The following are coins previously produced by GeocacheAlaska!

2005 Moose   2006 Wolf   2006 Coinament   2007 Micromosquito   2007 Cacher Needs Maintenance   
2008 Polar Bear   2008 Coinament   2009 Brown Bear & Coinament   2010 Caribou

2010 Alaska Geocoins, Holiday Coinaments, and Pathtags -- These items are sold out!

The 2010 Alaska Geocoin depicts the redoubtable Barren Ground Caribou, fifth in the series of “animals you may encounter while geocaching in Alaska.” Constantly on the move, caribou often travel over 3,000 miles annually in their restless wanderings along traditional migratory routes. What better creature to represent the questing nature of the geocacher?

This is a Made in Alaska product, manufactured in Anchorage at the Alaska Mint.  The 1.5 inch/39 mm coins are struck in solid commercial bronze (85% copper, 15% zinc, also called brass), one ounce 0.999 silver, and one ounce 0.999 silver with 0.9999 fine gold relief.  The coins are all proof quality, produced by striking the planchets twice using a pressure of 160-180 tons with dies polished to a mirror finish .  The edge of the silver and silver with gold relief coins are stamped "1 OZ .999 FINE SILVER."  

More than a million caribou are spread across Alaska in 30 distinctly separate migratory herds. From the Kenai peninsula northwards to Glennallen or Denali National Park and beyond to the North Slope, cachers may encounter a few animals or an entire herd crossing the highway.  It’s common to see the larger herds traversing the tundra and the scant areas of development in masses of animals stretching from horizon to horizon. Caribou are built to travel Alaska’s wilderness. Their large, concave hooves hold them up like snowshoes—both on winter snow and on the soggy summer tundra.  In water, those hooves become enormous paddles.  Caribou are well-equipped to survive in cold, snowy places with a dense coat of three inch long hair.  This hair is hollow inside, to trap air and keep warmth near their bodies, and assists the caribou like a life jacket full of air to cross rivers and lakes after spring thaws.  A caribou in a hurry can run nearly 50 miles per hour as it avoids its predators – primarily wolves and bears. Their average traveling speed of 4-7 miles per hour keeps the herds from overgrazing any particular area of their range as their innate curiosity moves them along to see what lies beyond the horizon.

The geocoin’s reverse features GeocacheAlaska’s signature highly-detailed view of a prospector seeking his cache against the backdrop of Denali – “the Great One.” 

In addition to the regular edition Alaska geocoins, a limited edition of 100 "Happy Holidays" bronze coinaments were also produced.  The front of the geocoin features the 2010 Caribou design and the reverse side of the geocoin features a caribou hot-tubbing with Santa Claus while offering a "Happy Holidays" greeting.  All 2010 Happy Holidays geocoins are packaged with a red or green border in an airtight "coinament" capsule suitable for gifting and/or displaying the coin.

The geocoins are trackable at geocaching.com and will have a custom icon for your stats page when you log or activate one. Many thanks to Anchorage, Alaska, cacher NorthWes for creating the icon for this GeocacheAlaska! project.

Matching 1" geopins were also produced.  A total of 225 antique bronze pins and 225 antique silver pins were produced for GeocacheAlaska! by Oakcoins.  Fifty antique gold pins were produced for volunteers.

New this year were Alaska-themed pathtags.  The 2010 GeocacheAlaska! pathtag features a black wolf howling at a full moon as it rises over snow-covered glade ringed by a spruce forest.  The custom back features the constellation Ursa Major, which is featured on the Alaska state flag.  Also available is the Alaska pathtag, featuring an outline of the state and Ursa Major, and a glow in the dark aurora borealis (northern lights) background.  Many thanks to Capra Hircus for coordinating the pathtag production.

2009 Alaska Geocoins and Holiday Coinaments -- These coins are sold out!

Produced during the 50^th year of Alaskan statehood, this trackable geocoin depicts two brown bears fishing for salmon in one of Alaska’s pristine streams, continuing the theme of “animals you may encounter while geocaching in Alaska.”

