have a number that appear to have permanently gone AWOL. But...you never know!!!
Bartrod

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 2:57 pm

I just redid "The Lock Box". Released 2 new keys. "The Key #1" and "The Key #2". I posted pics with the entries. now i'm being flooded by people logging that they "Discovered in the gallery". What is this? they discovered a picture of my tb? I don't like it. When did this start? i haven't even released 1 yet.

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:16 pm

peach107 wrote:

I just redid "The Lock Box". Released 2 new keys. "The Key #1" and "The Key #2". I posted pics with the entries. now i'm being flooded by people logging that they "Discovered in the gallery". What is this? they discovered a picture of my tb? I don't like it. When did this start? i haven't even released 1 yet.

anytime the actual tracking number is displayed on a photo anywhere instead of the Reference number, you run the risk of people logging discoveries.
this virtual logging happens a lot though it is against Groundspeak rules and can actually result in the trackable being locked so that even legitimate finds are denied. All virtual logs should be deleted and tracking numbers obscured in photos. in your Cache listing you also included the tracking number instead of the reference number.

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 6:41 am

thanks. i'll have to fix that

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 6:10 pm

I delete all bogus finds on our trackables, sometimes I really wish things could not be discovered, or you could turn off discovery on certain trackables

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 6:58 pm

Northwoods Tom wrote:

zuma wrote:

Sometimes coins gone for years will reappear.

I know you have been a member for a long time, so I'll ask. What has been the longest period of time so far that a coin has been missing before it showed up again?

Here is one of my coins that went missing in 2007, only to reappear in 2012:

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?tracker=TB1HEG3

z

WGA Member Joined: 2010-11-11 Posts: 98

We have a confession to make. Our first attempt at moving a geocoin ended in disaster. We tryed to log it and we couldn't. My wife took it anyway. We dropped it off in a cache with the hope the next finder can fix it. We have since learned from that mistake and now have our own TBs out. Right now one of ours is in Nevada and not moving but being discovered. The rest are in stand still for the longest while.