AMTG Virtual Proving Trail 2008 GC

Enjoy

Small coin with slight heft.  1.25 inchees 3 mm thick antique gold.  75 coins minted. The front of the coin has nice raised 3-D work and is covered by a lite coat of clear epoxy. The design is interesting and hasan  "ancient symbols" look. The rim has interconnected chain link art work. The medallion has various staffs with individual end art work. The reverse has a different "feel" in the design. It has the same metal color but has relief work that show background texture which is plain. The work shows a stand of trees, a GPS and a cache with coins. There is a commercial logo to the left of the medallion. The tracking code is done in a unique fashion in that it is in a relief section. This is different but it makes reading the number a challenge. The rim has script, done in relief, that reads "1.Geocaching Proving Trail" and "1.Geocaching lehrpfad". There is slight use of muted enamel on the background, the commercial log (done in commercial colors) and the script. The rim has script that reads "cache zone" An OK euro  coin.

Info on the coin:  The coin was released for the event GC17K48 "Frozen Bone Replacement: Geocaching Proving Trail" on 05.01.2008. The reason for this event was that Team TravelingViking had moved in December 2007 and had planned a "slightly larger" project as a Frozen Bone replacement for their new "home cache area" Barsinghausen:  The Geocaching Proving Trail or in other words: the 1st Geocaching Educational Trail.
Today 2 Earthcaches remind us of this. All others Tradis, Multis, Mysterys and a letterbox are now archived. 

The geocoin appeared as a 44 mm x 3 mm antique gold coin (75 pieces) in 2D in pair with the smaller 30 mm copper coin in the same appearance and with identical tracking code. In addition to this set, there were two more with large antique silver coins (75 pieces) and in bronze (100 pieces). A set of these coins was given to cachers who had successfully completed the Proving Trail as a gift (up to 2 years after the introduction of the trail), then the campaign was over. 

In the center of the front are fir trees, an open treasure chest filled with coins and a GPS. The title at the top in English and at the bottom in German are separated by the Groundspeak logo on the left and a multi-pointed star on the right, in which XL can be read. The reverse shows a so-called "Viking compass" or better a Vegvísir (Icelandic for 'signpost'). This is a symbol attributed to pre-Christian Norse mythology. As a symbol, it can be found with a concrete representation in the Huld manuscript. It says: "If this sign is worn, one will never get lost in storms or bad weather, even if the way is not known.". 

Whether the symbol was actually known in Viking times is disputed. The Huld manuscript was written around 1860 and thus well after the end of the Viking Age. Some researchers assume that the sign developed later and was under the influence of Christianization. The degrees and minutes of the event location are noted as additions. Around the center are 8 runes for "Vegvisir". The back of the coin is surrounded by a Viking endless knot. 

From the 30 mm geocoin with the title "Proving Trail Geocoin" and its own icon no. In 1682 there were also 2 editions in antique, bronze and silver of 500 pieces each.

So many of my trackables have been muggled that I only release new GCs as virtuals. If you do not approve, please leave it in the cache for a cacher who understands. Thanks.  JL