I was FTF on that and didn't take the prize. Being FTF was prize enough and the cache location was awesome. The FTF prize was a size too small and I hope whoever got it will wear it and display Geocaching colors and ethos proudly.Haffy6......In my last cache I left a new packaged CITO shirt that I had picked up for the last event cleanup cache that I participated in Brewer with a bunch of other cacher friends. That was given out as a FTF prize.
I'm not being critical and I understand your point about quality of cache items and I think its a shame that many people don't trade evenly. I think the MacDonald toys are annoying, basically because I don't play with `em. My daughter, who is 4 likes the rocks and shotgun shells found in the bottom of the cache, go figure. (She also much rather play with the box that the $150.00 battery operated car came in than the car itself. ) My point is and many people here may feel the same, if you put $50 of stuff in a cache and hide it at the rear of a WalMart parking lot, it's not as good a cache that has a well thought out hide or location at a very scenic location with nothing but a few $1 swags. I've been told my philosophy isn't true down south as numbers are more important than quality caches and a GPS isn't really needed down south, all you have to do is pick up a base of a light pole at Walmart. LOL...I got to go and see that and boost my numbers. lolFirefighterjake......personally for me I enjoy giving away stuff . . . after all you can't take "it" with you and so I think I'll still attempt one or two caches to start with stocked with good stuff . . . and see how it goes. Not a themed cache, but one where people know right from the get-go that if they go looking they should either be prepared to write "TNLN" or make a good trade.
You mention you like to do nice things. Surfice it to say that you did your part and put out a nice cache and not become dissappointed when in a few months your cache is full of rocks and old shotgun shells. Retention of cachers and recruitment should be our goal. Don't let the trade items keep you from otherwise a great sport and opportunity to see and walk through some great places here in Maine or elsewhere for that matter. (TN has how many lightpoles?)