Translucent Enamel
Challenge Coins
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What is translucent enamel?
Translucent enamel is a see-through color laid over metal that has been polished or given a texture. The polish stays visible beneath it, and so does every line cut into the surface before the enamel goes on. Think sunbursts, waves, a starfield, or fine engine-turned rays. A clear protective coat usually goes on last. Hold the finished coin up and tip it toward a window. The color stays put, while the metal underneath flashes and shifts like a small jewel.
Translucent enamel belongs on the large open areas of a design. A sky or a stretch of water has room for the metal to show through the tint, and so does a background field or the colors in a flag. Small lettering and fine outlines do better in opaque enamel, where the metal stays hidden and the edges stay crisp. You can use both finishes on one coin. Lay the see-through color over a pattern cut into the metal, and keep the words solid so they stay easy to read.
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Contrast and
Emphasize
Use translucent enamel on one chosen area such as the ring or band behind the lettering. Keep the main design in opaque enamel. As the coin turns in the hand the metal flashes through the translucent section while the opaque areas stay solid. This contrast makes the lettering stand out sharply against the main scene.
Texture
Under Color
We press the texture into the metal first, then lay the translucent enamel over it. A flag field or a set of fine rays will show through that color. Turn the coin and the background shifts with the light.
Coins Meant
for Display
If this coin is a retirement gift or a service award, it should look good on a shelf. Translucent enamel catches room light in a way solid opaque enamel never will. People pick it up and rotate it once, and the design does the rest.
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We've got answers
Here are plain answers on translucent finishes and the free proof you approve before we make a thing.
We offer gold, silver and copper platings standard with our orders. We also offer upgraded antique finishes that give an aged look to your coins. Antique finishes help greatly when your design is mostly metal (die struck) as the darker recessed areas provide a greater contrast for text and fine lines. We also offer some specialty colored metals that have a similar appearance to powder-coating (no charge), black nickel (a shiny gunmetal appearance), and now an iridescent rainbow plating (price on request).
The minimum order is 50 coins, but we always recommend ordering 100 due to the quantity discount at this quantity. Typically ordering 100 coins is only ~20% more expensive than ordering 50.
Our coins are made from brass metal if they are round. If the coins are a special shape or feature a high-relief 3D design, the material is a zinc alloy. We can also make coins out of copper, iron, and aluminum depending on your needs.
We keep your coin’s mold for a period of 3 years. If you reorder in that 3 year period, the 3 year storage period starts over!
We have multiple options for production location depending on your design choice and budget. We have manufacturing here in Florida and also overseas. Please consult with one of our sale professionals about what will work best for your challenge coin order.
You do not pay for a mold fee again on a reorder as long as the previous mold is still on file (kept for 3 years from the latest order date).