Learning Center

Start with the reason for the coin. Who receives it and what it should say decide the art and how busy the faces can be. The usual layout is a crest or logo on the front and a motto, roster, sponsor panel, or dedication on the back.

Send your logo, motto, colors, and coin examples by email, text, chat, the quote form, or phone. Skip fax, which arrives in black and white. Vector files such as .EPS or .AI are best, and .CDR, JPG, PNG, TIFF, PSD, PDF, DOCX, PPTX, and .STL for 3D models all work. A U.S. designer makes a full-color digital proof at no charge, with unlimited revisions and no obligation to order. It arrives with an itemized quote, and nothing is made until you approve it. Small lettering that looks fine on a screen can fail on metal. The designer will suggest fewer words or a larger size. See finished coins in the gallery.

Challenge coins run from 1.5 inches to 4 inches across. 1.75 inches is the traditional pocket coin and the size people order most. 2 inches is the usual step up when the design carries a lot of fine text or a detailed crest that needs room to read. At 2.5 inches and above, the piece is a presentation medallion, usually reserved for awards and retirement gifts.

Both the per-coin cost and the one-time mold cost rise with diameter, so size is the one choice that moves both. If your artwork is busy, ask the designer whether it will read at 1.75 inches before you go to 2 inches to be safe. A coin with a built-in bottle opener has to be at least 2 inches. Compare diameters on the challenge coin pricing page.

A 2D coin is die struck with flat levels: raised metal lines and recessed fields. Those recesses can stay as metal or take enamel color. The edges stay crisp, which suits seals, crests, badges, flags, and text meant to look like a struck medal.

A 3D coin uses a sculpted mold with real contours and depth. That suits faces, animals, eagles, mascots, buildings, vehicles, and subjects that should look modeled. 3D relief is normally plated metal, often antique so the contours catch shadow. Enamel stays on the flat areas. A 3D mold is a paid upgrade charged per side, so one common design puts a 3D image on the front and a flat, color-filled back. Round 2D coins are struck from brass, while 3D coins and custom shapes are cast in a zinc alloy. 3D adds production time, and your sales rep confirms the timeline for the exact design.

Round coins are still the majority of orders. They sit comfortably in a pocket every day and can hold a great deal of detail, especially with an upgraded edge or a 3D mold. Custom outlines are common too: shields, badges, arrowheads, state silhouettes, unit patches, Maltese crosses, helmets, vehicles, buildings, dragons, octagons, and ellipses. As long as the outline has no fully enclosed interior cut-out, a custom shape costs the same as a round coin of the same diameter.

Interior cut-outs cost extra, and the rep tells you what they add before anything is approved. Custom shapes are cast in a zinc alloy. Bottle-opener coins come two ways. An opener worked into the outer edge of the shape costs nothing extra. A hole and tooth cut through the middle needs extra tooling and holds up better to regular use. It also works from either side.

Gold, silver, copper, and black metal (a powder-coat look) plating are included. Antique finishes darken recesses so small text and fine lines read on a mostly-metal die struck coin. Antique gold and silver options are paid upgrades, as is antique copper. Black nickel is a shiny gunmetal upgrade. Dual plating puts two metals on one side, charged per side. Iridescent rainbow plating comes on request. Recessed metal can be sandblasted or stippled at no charge, and changing that texture on a reorder needs a new mold.

Soft enamel sits slightly below the raised metal and is the usual fill. Hard enamel, called cloisonné, is polished flush. Translucent enamel lets light through. Glitter enamel and glow-in-the-dark enamel are also available. Epoxy dome is a clear coat on one side. Offset or UV printing handles gradients and fine detail enamel cannot. Enamel is priced by the side even when many colors are used. Die struck coins skip enamel and use plating for contrast.

The standard edge is plain. A rope edge wraps the rim in a twisted-cord pattern. A bezel puts a raised rim around the coin. Cross-cut diamond cutting facets the edge. Oblique line cutting runs angled grooves around it. A reeded rim uses the fine grooves you know from pocket change. The rim is what your hand feels first, so choose an edge style that matches the rest of the design.

Sequential numbers can be struck into the face, or the numbers can sit on the edge. Engraving adds names or dates, usually on the back. Cut-outs go through the coin. A spinner lets a center piece rotate inside the outer ring. A bottle opener can be built in. An epoxy dome and a 3D mold are available too. Every extra is optional. Specialty features add production time, and your rep confirms the timeline before you approve the proof.