MnGCA

spinowner · Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:13 pm Post subject: The Geocoin Secret Agent

Does anyone know anything about this? Check out the finds; seems like a pretty unlikely scenario unless there are multiple cachers under this account.
http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=8a1ba0fc-8ca2-463a-bc1c-323d8be8417a

merkman · Past MnGCA Board Joined: 03 Jun 2006 Posts: 2032

It is interesting that, for the most part, the cache owners grab the coins right away.

spinowner · Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:30 am Post subject:

Cache owners have an advantage because of the automatic email sent when a log entry is posted. Otherwise you'd have to have the cache on your watchlist. This brings up a question. Is there a way to watch a cacher the same way you can watch a cache or a travel bug? I didn't find anything about that on the gc.com web site.

Arcticabn · Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:18 am Post subject:

Wouldn't make a difference. The coins he's dropping are not activated. If you check his stats they don't show up in his owned list.

I also don't believe that he is logging them on the right days.
Just analyzing his find list, and try to plot the rout for a single day.

Yesterday - 1 in California (50 miles from Sacramento) and 3 in Washington State (near Tacoma)
The Day Before - 2 in California (1 San Jose and one 200m South of there), 1 in Washington (North of Seattle), 1 in Idaho (along I-84), 2 in Pennsylvania (50m S of Pitt along I-70), and 1 in New York (deep in the Adirondack Park).

If he/she personally dropped all of those coins on the same day. The I'm sorry to inform you Moe that someone else has already invented the Geocaching Flight Pack. We are talking more then 3000 miles in one day. Even a good trucker breaking those rules could not do that.

My guess is that the US Mail system is getting a workout. Maybe I'll change my mind if I find one in one of my caches

Laughing

_________________
Airborne All the Way!

spinowner · Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:42 pm Post subject:

I think this account may be a "Liar's Cacher", similar to the "Liar's Cache" concept that so many MnGCA members learned about the hard way. If the coins aren't activated it would not surprise me if they don't even exist. Sounds like the whole thing is just a load of BS.

spinowner · Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:44 am Post subject:

Yesterday I exchanged a few geomails with Cydriver, the cache owner in Ames, IA whose cache was visited by the GSA and who wound up in possession of his geocoin. Turns out the GSA has been discussed on the groundspeak forums, which I do not frequent. I now feel convinced that the coins are for real, even though they aren't trackable. Cydriver thinks that the GSA waits a number of days before logging a find and coin drop to minimize the chances of being identified. I think post-dating logs is lying, a little like logging a find on a missing cache because you identified the spot where the cache was hidden, but whatever. And not being a geocoin collector I am not going to hold my breath waiting for the GSA to appear in our area.

KC0GRN · Past MnGCA Board Joined: 22 Feb 2004 Posts: 1424

Sounds like the same deal as the geocoin fairy.

My theory is that it's a person (or small group) looking to be generous and scatter some amount of coins, which end up being sought after once people find out about them. They find a cacher in an area, contact them, basically swear them to secrecy, send them an alotment of coins to disperse in area caches, and then use the account to log a visit/drop.

Kinda cool, but I'm not really into chasing down particular caches all over town to only find out I was 5 minutes behind another cacher that picked up the coin. Especially if it's a cache I've already done.

dardevle · Geocacher Joined: 10 Jan 2006 Posts: 38 Location: Braham

I noticed that the GSA put a coin in AV8: B-17 Flying fortress(GC1OPOC) on march 6th. I think it is pretty neat no matter how he/she gets the coins to there cache. If he/she is using someone to drop and log his finds, o-well, they are leaving coins for people to find. Geocaching is not about the numbers!! RIGHT? It is all about the hunt and what you might find in a cache, the journey to the cache, just getting a person out into nature that might normally sit in the house with all the windows shut. So, take a breathe spinowner and let people have fun with geocaching. That is what it is all really about. FUN FUN FUN !!!!!!!!

KC0GRN · Past MnGCA Board Joined: 22 Feb 2004 Posts: 1424

Saved myself from chasing after that one yesterday. Even though I was fortunate enough to have been tipped off that it was out there, I decided by the time I'd get outta work and over to the park it woulda been gone.

It still would be interesting to know how these people contact cachers in an area to arrange to make a coin drop. I seriously don't see a single person travelling all over the US in a few weeks time (unless they're in a job that allows it) to drop off geocoins.

dardevle · Geocacher Joined: 10 Jan 2006 Posts: 38 Location: Braham

I agree, one person could not travel that much. I guess your right though, if the person traveled for their job then maybe. Otherwise I would only guess that contacted people would place them in caches. Maybe it is a big group of people whos travels take them all over and they decided to all be one in the same secret agent, and log them all as one and a couple days apart. The world may never know!!

TheCollector · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 8:14 pm Post subject:

he could own his own plane and be retired. Thats what I think

dardevle · Geocacher Joined: 10 Jan 2006 Posts: 38 Location: Braham

Well, there is nothing wrong with having a hobbie like that if it gives you enjoyment. I say have fun with what you like. It would be fun though to be able to do something like that. Laughing

KC0GRN · Past MnGCA Board Joined: 22 Feb 2004 Posts: 1424

Shoot I'd love to be able to do that if I could.

I'd have a cache found in every state in no time.

dardevle · Geocacher Joined: 10 Jan 2006 Posts: 38 Location: Braham

Well, if we were that truck driver from GA we could. I guess winning the lottery would let you do alot of things though. I guess a group of people could pool money together. Still that would be around $500. To rich for me still. Shocked

dardevle · Geocacher Joined: 10 Jan 2006 Posts: 38 Location: Braham

I found one of the G S A coins on March 14. I left my house around 2:30 pm for my daughters first gymnastics class in Cambridge. I got home at about 4:45 pm and went on line to check e-mails and to check if any new caches had been placed. I saw that mine had been found so I checked the log and I almost fell over when it was the Geo-coin secret agent. A long story short, my daughter and I went to the cache and it was there, THE COIN. #145. I have a picture of it and the cache"GCWYK4" posted on the other Geo-caching forum. I'm still in awe. Can't believe it still that I found one.

Dardevle Shocked