Barbecue's Cache: The Great Frontier from The Geocoin Club

 

   
   Last week I showed off a geocaching trackable item that I found in a geocache and that I took some pictures of and moved along. This week I'm showing off a newer piece from my collection: The Great Frontier geocoin from The Geocoin Club. The Geocoin Club has been making amazing trackable coins for almost 20 years now and I've recently joined the club, so I get a coin sent to me every month. The Great Frontier geocoin is the monthly coin for March 2024 and was designed by Chris Mackey. It's a 3.5 mm thick coin with a shiny silver finish and soft enameling with an epoxy dome. The coin is trackable (the code is on the side, so you can take pictures of it without having to hide the code) and comes with a pathtag companion. 

   While the majority of geocaches are on dryland, they can absolutely be hidden underwater, requiring scuba gear to get to. I haven't found any like this yet but I'd love to someday. I mean, 71% of Earth's surface is water, so that's a lot of space. The front of the coin shows off a giant octopus in front of a compass rose whose tentacles are extending out to some little designs on the sides that represent different aspects of nautical exploration. There are a couple different knots, a paper map, a spyglass, an anchor, a hook, propeller, an anchor, and maybe some oars. The blue and white rings actually have little bubble like designs in them, which is a great effect. Let's check out the other side of the coin after the break...
   

* On the other side is a scuba diver heading down to find a geocache. hidden among the coral and creatures of the ocean floor. In geocaching, a box like this with a green lid is the standard symbol for a basic geocache. If you're using the Geocaching.com website or the app, seeing this symbol represents a basic cache: Just go to the posted coordinates and you'll find the cache. It might be in plain site, well hidden, or under the ocean, but it should be at the posted coordinates (or at the least very, very close; coordinates and GPS receivers do tend to float a bit).

* The Geocoin Club includes a pathtag with their releases as well. Pathtags aren't individually trackable like geocaching trackables but can be left as a gift for another cacher or can be hung on a chain. Fitting in with the ocean theme this tag has a beautiful seahorse on it against a background that looks like a scallop seashell. 

   

   Geocoins can cover so many topics and since it's a game out the exploring the great outdoors, the ocean, the great frontier, is a fitting subject. I've been snorkeling in the ocean before but that's been quite some time. I've swam to cross rivers and streams for caches but haven't snorkeled or dove for any. That's definitely a goal I have now: To find a truly underwater geocache. 

To see more of my Geocaching collectibles, check out "Of Travel Bugs, Trackables, and Travellers."