I went to check on one of my boxes yesterday, and some geocachers had stamped in but also left 2 trinkets in the box. They didn't take anything, but apparently are new to letterboxing and thought they should leave something. I don't want other people to think they have to leave anything, or worse, have someone take my stamp, so I took the trinkets out. I'm thinking of modifying my 'disclaimer' that I put inside the lid of each box to specifically say that it's not a geocache and the finder should not leave or take anything.

What would you all do?

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so I took the trinkets out

Sometimes when I come across somebody else's letterbox I will remove the trinket especially if there is not much extra room in the box and may prevent the box from closing properly, also because it presents a danger that it will cause a baggie to tear.

Last week I found a letterbox that is apparently near a geocache, and a geocacher had signed in and left a small squishy toy football. Unfortunately it was too big for the box, and since it had been squished in there the box couldn't close properly and was damp inside from dew. I cleaned up the box as best I could, removed the football and e-mailed the box owner (who, unsuprisingly wasn't interested in us sending the squishy football to them). For now I have given it to my boys to play with, but I might give it to some friends of ours who geocache, so they can pass it on as a trinket.

Now I am planting a box, and put this sentence in my note inside the box: "If you are a geocacher and have found this box by accident, feel free to sign in to the logbook, but please do not leave trinkets as they can make it difficult to correctly close and seal the letterbox." We'll see if it is an issue for me, and if this works.

I'm sure that any geocacher who leaves something in a letterbox isn't trying to be malicious is leaving something, but they also might not realize that leaving things can cause a problem.

- Sitzmak

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I'm sure that any geocacher who leaves something in a letterbox isn't trying to be malicious is leaving something, but they also might not realize that leaving things can cause a problem.

The thing is, the squishy football would have been a problem for a geocache, too. I don't think a geocache owner would be very happy with the squishy football if their cache couldn't close up and the logbook got wet.

This is the only *problem* I've had with cachers in my area. They sign in and close well and rehide well but they sometimes leave trinkets. When I do maintenance I just take the trinket and don't say anything about it. I do that so that my boxes don't become confused with hybrids.

Shiloh

I always remove geotrash from letterboxes. I have a pile of the stuff in my letterboxing backpack. These days, if I happen to find a geocache when I'm boxing, I always sign in and I'm prepared to leave trinkets in exchange if there is something I might want (like the occassional dollar bill.) I also find the most stampable object in the cache, ink it up and stamp it into my logbook. This so-called "Cacheboxing" was coined by Der Mad Stamper, Pungent Bob and myself last year on a boxing junket. My current Cb F count is five. Having lost more that one stamp to cachers, I also label my letterboxes these days with a "this is not a geocache" label. Funhog

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They sign in and close well and rehide well but they sometimes leave trinkets. When I do maintenance I just take the trinket and don't say anything about it.

There's a boxer in my area that leaves trinkets in her boxes when she plants them! That sorta puts a crimp in my policy of removing trinkets in letterboxes when I find them!

-- Kirbert

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I always remove geotrash from letterboxes. I have a pile of the stuff in my letterboxing backpack.

I am also a geocacher. So, I have no problem disposing of trinkets!

-- Kirbert

How do the geocacher's find a letterbox? Is it because they are planted near a geocache?

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How do the geocacher's find a letterbox? Is it because they are planted near a geocache?

Yes, that seems to be what happens alot. Geocachers narrow down the location of the cache to within 30 feet (is that accurate?) and then basically have to hunt to find it. I can see how it would be easy to stumble across a letterbox while doing that.

TG

All of these scenarios are potential problems especially when the box gets crowded and the lid won't reclose. I have a box planted close to Sewanee, TN where there is considerable Geo activity. In the particular box that I speak of I have found pocket fulls of trinkets during regular maintenance checks. I have included in the box, a note on the lid to welcome all geo-cachers. I suggest to them that they ink up an object, any object and stamp it in the book. That way they don't lose an object and they still make the exchange, and my box still closes. It has worked out well since I put the note there.

I always remove the trinkets.

It's rare that someone leaves something - I put a note in the box and in the clue page that states "no trinkets, no trades please". On occassion I find a signature item (like a signed poker chip) which I'll remove and take home with me. A couple of times I've found a trinket. I often recycle these by putting them in another geocache.

