What is Geocoin & How to Get Started With It

What is Geocaching?

Geocaching is a treasure-hunting game played by real players in the outside world. The players are often labeled as “Geocachers,” which use GPS receivers or GPS-enabled smartphones that communicate with GPS satellites to navigate to a specific set of coordinates. Once they reach the location, they search for a hidden container called “geocache,” which has two/three parts: a logbook that lists the people who visit, a waterproof container, and often a low-cost trinket or “geocoin.”

Brief History of Geocaching

Geocache has been there for more than 20 years and was developed by Jeremy Irish, Bryan Roth, and Elias Alvord. The first geocache was hidden by a GPS enthusiast, Dave Ulmer, near Beavercreek, Oregon, on 3 May 2000. Two people found his geocache within three days and posted their findings online when Geocaching was officially born.

A few months later, the developers officially launched their brand-new website for geocaches—“Geocaching.com.” At that time, the game wasn’t very popular, and there were only 75 known geocaches around the world, but things changed pretty quickly when newspapers, magazines, and popular media companies like CNN started talking about the game. Within a few years, the number soared to 500,000 hidden caches, and it is still growing as a popular game worldwide.

At present, more than three million active geocaches are hidden in 191 countries and seven continents (even Antarctica), and there are 361,000+ geocache holders worldwide.

Debunking the Common Myths About Geocaching

Below are some of the common myths about geocaching:

• There’s Money Inside: People often play the game in search of a coin or cash within the treasure, but that’s not true for the most part, and they end up disappointed. While you might get lucky sometimes, the company says you must bank on getting rich with experience when geocaching.
• You keep the Geocache Container: Although Geocaching is a treasure-hunting game, you don’t keep the treasure but rather search for it to gain experience.
• It’s Just Tupperware You Get: While 20 years ago, it started with getting only a bucket in the woods, things have gotten much better. Common cache components include unique coins/currency, ornamental buttons, small toys, books, or CDs.
• Cities aren’t Good for Geocaching: Hiding treasures in urban locations can be as enjoyable as in the woods. With only a few hiding spots, cache owners can get creative with their hides. And in the city, more people come against one another to find the caches.
• You need a Handheld GPS: The myth came into existence after the launch of geocaching, as technology wasn’t great and the game wasn’t popular back then. Now, you can use their official geocaching app or one of their partner apps to get started. You won’t need any extra equipment for that.

What is Geocoin?

As the name suggests, a Geocoin is a token or coin used in geocaching as a signature item or calling card. Geocachers or cache owners create these as individuals or groups made from metal or wood. Each has a unique tracking ID that can be tracked online, or you can leave a comment when you find one.

Geocoins are a transferable entity that can be passed around amongst friends, awarded as prizes, or to commemorate a special event.

Different forms of Geocoins

Talking about the type of geocoins, many currently exist: personal, event, signature, limited-edition, puzzle, and many more. Most of these are trackable, with unique IDs listed on various websites to show their location. It helps geocachers to drop a comment and share their experience when they boast about finding a considerably rare item. Let’s understand a bit more about the geocoin types:

• Personal/Signature Geocoins: These types, also known as custom geocoins, are designed by individual geocachers to represent themselves or leave a mark on the cache.
• Event Geocoins: These are created to commemorate specific geocaching events like annual gatherings, local meetups, or others and often let you engrave your message or event name on the coin.
• Club Geocoins: Often, many geocaching organizations or clubs issue these geocoins when you opt for any of their membership or attend an organized event.
• Puzzle Geocoins: It requires you to solve a certain puzzle or challenge and find the unique tracking ID for the respective geocoin.
• Limited Edition Geocoins: These are the ones that are produced in limited numbers, making them rare and hard to find on the map.
• Night Geocoins: As in the name, you can find the path or actual coordinates of the geocoins only at night from a reflection when a light is flashed on a series of reflectors.

How do Geocoins work?

