How Guinness Continues the Old School Challenge Coin Tradition

5-minute read

Raise a Glass to the Brave! 

Believe it or not, the spiritual home for any military challenge coin is at the bar next to a cold drink. Celebrating, commemorating, or catching up over a few beers - and coin-checking your friends to see who will buy the next round - is what these coins are all about. Guinness and Diageo Beer Company know this, and when they created challenge coins to honor our troops, it's as if they’re saying, “The next round is on us!” 

We’re honored to be a part of such an iconic brand’s story and to help them support the men and women serving our country. So, when the team at Guinness and Diageo Beer Company contacted us about a rush order, we were excited to figure out a way to meet their deadline and keep the tradition going!

Traditional Challenge Coins and Rush Orders

Normally, we make traditional brass challenge coins stamped with the Guinness harp logo on one side, and the Diageo USA logo on the other. Especially for the harp logo, using antique gold and black enamel paint helps the logo pop just like it would off a cold can straight from the cooler. However, we didn’t have time to stamp out a fresh order of coins when the Diageo team reached out to us. 

Instead of just giving up, our sales team did some work to make a rush order possible. The rush coins would be slightly different in size and style, but maintain the same superior quality and craftsmanship they are accustomed to.

Rush challenge coins are made here in the USA through a process of enamel printing. The colors are UV printed onto the coin surface in layers, giving the surface a simulated texture of raised and recessed levels. The rush coins are smaller than the traditional coins we usually produce for Guinness, but we were able to use the same antique gold plating and include all the text and design elements needed for the design. 

Speed was crucial for this project. A traditional order of coins usually takes around seven to 10 business days to manufacture, and then a few more business days to ship. Rush coins like this can sometimes be delivered in as little as a week. We’re proud of the fact that our team was able to create a new design and get a fresh set of coins produced and shipped in time for the Guinness team! It’s an honor to be a small part of their brand story, and help them support our troops!

Tight Deadline? No Problem!

If you need an order of custom coins fast, don’t feel discouraged. Here at All About Challenge Coins, our sales team is flexible, knowledgeable, and willing to go the extra mile to help you bring your project to life. Whether it’s for a traditional order of custom coins or a rush order of domestic challenge coins, we have all the tools and experience needed to make it happen. 

Send us your ideas or reach out and talk to a real sales expert to get started! We’ll create free artwork proofs for you, help you refine the design, and include free, fast shipping to help meet your deadline!