Der Name Moun10Bike geniesst in der Coinerszene ja Kultstatus, hat er doch die erste Coin in einem Cache abgelegt. Seine Coins werden nie verkauft, sondern bleiben immer Eigentum von ihm. Lediglich seine Tags, die er auf Events persönlich verschenkt, können von den neuen Besitzern auch im Sinne von Groundspeak in deren Eigentum übergehen. Ich habe ihn zwar nicht selber getroffen, aber ich konnte bei einer Sammlungsauflösung dieses Stück dazu bekommen. Selten genug, wenn man bedenkt, dass es lediglich ein Stück Bleck ist, welches als Massenware hergestellt wird... Aber Angebot und Nachfrage bestimmen den Wert...
Lackey Tags have been around since 2011, when they were given to Lackeys to commemorate their Lackeyversaries (the anniversary of the date they joined the company). These coveted tags are traded at events, dropped into caches, or sent off into the world as owned trackables. Since the only way to acquire one of these tags is for someone to interact directly with a Lackey, they can become quite popular among SWAG collectors. (Or would it be SFLO - Stuff From Lackeys Only)? You may be wondering how these special tags get created. Here, graphic designer YesThatRoxxy (Roxxy) gives us the scoop on the history, design, and production of Lackey tags.
The creation of a Lackey tag begins with a pixel icon. When a Lackey joins Geocaching HQ, they are awarded a Lackey pixel icon, a small pixel art avatar that represents their interests, hobbies, or what they do in their role at HQ. Some icons are very straightforward, and some can be incredibly elaborate, but each and every one is specifically tailored to their recipient. Design elements have included things like cross-country skiing, skydiving cats, visiting Machu Picchu, riding unicorns, and showing off favorite pets.
Since the details of the icon are entirely custom, the new Lackey works closely with an artist from the HQ Creative Studio to get their icon just right. Even though some pixel icons can appear to be fairly simple, designers use multiple reference photos to put a lot of detail into small spaces to give each icon that personal touch. When we say small, we mean it. When each icon is only 66 pixels square, there's only 100-ish pixels to get someone's hair right.
The pixel icons are so beloved by Lackeys that they end up as profile pictures, stickers, coffee mugs, or even cross-stitched onto fabric for decoration not to mention their place of prominence on the annual HQ Lackey Coin. Featuring them on a trackable tag was an opportunity we couldn't pass up.
When a Lackey has a find count of 200 and accomplishes a number of geocaching milestones such as completing certain calendar-based challenges, finding one of every cache type, migrating trackables over long distances they are eligible to receive Lackey Tags. Sometimes pixel icons have to be adjusted to fit the tag design, and Lackeys work closely with the HQ Creative Studio to ensure any changes don't interfere with the spirit of the icon. Lackeys also have the opportunity to update their icon on an annual basis (just in case they grew a beard, got a new motorcycle they're really excited about, or adopted a new dog) so it's important to make sure the most current icon is the one about to be printed.
When the Lackey is satisfied with the layout of the tag, the designs are handed off to the merchandise department. There, they are paired with a batch of tracking codes, and sent out for manufacturing. Three to four weeks later, boxes and bags of Lackey Tags arrive at Geocaching HQ and are distributed to their respective Lackeys.
Dark blue border first issued 5/2012 with reprints having different back and updated insert.
Green border first issued 11/2013.
Light blue border first issued 11/2014.
Light green border first issued 06/2017
Factory misprints with darker green border issued 10/2017
Resumed light green border 12/2017
There were 156 variants up through the end of 2018. At least another 25-30 new ones in 2019, or ones with new border color or other subtle change.