Geocoin Review: Grodan Frog

The first personal coin that I traded for was a Grodan Frog from Karin (grodan & fiabus) herself! This little guy is just adorable! I wanted the nickel finish (I seem to gravitate towards nickel and silver) and this is the one that glitters...an added bonus!



I was stunned at how cute this coin was when it arrived and I held it in my hand. It's a very simple design but a wonderful personal coin. I just had to learn more about it from the cacher who created it. First, the geocoin details:

Official Geocoin Name: grodan - Personal Geocoin of grodan & fiabus
Commonly Known As: Grodan Frog or grodancoin or frogcoin
Size: 1.5” diameter, 3 mm thick
Finishes/Minting Numbers: No remint - 100 Copper, 100 Nickel/Glitter, 50 Antique Gold/Translucent
Trackable?: Yes, own icon, own prefix (GF) GF stands for grodan & fiabus
Produced by: Personal Geocoins

And now a short interview with Karin (grodan)...

ELTADA: Is this your first geocoin?

Grodan: Yes, it is

E: Personal coins are a different kind of geocoin that represents a cacher. With the understanding that “grodan” means “frog”, how do you feel this coin represents you as a cacher? (for example, why did you pick a frog to represent you and how did you come up with this image versus a more traditional image?)

G: Our cachername is grodan & fiabus where grodan is the female and fiabus the male, grodan is what we used to call our daughter when I was pregnant with her because we didn´t know if it was a boy or girl we were having. Since then I have been kind of hooked on frogs so it was the natural choice for my cachename and later for my coin.

E: What made you decide to mint your own personal geocoin?

G: I thought it could be good to trade them to get more nice and beautiful coin for my collection.

E: What advice do you have for cachers that are interested in having their own personal geocoin minted?

G: It is good to go through a company if you feel unsure of how to deal with mints and designs and shipping and so on. And remember that if you sell them yourself there are a lot of extra costs to remember, like paypal fees and postage costs.

E: Do you feel it is any more difficult to mint a coin if you are located outside of the US? Why or why not?

G: I don´t feel there has been more difficult because I live in Sweden, no, e-mails are fast all over the world.

E: Was there anything that surprised you about the process of creating your own personal geocoin?

G: No, not really. Because I used the knowledge of Rusty at Personal Geocoins so he did the job. Maybe how well he knew what I wanted the coin to look like, seems like he understood at once when I told about a change.

E: With the vast array of choices for finishes and effects on a coin (metals, glitter/glow/translucent, shaped/round, size/thickness, etc.), how did you decide which you would use for yours?

G: That was hard, but I had some metals and colours in mind, green for a frog, and I knew I wanted one glitter, shaped was easy since I collect animal-shaped coins, size was supposed to be micro but it felt so small when measured so I went with 1.5 instead, for the other two I spoke with Rusty and he came with advice, some taken and some not.

E: Is there anything else you would like to share about the Grodan Frog?

G: Only finish left for sale and trade are the copper. Since our cachename is grodan & fiabus there is also a fiabus coin, (shaped like a sitting cat - because fiabus comes from my husbands cat Fia that is playful (busig)) called fiabus - Personal Geocoin of grodan & fiabus. The plan is also to make personal coins for our kids but that is not in the real close future, maybe sometime next year.

My many thanks to Karin for sharing her story about her personal geocoin.

"Fab"ulous Holiday Cache

Now that it's December, I feel the need to highlight this nifty cache idea. Last year, my first holiday that I have been caching, I found a cache with some friends in the Unionville area placed by a family team called Fababoo (GC178GD). Where it is, is not as important as how it was put together.

Don't get me wrong, I have been known to find a micro or two and I know there are TONS of cachers who enjoy quick caches that boost their numbers. Many like the find more than any other part of geocaching and thus a fast, lamp skirt micro is right up their alley. But I really enjoy the process of finding the cache. Locations that are beautiful or interesting get me hooked right from the beginning. And this can be hard in an urban area.

This cache in particular interested me because it was in a nice conservation area smack dab in the middle of a suburb. It had lovely trails and even though we went out on a REALLY cold day, we had a blast exploring the park. It held a very nice surprise though at the end. Winter caching in Canada can be a bit like cheating as you follow the geo-prints right to GZ, but as we peeked inside the cache, we found these lovely custom ornaments. The cache owner stocks up his cache on a regular basis so that anyone who visits gets to take home a wonderful keepsake. I can't say that I have seen a nicer signature item and you can tell a lot of work went into them.

Fababoo has been stocking the 2006 and 2007 caches regularly and there is rumour that there may be a new one (or perhaps more than one??) placed in honour of 2008. I hope to get out and find the 2008 to add another cache to my find list, another memory to my geocaching adventure and maybe if I'm lucky, another decoration for my tree.

Thanks to Fababoo for a "Fab"ulous series of caches!

Geocoin Review: 2007 Compass Rose

The Compass Rose (2007 edition) is one of my favourite geocoins. I was lucky enough to receive a black nickel version through a mission (see the picture of mine below). The compass rose geocoin has many versions and finishes -- not the most of any geocoin but quite a few.

The one unveiled in 2007 had seven finishes...satin gold, black nickel, antique bronze, polished gold with polished nickel wheel, antique silver with polished gold wheel, polished nickel with polished gold highlights (limited edition), and antique copper with polished nickel highlights (only one made). Though there is a lot of information out there on this geocoin series (check out www.compassrosegeocoin.com), I felt that there was even more to know, so I contacted the designer of the 2007 edition (the one I own) -- YemonYime. He was gracious enough to let me interview him to learn a bit more about the design, how it came to be and his impressions of the process.

