Manitoba Geocaching Association

fallyn · Joined: 11 Oct 2010 Posts: 32

Hi

Well I am new here, in hopes I can get the answer I want (lol).

Today I went to check on 2 of my caches as people were saying they were having trouble finding them. Sure enough, they were gone, and thats no big deal as they can be replaced. What I can't replace is a Fiat 500 Mini Travel Slug.
http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?guid=8decf294-ff7d-474e-95b6-10b8bb38116c

I am truly saddened by this as it has traveled 11552.1mi, and having one of my own geocoins disappear from a cache, I am fearing this person must feel the way I do. I have contacted the person, stating that the cache is MIA.

Now my question is: Is it alright to hand make a TB to match the original tracking code, just as this dude did?
http://www.geocaching.com/track/log.aspx?luid=94a06523-5b09-4e8f-9e47-c7ab9238358d&IID=6939ad57-0c9c-46b6-ada6-66180b3311b3

Trove Chasers · Joined: 10 Sep 2007 Posts: 77

We are very familiar with the feeling you have when your GC or TB goes MIA, as we have several as well. I don't believe there are any rules about not making copies or facsimilies of coins when they go missing. We have made several and we have also picked up a few along the way. Go ahead and make your copy and get it back out cachin!

fallyn · Joined: 11 Oct 2010 Posts: 32

Oh thats good news. I have been in contact with the original owner of the TB and they seem quite thankful that I am willing to do this for them.

I have also discovered that this form of coin/TB is called a "proxy" through geocaching.com and is acceptable as long as an effort is made in reproducing the coin/TB and also has a laminated photo of the original.

Guess that means, off to the workshop to create a car? Shocked

Thanks for the fast reply!

MHz · Joined: 20 Apr 2005 Posts: 287 Location: Morris

I do this all the time as I have over 40+ trackables circulating out there. I look at this way:

I bought the TB tag or geocoin so that tracking number is mine.

After one of mine goes missing, I will replace it using the copy of the TB tag or making up a new tag in the case of I've already released the copy or it's a geocoin that's gone missing. However, unless I'm absolutely sure the trackable is missing, I will wait up to a year before I release a replacement. After all some newer cachers could have moved it and didn't know how to log it etc. Some I know are for sure gone for various reasons.

I've made tags from engravable dog tags or bought a tag(s) online. I always attach something to the new tags but sometimes it not easy to recreate the old tracbale/geocoin so I change the mission and TB pic to accomodate the new item with the old code.

It's your tracking number, so you should use it.

I've even found a TB dog tag in a cache with nothing attached to it. For those I attach something and post a pic to the TB page. No one has ever complained about that yet!

I've also had a cache go missing with a TB in it. I did offer to replace the trackable and get it going again but never heard back from the TB owner so just marked it as missing. It's their tracking number so it's up to them what they want to do with them in that case.

it's always sad when one goes missing but I release geocoins and TB's expecting this will happen and just replace them.

fallyn · Joined: 11 Oct 2010 Posts: 32

Dragonfreys · Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 364 Location: Manitoba-Westman

On of our favourite bugs was MIA for 5 years and recently turned up in the Bahamas. http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?tracker=TBKFKN

Hopefully he is logged with a bit more frequency in the next 5. Wink

fallyn · Joined: 11 Oct 2010 Posts: 32

Wow thats great! I am hoping mine recover soon!

glacier_ice · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 785

Yup, definitely know how you feel. I put a 30lb cylinder of steel out there, it went only as far as Wisconsin and poof! I originally believed it went splash in a lake, then it seemed to resurface but with a spark plug attached and not the 30lb cylinder of steel. Then went MIA again.

That one sucked more than my Racing Bison coins getting to Brandon before going poof.

Of course, the ammo can full of Racing Bison coins that went missing after the Cache the Marsh event last year was a shock to everyone. Sad

fallyn · Joined: 11 Oct 2010 Posts: 32

Ouch, that must hurt Mhz! Good laughs about the spark plug though.

I have been getting emails about one of my Gecko coins that went missing. Two people, on two different events, emailed me saying that they have seen it on lists. The last person that posted also send me an extensive email about it. Makes me wonder..............

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=2865874

Ztirnats · Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 199 Location: Winnipeg

It has been more than 2 years (October 2010) since our Z500 travel bug went MIA. This morning, when we checked our emails our favourite travel bug has resurfaced. Z500 is a polar bear luggage tag from Churchill, Manitoba. It carries some fond memories of an amazing adventure!

For all those travel bugs and coins that are MIA, never give up hope that somewhere down the road it will resurface with much fan fare! Very Happy

fallyn · Joined: 11 Oct 2010 Posts: 32

Ztirnats · Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 199 Location: Winnipeg

Another trackable item has resurfaced after being MIA for almost 2 years!

This one is a geocoin "Partridge In A Pear Tree"

Two trackables missing for 2+ years have been found in the last month. Wow! Let's hope more will be found.

Like we posted earlier, never give up hope that somewhere down the road your trackable item will resurface with much fan fare!