from 2010 until 2020, geocoins.biz produced 26 swiss canton geocoins (plus a liechtenstein geocoin in the same size), one for each state of the swiss confederation.
some of these coins are sold out meanwhile. however, for the upcoming mega event “grüezi schwiiz” in aarau (capital of canton aargau, switzerland) in september 2026, we come up with two new geocoins:
swiss canton mini geocoins for the cantons of aargau and zurich.
they are currenlty in production. this is the first picture.
the size of this this coin is different from every other coin ever released by ernies: the diameter is 31.45mm (= 1.23 inch) which is exactly the size of the so called ”füfliber“ (5 swiss francs coin). however, the geocoin is a bit thicker: 3mm. and has a loop hole, so you can attach a string and wear it — or attach it to another object like a travelbug®.
they will come with the icons of the aargau geocoin, or zürich geocoin respectively.
first sale will take place at the mega event mentioned above on september 5.
swiss canton mini geocoins: first samples of bare pieces with glitter color fill. not finished, not complete, not polished, not plated. no nothing! just wait …
on may 25, 2006, i found my first geocache. since then i am hooked to this hobby that combines the outdoors (nature), tech, challenging puzzles, tourism, … a bit of everything – and of everywhere!
now, 20 years later, i can more or less proudly say: 10,000 found logs. i kind of fogot that 1/4 of those are rather cheap lab caches and 1/3 are boring micro containers. but there are many highlights next to those. memories for life: cool night caches that took several nights, mega and giga events – like that first european geocoin festival in cologne/germany when geocoins where in their heydays and collectors from all over the place went nuts in order get get some new and rare pieces.
i started with geocoins in late 2006 (i will celebrate that separately). since then i published about 100 geocoins and other trackables. most of them under the ernies geocoins.biz brand. some were made as assignments for other cachers (where i discretely stayed in the background) around the world.
so, now, finally, my first (and only) personal coin is out. it was in the making for more than 10 years! originally, i intended publishing it in 2016. in the meantime, it underwent several revisions.
the set contains 10 different editions with different coloring and plating, each of them limited to 20 pieces. that is a rather small run of only 200 coins. and they come with made-up nonsense names that are not used in world history (yet):
aopeksis | a | antique copper blutubeni | b | nickel caflossic | c | matte nickel daolutzend | d | antique silver efmerolda | e | matte gold floksinoksi | f | gold* gnopgorrha | g | black nickel*+ hallavamar | h | matte silver ikhalidai | i | antique gold jeljawej | j | chrome*+
* three coins have glow-in-the-dark elements + two coins come with two-tone plating
each coin is numbered next to the tracking number, e.g. j15/20 = jeljawej edition (chrome plating), #15 of 20 made
size: 51 x 51 mm (= 2 x 2 inch), 4 mm thick mass: 60 g = 2.1 oz
below is a detail image of the antique copper edition (aka aopeksis edition). this version is “plain”, as it does not have any color fills. the front side features the topics of heart and mind (brain), nature and technology (that is how i summarize geocaching).
the back (there are actually two front sides, imho) features three geometric shapes: circle, square, and triangle. they don’t have a special meaning. but who has followed my coins over the past 20 years knows that i have a preference for geometric patterns (rather than cute animals or mascot figures with faces). this reflects also in this geocoin.
i am using this coin series in different ways:
one set will go on circulation (with all risks assumed)
one set will stay unactivated in my collection (together with samples)
one set will be activated and up for discovery
one set went to participants of my “10k 20y” event in zurich as prizes
some complete sets will go collectors and long-time regular clients (thank you for your support over those many years!)
some coins i will present to cachers as a gift
some coins i will trade for other coins (hopefully i will get a moun10bike coin)
and finally, some coins are available as complete sets or (later) as single pieces in the store – while stocks last.
this is a geocoin that has it all: a spinning heart with a wow effect, glow-in-the-dark elements, brillant faux gems, an eyelet for a string. lots of hidden easter eggs and of course fully trackable at geocaching.com with its own icon.
front side: you can see a soccer ball, an electric guitar and the geocaching logo. these are the main hobbies or mr. gulas. the central heart shows some “letters” that look rather arabic than latin. the complete letters will only show when combined with those on the back. that happens when you spin the heart. you will be able to read the full message. it is the swiss german equivalent for “i love you”: i ha di gärn.
besides the stars, the back shows three astro signs: the one of the producer, the one of the recipient, and the one of the designer. there are six faux gems that add some bling. the moon glows in the dark and shows the icon of the cachers “gulas” (their name is also indicated on the left). the (main) year of the production is on the right (2024).
this coin took about two years for its creation from the first idea to the mass production: finally, in february 2025, it was ready.
there is a total of 7 (seven) editions, covering a vast range of colors and metal platings. the artist edition (antique silver) comes in only 20 copies and is only available with the complete set of all seven coins.
the tracking code (starting with gs for “gulas”) can be found on the edge of the coin.
dimensions: 2″ x 2″ (51mm x 51mm), 3mm thick.
you can find these coins in our web store while stock last.
ernies geocoins patricipated the block party in frauenfeld (switzerland) and the giga event in prague (czech republic) recently, selling the brand new 3-inch geocoin called “25 years of geocaching”. the coin was so popular that some editions sold out. some complete sets are still available – and a few single coins are also in the store now.
25 years of geocaching: the big 3-inch coin (76 mm), gold edition (already sold out – waiting list for remint in case there is enough interest).
the 2025 swiss bugs are in da house now. there are three brand new editions: rose, light blue and camo green. also, we have reissued some of the “old guys”. swiss bugs work like regular travel bugs™ (tb). but these here look a bit more deluxe: an epoxy layer makes them shiny. and: most of them even glow in the dark!
