It's never been easier to create a unique and meaningful police coin design! What will you create?
5-minute read
If you’re not sure where to begin, try thinking about what the coins will be used for or the reasons your team wants an order of coins in the first place. Will the coins be awarded during a special event? Will they help fundraise for the department or highlight an important partnership?
For law enforcement challenge coins, we’ve seen designs made for all types of reasons. When dignitaries visit a city, sometimes officers on the security detail make a commemorative coin. We’ve made coins for important milestones like promotions and retirements, and we’ve helped create police coins for friendly rivalries with fire departments or neighboring districts.
Pen and paper are sometimes your best friend during the ideation process. Sketch out a few ideas and be sure to include specific things you want on your coins like:
Police coins are unique to each team, so try to find ways of incorporating your team’s unique personality into the design. Whether you use pen and paper to sketch out an idea or have a detailed outline full of reference images, once your idea is ready, it’s time to move on to step 2.
When it comes to design options, we like to break it down into a few subcategories: Size and shape, metal plating, 2D or 3D, color, and edging. There are even more examples on our pricing page, and below we’ve added more information to help you understand what options will work best for your design!
Law enforcement challenge coins are generally 2”, but it’s common to see larger coins as well. And while most people think of a round police coin, you can choose just about any shape imaginable. Some popular custom shaped police coins we’ve helped create include bottle opener coins shaped like handcuffs, coins chapped like police badges and shields, and coins in the shape of patrol cars. If you have a unique idea, share it with us!
Silver and gold are the most popular plating options for police coins. The high polish surface gives the artwork a certain prestige, especially when the design incorporates badges. But don’t limit yourself to just two options - some of the most memorable police coins we’ve seen use antique metals, black metal, or they combine two or more metal plating styles to really capture a unique effect. If you’re not sure what metal plating option to choose, ask your sales representative to make some suggestions!
This refers to the style of artwork on the surface of the coin. 2D coins have one raised and one recessed level. 3D coins have a much higher level of depth and detail that’s perfect for capturing realistic detail. It’s up to you which option will work best for your idea, but always feel free to ask for help if you’re not sure what will look best!
Some of our customers choose to forgo the use of color so that the metal plating can take center stage in their coin design. But other times, we use enamel colors to help artwork pop! We can match Pantone colors to ensure your law enforcement coins maintain the same professional branding used by the rest of the department. We also use translucent colors, glitter enamel, and UV printed colors to create unique effects.
Not many people think about the edge of their coin, but it’s a great place to add unique details that help your design stand out. We offer several edging options and we’re always happy to come up with something unique if you have a specific idea in mind.
Once you have your idea ready to go, and you’ve reviewed all the options available for your custom coins, it’s time to submit a quote. Let us know how many coins you need, and tell us about any deadlines so we can help you get the project submitted in time.
Pricing quotes are always free and come with a free artwork proof. If you have questions or need help filling out the quote form, you can always give us a call or just send an email with some details about your project. We’ve been making custom law enforcement challenge coins for years, and our professional sales team will be more than happy to walk you through the process.
We will send you a pricing quote and artwork proof within 24 business hours. From there, we’ll help you revise the artwork until it’s perfect. Revisions are free, so let us know what’s working, what’s not working, and feel free to ask us for suggestions if you’re not sure how to improve the coin design.
The last step in the law enforcement challenge coin design process is ordering your coins. We include free, fast shipping in the US, and production generally takes 14 business days unless otherwise noted.
The pricing quote will be determined on several factors including the size of your coins, the metal plating, the type of artwork and options, and, of course, the number of coins in your order. The more coins you order, the less each coin will cost. That means larger orders come with added discounts!
If you have any questions throughout the process, our team of talented sales professionals is more than happy to assist. If you’re ready to get the process started, fill out a free quote form! We’re excited to help you design a unique police challenge coin design that your department will cherish!
Adding color to your custom challenge coins, can create beautiful, unique and striking designs. However, before getting started, be sure to check out...
Choosing a plating style that best suits your design should be a breeze. Check out the difference between high polish and antique to get some...
Challenge coins have evolved so much from the early days of military unit coins. But what comes next is up to you!