We found trinkets in boxes over the weekend. Included in several boxes that were part of a series was several recipe cards with store bought stamp images all over them. Beside each image was the name of a child and on the top card the name of a vacation bible school. The recipe cards were bound together by a ring. These folks never stamped into the logbook and left trinkets with their cards. Obviously, an adult didn't read or understand the gist of LBing and left these rings of stamp images in the letterboxes. We removed them and threw them away. They were large and made closing the boxes cumbersome. I reported it to the owner of the boxes. I would hope someone would do the same if such items were found in our boxes.

jbzfarm

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potential problems especially when the box gets crowded and the lid won't reclose

As a geocache hider (as well as a letterbox hider) I think I have more trouble with trinkets in my geocache hides, as opposed to trinkets in my letterbox hides.

Often people leave trinkets and don't take trinkets. I'm guilty of this practice myself because I think what I'm leaving is pretty darn cool but there's nothing in the cache that I want :}, then the boxes become too full.

About once every 3 or 4 months, I go out to my geocaches and purge them of broken items, rusty items, junk (e.g. used bus tickets), items that haven't moved in so long they've become old and tired-looking from exposure to the elements. Sometimes I need to remove quite a bit, in that case I'll put in a few new trinkets - just a few so there's room for the inevitable loading up of trinkets. I really don't mind the maintenance, it's all part of the hobby and I really enjoy the hiding experience.

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potential problems especially when the box gets crowded and the lid won't reclose.

Just thought about a too-full letterbox issue. Have any of you come across a letterbox who's lid was ajar because a hitchhiker was squeezed into the box?

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letterbox who's lid

Oops, bad grammar - maybe it should be: 'letterbox where the lid...'

Not sure I would throw anything away that wasn't mine or in my box! I have had well meaning people leave items. I just remove them when I check on the box. In both cases the person leaving the presents let me know what they had done.

Definitely a note to an owner when you find it would be a good idea.

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Have any of you come across a letterbox who's lid was ajar because a hitchhiker was squeezed into the box?

Yes. Fortunately, it was an indoor box.

The most egregious example, though, was a geocache of mine. It was fairly new, only in place a couple of weeks, when I got a log complaining that the lid doesn't close right, it needs a bungee or something to hold it shut. Not likely, thinks I. Sure enough, the next finder reports that the box was overstuffed, so he removed a whole pile of stuff so it would close properly.

You've gotta wonder about somebody who will try to cram ten pounds into a five pound bag and then complain about the bag.

-- Kirbert

I also came upon a box that the owner had left toys for the finders.

I have found geocache that way as well. Planted at the same tree! I also have seen notes saying this is not the geocache box but you are close.

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You've gotta wonder about somebody who will try to cram ten pounds into a five pound bag and then complain about the bag.

Why, I do this everytime I try on new jeans after a bingefest. :)

LW PhD
"Nice Counts"

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QuoteYou've gotta wonder about somebody who will try to cram ten pounds into a five pound bag and then complain about the bag.

Why, I do this everytime I try on new jeans after a bingefest. :)

I swear they don't make buttons the way they used too....lol

'puttin on her comfy pj's' and letting out wiggly bits, ahhhh, that's the life, a 20lb bag for a 10 lb roast....hehe
teekasue

The only geocache I've found was full of basicly junk. There was a deck of playing cards in there. While that's not exactly junk, they weren't in a box they were loose in the ammo can. The thing looked like my junk drawer at home. :)

Shiloh

I'm sorry to hear you threw the recipe cards away.

The vacation bible school didn't quite get the rules right, but they were trying to be kind. Knowing that no logbook has room for dozens of small children to pick their favorite store-bought stamp and stamp in, they were having their kids stamp in on a separate logbook. Having taken the group letterboxing, they left their VBS log behind.

Usually more than one side to the story....

We are geocaching too. IMHO more understanding between the two groups would cause either more crossover or at least fewer times when cache items are left in the letterbox.

A very inventive way to get all the kids logged in without filling up the owner's log book. As a box owner, it's something that I would treasure.

I completely agree that an email to the owner would be a good idea. My phone number is listed on all my log books, so if that were an option a phone call and meeting the owner to give them the Vacation Bible School log book may have worked too.