This is a Made in Alaska product, manufactured in Anchorage at the Alaska Mint.  The 1.5 inch/39 mm coins are struck in solid commercial bronze (85% copper, 15% zinc, also called brass), one ounce 0.999 silver, and one ounce 0.999 silver with 0.9999 fine gold relief.  The coins are all proof quality, produced by striking the planchets twice using a pressure of 160-180 tons with dies polished to a mirror finish .  The edge of the silver and silver with gold relief coins are stamped "1 OZ .999 FINE SILVER."  

The 2009 Alaska Geocoin is a testament to the state’s wildlife, its resident art and manufacturing abilities, and its citizens’ commitment to sustaining populations of both Brown Bear and Wild Salmon.  Alaska is the world’s last stronghold of sustainable wild runs of all five species of Pacific salmon and the home of more than 98% of the U.S. population of brown bears.  In Autumn, a brown bear may eat as much as 90 pounds (40 kilograms) of food each day, and it may weigh twice as much before hibernation as it will in Spring. Alaskans have done so well at protecting wild salmon runs and populations of brown bears that it is not uncommon while geocaching to see tracks of the big bears alongside the salmon-spawning streams running right through the heart of Anchorage – home to more than 300,000 persons.  Brown bears symbolize Alaska as shown on the back of the state quarter and on the state flag (Ursa Major – The Big Dipper).

The geocoin’s reverse features the signature highly-detailed view of a prospector seeking his cache against the backdrop of Denali – “the Great One.” 

In addition to the regular edition Alaska geocoins, a limited edition of 150 "Beary Christmas" bronze coinaments were also produced.  The front of the geocoin features the 2009 brown bear and salmon design and the reverse side of the geocoin features a pair of bears and a Christmas tree offering a "Happy Holidays" greeting.  All Beary Christmas geocoins are packaged with a red or green border in an airtight "coinament" capsule suitable for gifting and/or displaying the coin.

The geocoins are trackable at geocaching.com and will have a custom icon for your stats page when you log or activate one .  Many thanks to Anchorage, Alaska, cachers NorthWes and evansalaska for creating the icon for this GeocacheAlaska! project.

Matching 1" geopins were also produced.  A run of 250 antique bronze pins and 250 antique silver pins were produced for GeocacheAlaska! by Oakcoins.  Fifty gold version of the pins were produced and distributed to volunteers.

Oakcoins is hosting the activation code retrieval.

2008 Alaska Holiday Coinaments -- These coins are sold out!
The front of the coin features the features Ursus maritimus, the polar pear, prowling coastal sea ice under the aurora borealis (northern lights).  The polar bear, like a good cacher, is adapted for life on a combination of land, sea, and ice.  Polar bears are known to swim sixty miles offshore in pursuit of a find.  Alaskan cachers get to see lots of auroras during all the available night caching during the 19-hour winter nights.  The concept for the front of this year's coin was developed by North Pole, Alaska, cacher PedalPushin.

The reverse side of the coin features a polar bear cavorting with a pair of penguins under a starry sky with the words "Season's Greetings" imprinted in the snow.  The polar bear/penguin design was chosen because of the quirky notion of those flightless birds actually making it to Alaskan waters as well as in recognition that the holiday season spans both hemispheres.  

All coins are packaged with a red or green border in an airtight "coinament" capsule and placed in a decorative box suitable for gifting and/or displaying the coin.

The 1.5 inch/39 mm coins are struck in solid commercial bronze (85% copper, 15% zinc, also called brass), one ounce 0.999 silver, and one ounce 0.999 silver with 0.9999 fine gold relief, by the Alaska Mint in Anchorage, Alaska.  The coins are all proof quality, produced by striking the planchets twice using a pressure of 160-180 tons with dies polished to a mirror finish .  The edge of the silver and silver with gold relief coins is stamped "1 OZ .999 FINE SILVER."  

The coin is trackable at geocaching.com and will have a custom icon for your stats page when you log or activate one .  Many thanks to Anchorage, Alaska, cacher evansalaska for creating the icons for this GeocacheAlaska! project.

Oakcoins is hosting the activation code retrieval.

