What Are the Top 5 Challenge Coin Upgrades?

5-minute read

The right upgrades can turn a simple challenge coin into a true work of art. Everyone’s goal is to make something memorable and meaningful, so it helps to know all your options before getting started. From bold finishes to eye-catching details, these enhancements give you the ability to take your artwork to the next level! Let’s dive into the top five most popular challenge coin upgrades as chosen by our customers! Whether you're designing something for a team, a special event, or something else entirely, these options will help you create a one-of-a-kind challenge coin.

1. 3D Artwork

3D coins have an elevated sense of realism and craftsmanship. Traditional 2D challenge coins offer plenty of room for experimentation, but 3D artwork gives your coins amazing depth and detail. Intricate features in badges, buildings, and equipment work particularly well, but we can make just about anything with a 3D mold. It’s a particularly popular design feature for anyone who wants to highlight fine details - whether it’s the likeness of a mascot, a landmark, or another important symbol.

2. Translucent Enamel

The interplay between metal and translucent colors creates an elegant, eye-catching effect that you don’t often see. What sets translucent enamel apart from regular enamel is the glossy texture and partially see-through finish that creates a stained-glass effect. Light passing through the translucent enamel allows the metal plating beneath to shimmer, adding a certain depth to the color that’s not achievable using regular soft enamel colors. Translucent colors work especially well when your challenge coins have high polish metal plating. 

3. Dual Plating

Dual plating adds contrast to a design and highlights key elements of your artwork without the need for enamel colors. Picking and choosing different metal combinations gives your coins a striking appearance. Gold and silver are the most popular plating options to put together, but there are several combinations that create striking effects of their own. The contrast of black metal and high polish gold or black nickel and copper is a favorite but not very common option. If you want to draw eyes to a particular area of your coin, consider how dual plating can accomplish the effect without the need for enamel colors.

4. Bottle Opener Challenge Coins 

Adding a fun, practical element to your challenge coins is a sure way to get people excited. Bottle openers are especially fun when challenge coins are intended to be awarded at a party or dinner event. Giving your challenge coins a function encourages people to carry them around, sharing your design and your story far and wide long after they’ve been awarded. It’s a popular option for breweries, businesses handing out gifts at trade shows or holiday parties, and military coins being shared in social settings. 

5. Custom Edging

There’s only so much design space to work with on a challenge coin, so don’t forget about the edge. Creating an intricate pattern on the rim of your coin is a subtle - but effective - strategy for elevating a design. We have a range of options available - rope, cross-cut, scalloped, reeded, spur, flat - but if you have an idea for something new, we’re all ears! Not only does a custom edge change the look of a coin, it adds a unique texture that changes how the coins feel in your hand. The tactile nature of custom edges makes them a perfect upgrade for anyone wanting to make a memorable design that stands out in a collection of challenge coins.

If you have an idea for a custom-made challenge coin or a bottle opener coin, let us know! We’re here to help you craft the perfect design. While the list above includes the most popular upgrade options, it only scratches the surface of possibilities. We’ve made custom-shaped coins, coins with cutouts, coins with spinners and blinkers, and so much more! Send us your ideas today!