As each geocoin is assigned a unique tracking number, you can track their progress online through logs made by geocachers or hunters. One can create any type of log on a homepage, starting from picking up, dropping off, or discovering the coin.

Using the logs, you can find the coin, report your findings on the official website, and activate the coin from the Geocoin Activation Wizard webpage. You can place them in caches or trade with your friends, but visit the listing page, click the link to post a new log, write a new one, and select the coin to drop off in your cache. And it’s time for a new hunter/geocacher to find the coin and proceed with the same cycle.

Now let’s discuss in detail as to how you can find and use a geocoin:

Picking Up a Geocoin

A geocoin is transferable and travels from one cacher to another. So, if you found one from a cache, the first thing to do is grab it “online” and share your journey in the form of “logs.” Then follow the steps in order:

Step 1: Get the Tracking Number

To log your journey on the webpage and grab the geocoin, the first thing to do is locate its tracking number. Typically, it’s stamped on the coin, but if there isn’t any or you can’t recognize its tracking number, check for the stamp on any website URL or ask for more information. You can also visit the help center of the “Geocaching.com” website to locate manufacturers.

Now that you have the number write it down before trading it with your friend or dropping it off in a cache. A geocacher will need it to locate, grab, and log it online.

Note: Aside from going onto track multi-caches to locate a geocoin, you’ll also find geocoins for sale on multiple websites. Some of the reputed geocoin shops include Geocaching.com, eBay, Amazon, Geoswag, Oakcoins, and many others.

Step 2: Visit Geocoin’s Page

Each geocoin has a unique web page. To visit them, you can either visit the cache page where you found the coin and access the inventory list or visit the Geocoin page and use the search tool. There, enter the tracking ID printed on the supplied box and press the search button.

Step 3: Log the Coin

As your coin appears in the geocoin listing, you must write to the owner that you found it. By logging in and activating the coin, you officially remove it from the owner’s cache and move it to a new one. Once you grab the coin, it remains in your inventory as long as another cacher or hunter picks it up and stores it in another cache.

Dropping Off a Geocoin

Once you register your grabs, you can drop it into your cache. The cache listing or the virtual inventory shows the items, including the coin you’ve placed inside, from where you’ll drop it off to complete the assigned goal or pass it to other hands. You can also sell your coins to the websites mentioned above.

If you have more than one coin in your inventory, select one by left-clicking it on your mouse or hold the Ctrl key and select multiple coins to drop off at once. Once you complete selecting the coins, click the Submit button to log your action to the cache page. It will transfer the coin from your inventory to the online cache listing.

Troubleshooting

If you see the message “there are no geocoins listed,” then there are two possible reasons for that: one, some caches can’t act as containers, and for these, you won’t see the same options as with others. And second, someone grabbed the coin before you could log your findings. If that’s the case, contact the user to check if you can grab the coin to log in to the geocoin’s page. Don’t wait too long, or you might lose the coin forever.

How to Fake GPS to Find a Geocoin Without Walking?

Geocaching and finding rare geocoins by cracking clues and solving challenges can be fun- but those who are just starting can struggle initially, especially when interpreting maps, reading coordinates, and using GPS to locate caches. Besides, you might need to travel through potential hazards like rough terrain or wildlife, and in rural areas, technical issues like signal loss, battery drain, and app malfunction can hamper your experience. That’s why most people find it ideal to fake a location and travel worldwide. If you want the same and want to simulate your GPS movements, Dr. Fone- Virtual Location is one of the best available.

This application by Wondershare is compatible with the latest iOS version and is compatible with many location-based apps like Pokemon Go, Geocaching, etc. Its interface is user-friendly and straightforward, so you can spoof your location anytime without any technical expertise. Some of the key Dr. Fone- Virtual Location features are as follows:

• It lets you teleport anywhere and simulate movements without walking or moving.
• You can teleport GPS on five iOS devices with one PC/Mac.
• It allows you to simulate movements along the paths or roads you draw.

Now follow the steps to locate your geocoins without moving:

safe & secure