Geocoins - penny for your thoughts...

[grewar]

I wonder what other cachers out there think of using Australian pennies and half pennies in caches instead of very expensive geocoins?
I just scored 90 pennies from ebay and all up it cost me about $40-00..
I'd like to use them as geocoins - for finders to keep..

[Map Monkey]

How would we possibly log/track them

mm

[grewar]

I wasn't thinking about logging or tracking them...just giving them away as souvenirs in the cache...could track or log them by engraving on them...no longer legal tender...queen wouldn't care on the later pennies...king long gone and Edward abdicated on the earlier ones...

[Map Monkey]

That's ok.....they are just pre-decimal coins then, not geocoins as such

mm

[grewar]

Thats right..I'm new at this ..Is a geocoin ok to be kept and collected? I know it can be numbered and tracked if the owner wishes it to be. So, in the sense that the penny could be kept, I guess its not a geocoin because it was not made as such? I'm not sure on this.

[ZED!]

We have a team in WA who do just that, they drop a Penny in each geocache they visit.

As for your last question, a geocoin can be kept only if the person who left the geocoin explicitly says it is for collection (eg. an unactivated personal coin, or like 2 I have collected that were a First to Find prize)
Otherwise it is a Travel Bug and should be logged and moved to a new location preferably towards it's goal.

[Map Monkey]

Read the info in the Wikipedia on Geocoins amongst others.

My understanding is that "untrackable" geocoins are in the minority with those minted to use either as a cachers "trademark" swap or for private collections (never to see a cache location).

mm

[grewar]

I'm going back to WA to work in a few weeks..Thats exactly what I was going to do - drop a penny or two in each cache and use them as a FTF coin...Can't be bothered tracking them - prefer to give them away - kids would like them too

[Papa Bear_Left]

You need to realise that"Geocoin" is now a very specific term, not just a coin in a geocache!

I like the idea of these as swaps/signature items. Maybe you could put them in a little plastic bag with a printed card, just to make them more of a geo-item than just a coin?

[grewar]

good idea, I will polish them up and make them worthy of collection through good presentation for sure.

[If]

Have you thought about sending the pennies to the geocoin makers over in Australia's carbon credits partner... China
I'm sure they could somehow combine them into a trackable somehow. Might cost you though
Unless they would be interested in marketing them. I'm sure the American market would snap up a 'genuine' Aussie geocoin to swap, leave or steal

[grewar]

Good idea too. Knowing the stupid Australian government here I would be jailed for money laundering or the like. Its ok for big fellas like Blundstone to go overseas but the little man often gets done for being innovative...
I also have had a bit of trouble with Chinese market in Ebay so would have to be legitimate mob I reckon..

[The Ginger Loon]

The long and the short of it is that pre-decimal currency coins are still legal tender. The only cons that have been "de-monetised" are the Holey Dollar and the Dump. So therefore engraving or modifying pennies is illegal.

Check the Roal Australian Mint website FAQ.

I had a nice reply written up with links etc, but I couldn't post it due to a bug in the system.

[grewar]

Thanks for checking it out about legal tender, That settles it for me then, I will put polished pennies in caches as a FTF reward.
They will mean something to most people my age anyway....