2008 Alaska Geocoins and Geopins -- These coins are sold out!
The front of the coin features the features ursus maritimus, the polar pear, prowling coastal sea ice under the aurora borealis (northern lights).  The polar bear, like a good cacher, is adapted for life on a combination of land, sea, and ice.  Polar bears are known to swim sixty miles offshore in pursuit of a find.  Alaskan cachers get to see lots of auroras during all the available night caching during the 19-hour winter nights.  The reverse side of the coin features a prospector seeking his cache safety tucked away on the taiga in the shadow of Denali (Mt. McKinley).  The concept for this year's coin was developed by North Pole, Alaska, cacher PedalPushin.

The 1.5 inch/39 mm coins are struck in solid commercial bronze (85% copper, 15% zinc, also called brass), one ounce 0.999 silver, and one ounce 0.999 silver with 0.9999 fine gold relief, and one ounce solid 0.9999 fine gold, by the Alaska Mint in Anchorage, Alaska.  The coins are all proof quality, produced by striking the planchets twice using a pressure of 160-180 tons with dies polished to a mirror finish .  The edge of the silver and silver with gold relief coins is stamped "1 OZ .999 FINE SILVER."  The edge of the gold coin is not stamped because the metal is too soft and the rest of the coin could be damaged during the stamping process.  

The price and maximum number of each coin type are indicated below.  The coin is trackable at geocaching.com and will have a custom icon for your stats page when you log or activate one .  Many thanks to Anchorage, Alaska, cacher Northwes for once again creating the icons for a GeocacheAlaska! project.

The first run of coins was produced in time to assure delivery for the December 2007 holidays.  

Back of coin (silver)

Also sold for $1.98 each or ten for $17.48 were 1" (25 mm) geopins.  They were available in antique bronze (right) and antique silver finishes.  Two hundred and fifty (250) of each pin finish were made.  The solid gold coins shipped with four satin gold finished pins (total of 40 made).

Oakcoins is hosting the activation code retrieval.

2007 Cacher Needs Maintenance microgeocoins and geopins -- These coins are sold out!
These micro coins were made by Oakcoins and are 1" (25 mm) in diameter, 2.5 mm thick, and finished in imitation hard enamel.  450 black nickel and 50 gold versions of the coins were manufactured.  The gold version of the coin is available only to those cachers who order coins and post a link documenting a caching mishap that required a trip to the emergency room in the geocaching.com forum thread for this coin.  The coins are trackable on geocaching.com with a custom icon and the activation codes are available at Oakcoins.

The geopins are 1" (25 mm) in diameter with the black nickel and imitation hard enamel finish.  They are also made by Oakcoins.

The inspiration for this coin came from a most unfortunate incident. Scobey and I were heading out to beta test one of his puzzle caches when he fell on the ice and received a proximal femur fracture of greater trochander. The initial logs of the "221B Baker Street - The Case of the Deep Puzzle," document the events of that cold March evening.  Additional information may be gleaned from the GeocacheAlaska! "Scobey's Slip" thread and the geocaching.com "Cache Owner Needs Maintenance..., Ever been injured hunting your own cache?" thread.

Scobey is back up and about finding caches and hiding evil caches, but the pain of the medical bills will take even longer to fade.  These coins may be purchased on the GeocacheAlaska! website at the geocoin sales page.  All  proceeds from sales of this coin will help dull the pain.  Thanks for your support!

Black Nickel

Gold (LE of 50)

Oakcoins is hosting the activation code retrieval.

2007 Alaska Microgeocoins and Geopins -- These coins are sold out!
These micro coins were made by Oakcoins and are 1" (25 mm) in diameter, 2.5 mm thick, satin gold/satin nickel finish on the mosquito side, satin gold finish on the Ursa Major/aurora side.  The coins are trackable on geocaching.com with a custom icon and the activation codes are available at Oakcoins.  750 of these coins were minted.

The micro pins are 3/4" (19 mm) in diameter with satin gold/satin nickel finish.  They are also made by Oakcoins.

Oakcoins is hosting the activation code retrieval.

2006 Alaska Christmas Geocoinament -- These coins are sold out!

This coin combines the wolves from the front of the standard 2006 Alaska Geocoin (see below) with a whimsical depiction of Alaska's ubiquitous moose offering "Seasons Greetings from Alaska."  The Ladybug Kids have watched a bull moose leave their yard decorated in the same fashion after said moose became entangled in decorative lights while stripping branches off an ornamental mountain ash tree.  Bull moose have also been seen sauntering down the street with clotheslines and swings from kids' playsets and cow moose have been seen taking a dip in kids' wading pools around Anchorage.

