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Missing boxes
Board: New Members' Board
Nov 4, 2018 8:24am
Thread (disabled) Board
Well I got excited & started hiding a bunch of stamps. Unfortunately, I just discovered 2 are missing. Now I feel I need to make the rounds & verify all my boxes are ok. How do you deal with the loss of a box? I feel so disappointed. I wish I knew what happened. Is there a support group to help deal with this loss? Also, how does one decide whether to replace or retire a box?
Re: Missing boxes
Board: New Members' Board
Reply to: #967912 by LadyRisa
Nov 4, 2018 9:15am
Thread (disabled) Board
AQ is your support group. Missing boxes are just part of the game, and checking up on them is just another part of being a good planter. Planting takes time and effort, so it always hurts when you lose one of your babies, but it also teaches you lessons. Think about how good or bad your hiding spot truly was. Is there some way you could conceal it better? Is there another location nearby that would be better? A different container (smaller, camo tape, magnetic)? When deciding to replace, you may realize there just isn’t a good spot here and need to put it in a completely different place altogether, or just retire it if that no longer fits your intentions when you planted it. Decisions aren’t easy, but weigh all your options before giving up.

And find more boxes. The more you see how others have planted before you, the more you’ll see what your options are, and understand what works and what doesn’t. Seek out boxes that have been around for several years and think about what made them last.

K
Re: Missing boxes
Board: New Members' Board
Reply to: #967912 by LadyRisa
Nov 4, 2018 1:59pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I once had a box that was hidden in a log along a trail, every time someone found it, they would say that it was in plain view on the trail and they would return it to the log. Also when I would check on the box, it would be beside the log or in the trail! We figured that some critter used the log as a den at night or it was just along their trail as they moved around at night and they kept kicking my box out of their way!! LOL The box could have easily gone missing if a muggle picked it up and trashed it, so I was lucky and I had to find a new location for it where it was not kicked out all the time.

-Amanda from Seattle
Re: Missing boxes
Board: New Members' Board
Reply to: #967924 by Amanda from Seattle
Nov 4, 2018 3:46pm
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I once had a box that was hidden in a log along a trail [....]

I once hid a box under a log at least 20 feet off of the trail. It was in a place where no one would go if they weren't looking for my box.

I received a report or two that boxers couldn't find my box. I went and looked for my box, and the log was missing. This wasn't a little log, it was a fallen tree at least 18" in diameter. It has just gone missing, and my box too.

I carved another stamp to replace it; same theme but different image. Since it was in a series I let people know that the new stamp was different and they should go look for it. Because of the way that AQ works with series, I renamed the old one, moved it to the end of the list of boxes and named the new one with the previous name (adding the year of replacement behind it).