ELTADA: Could you tell me a bit about how you came to design the 2007 version of the popular Compass Rose?

Yemon Yime: After the success of the 2005 Pennsylvania Geocoin, Aaron from CoinsAndPins approached me to do some artwork for him, and we became pretty good friends from there. He would occasionally ask me to "touch up" some of his ideas, and we had a lot of fun experimenting with new enamels and metal combinations. In fact, the now popular translucent enamels were first used on the "Geo-Achievement" series, and eventually incorporated into the 2006 Compass Rose. The actual "compass rose" from that coin was based on real compass rose artwork from the 1500's, and I simply "re-drew" that to be workable for the mint to create an attractive geocoin. The Compass Rose series of geocoins was now quite popular, so when it came time to do the 2007 edition, Aaron once again found another 1500's compass rose and asked me to "enhance" it. Although I'm producing the final artwork for the coin, and constantly tweaking things here and there for maximum effect, Aaron is very involved in the design process as well. These are truly enjoyable collaborative efforts!

E: Information available about the coin states that the Yime-designed Compass Rose is "more visually exciting when minted as a metal image". Collectors will also notice that the back of the coin moved from the geocaching.com logo (on the 2006 design) to a ships wheel - could you discuss these two major elements, why they were chosen and how they impacted the design of the coin?

YY: Well, the actual artwork on those old maps utilized very limited colors because there wasn't exactly a variety of inks at the time. So, I took some liberties and added some depth to the design, and contrast to the colors. Aaron added some textures and glitter enamels to pull off a pretty attractive piece of metallic art! The ship's wheel was all Aaron's idea. It's got a natural "compass look" in and of itself, so I incorporated some altered "flourishes" from the back of the Geo-Achievement coins to give it a very "sea-worthy" feel. It all harkens back to the overall theme of navigation into the unknown.

E: What would you say was the most challenging part of the design process? Did you learn anything from your experience with the 2007 Compass Rose?

YY: Often for me, selecting the right colors is what makes the finished product that much more stunning. You have to keep in mind the brightness of the metal around (and sometimes behind) them. You can really pull off a unique effect if you're willing to take a chance. Either that, or order extra samples! With this project, I gained a much greater respect for how important effective communication with the mint is. There are intricacies in any design that go unnoticed by the mint's die artists unless you specifically point them out when submitting the art. CoinsAndPins does a great job in relaying that information, and the end product is always better for it.

E: Is there anything else that you would like to share about this coin (little known facts, your impression of it's success, etc.)?

YY: I'm truly honored to be a part of what's become a benchmark collectible within the geocoin hobby. I really believe that the success of the Compass Rose series is a testament to the appreciation of quality work in both the design, and the manufacturing. Collectors know that they're getting a well-thought out product that is intended to be above the norm. Well, it isn't exactly a "little known fact" that there will be a 2009 Compass Rose Geocoin...but I can tell you that preliminary ideas are for a real ground-breaker in design and production. You'll just have to wait and see what 2009 has in store!

My thanks to YemonYime for his perspective on this coin. There are so many different things to consider when creating a geocoin, whether it be a redesign on a classic or a brand new idea...it takes thought and an artistic eye. You can tell the Compass Rose has both. Looking forward to seeing the 2009 version!

Neat Stuff: Trackable Carabiner

I stumbled across this addition to the growing list of trackable items for geocaching. It's a carabiner with compass, split key ring and tie loop. With these options, you can attach your GPS or car keys to it so you don't lose them during a hunt. Since it is trackable, you could always set it loose into the world with something attached (but I would use the key ring for that). Using it as a day-to-day key chain would give other cachers a chance to discover you, even if you are out grocery shopping! One note of caution is not to use this for climbing...it is not made to hold weight.

You can find it at http://www.geocoinstore.com/ for $7.00 US plus shipping.

50th Find!

Ok, so 50 finds is maybe not something most geocachers would get excited about, but it is quite an accomplishment for me. I love to go out geocaching but it is difficult to find the time and with a young son, he just can't go everywhere. We love those hunts that take you out into the woods, across a river, into a valley, up the other side, down the path to Grandmother's house...oops! That's a different story.

Now that we have our 50th find, I can start working my way to 100 - not that I am doing it for the numbers...it's just fun to recognize milestones sometimes isn't it?

I am going out with someone new to geocaching tomorrow to show her how it's all done. I haven't checked the weather but I am pretty sure it's going to rain. Everytime I have introduced this activity to someone, it rains. I think it is the ultimate test - if you can withstand a torrential downpour and still be smiling as you wring out your underwear...you are forever hooked.

Next time it rains, you can check back here to see if I am initiating a new geocacher...

Blog Beginnings

I thought I would start a blog that highlights my growing enthusiasm for geocaching and geocoins. My husband and I were introduced to geocaching by two very close friends. We both enjoy it but it is easily said that I am a bit crazier for it!

And of course, I have jumped into the geocoin "addiction" as well and am eagerly starting a collection. So many beautiful and fun coins...such a small budget! Budget? What budget?

The goal is to post memorable caching adventures, my new caches as I place them, my favourite geocoins and hopefully, my own coin designs.

Welcome! Take a look around and feel free to post your comments!

Thanks and happy geocaching!