The 1.5 inch/39 mm coins are struck in solid nickel.  The coins were produced with two finishes.   One is a mirror-like finish similar to the 2006 Alaska bronze and silver coins. The second finish is a matte finish (called "satin" by some coinmakers) applied by a light sandblast. There were 220  mirror-like finish coins and 240 matte finish coins for a total of 460 coins minted. Both finishes equally show off the fine details of the coins. Distribution of the two finishes was by random mix.

We chose to go with two finishes because of production problems with the moose die that left a strike mark on many of the coins. We at GeocacheAlaska! considered the strike mark to be an unacceptable flaw given the standard that had been set by our 2005 and 2006 Alaska geocoins. Acquiring new nickel planchets (blanks) and restriking and engraving the coins would have taken two to three weeks. Given the seasonal nature of this coin, we felt it was important to meet our commitment for preholiday delivery and applying the matte finish to the coins to eliminate the strike mark was the only way to beat the calendar without sacrificing quality.

The coins were $9.00 at Alaskan Holiday Geoevents and $9.50 shipped in the US or $10 shipped internationally.  The coins come in a plastic ornament airtight capsule with a red or green ring.  The coin is trackable at geocaching.com and will add the 2006 Alaska geocoin custom icon for your stats page when you log or activate one .  

Oakcoins is hosting the activation code retrieval.

2006 Alaska Geocoin --  These coins are sold out!

After receiving input from cachers in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Valdez during December's GeoFests, design artwork was submitted to The Alaska Mint .  The Mint's artist created a three-dimensional clay sculpture from the artwork that will be used as the model to create the die.  

The front of the coin features the Alaskan wolf hunting under the Ursa Major (the big bear or big dipper) and the aurora borealis (northern lights).  The wolf demonstrates the tenacity, resolve and cooperation exhibited by Alaska's cachers.  Ursa Major is featured on Alaska's state flag and symbolizes Alaska's state motto, "North to the Future."  Alaskan cachers get to see lots of auroras during all the available night caching during the 19-hour winter nights.  The reverse side of the coin features a prospector seeking his cache safety tucked away on the tiaga in the shadow of Denali.    

June 30:  The clay sculpture is complete (see above right image).  A latex mold of the sculpture will be made next.  Then, a plaster relief will be made using the mold and the artist will carve the fine details into the plaster.  The final metal die will be cut using the high detail plaster model.  

This Wikipedia article describes the process in more detail.

August 1:  The coins have all been struck!!!  All that remains is edge lettering the 0.999 silver coins and engraving the tracking numbers.  This work is expected to be complete by August 18.

August 15: The 1.5 inch/39 mm coin are struck in solid commercial bronze (85% copper, 15% zinc, also called brass), one ounce 0.999 silver, and one ounce 0.999 silver with 0.9999 fine gold relief.  The coins are all proof quality, produced by striking the planchets twice with dies polished to a mirror finish using a pressure of 160-180 tons.  The edge of the silver and silver with gold relief coins is stamped "1 OZ .999 FINE SILVER."  The price and maximum number of each coin type are indicated below.  The coin is trackable at geocaching.com and will have a custom icon for your stats page when you log or activate one .  Many thanks to Northwes for tapping his resources to create the custom icon.

     
Back of coin (silver)

Also sold for $3.00 each or four for $10 were 1" geopins based on the coin design.  They were  available in antique bronze (left) and antique silver finishes.

A $1.50 handling and packaging fee per order (not per coin or pin) was added to the cost of any mail orders along with optional postal insurance.  

Oakcoins is hosting the activation code retrieval.

2005 Alaska Geocoin --  These coins are sold out!

The 2005 Alaska geocoin was the state's first geocoin.  1500 brass, 300 one-ounce 0.999 silver, and 100 one-ounce silver with 0.9999 fine gold relief coins (pictured below) were produced.  Each coin is individually numbered and may be tracked at www.log4.us/ak.  Click here for details behind the production of this coin.

      
Back of coin (silver)