Custom Challenge Coins

A heavy coin made for your group.

Enamel coins are the colored coins most people picture: soft color set into metal, made for one group or occasion. You can hand one to someone in person, and years later they can still show it to someone else. A certificate ends up in a drawer, and a plaque stays on one wall. A coin stays with the person who received it.

Start A Free Quote

Easy Online Ordering

Start your artwork and quote request in less than 2 minutes and we'll turn your designs and illustrations into custom challenge coins

Full Color Digital Online Proof

Review your proof shortly after checkout and request changes until you're happy.

Free Shipping Within 10 days

Get your custom challenge coins fast with free shipping.

Challenge Coins

From Idea to Finished Coins

Start with whatever you have, even if the design isn’t finished. Send a logo with a few words about the group, and include the date you need the coins. A sketch on a napkin is enough if that is all you have. Our art team draws the coin from what you send, and the artwork costs you nothing. Not sure what size it should be? Tell us what the coin is for, and we will help you choose.

The next thing you see is a digital proof, a full-color picture of the coin before anything is made. Check the lettering and colors against your flag or logo, and tell us what’s off. You can ask for as many changes as you want, and you will not pay extra for them. Keep sending notes until the proof matches what you had in mind.

When you approve the proof, we make the coins and ship them to you. Shipping is included. You will have already settled the plating and the size on the proof, along with every color, so the coins that arrive are the ones you signed off on.

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Who Orders These Coins

The order usually comes from the person who runs the group. A first sergeant writes in about a deployment. A fire chief wants coins for a station anniversary. SWAT teams, hospital units, transit agencies, and nonprofits order them to thank people who did the work. A small business might mark a milestone the same way. Plenty of first-time buyers have never designed anything, and we walk them through it. A logo and one line of text is enough to get the process moving.

Handing someone a coin says they belong, or that their work was seen. In the military, the coin changes hands inside a handshake, pressed into the palm. A department might give one at a promotion or a retirement. Sometimes it marks a call the whole shift still remembers. Companies pass them out at the end of a long project, and a nonprofit might do the same for its donors. A school gives one to a scholarship winner, and a booster club gives one to a coach who stayed. People keep them. A few stay in a pocket for years, and others sit on a desk where the story can be told again.

Coin Depot offers:
  • Superior design freedom.
  • Long lasting products.
  • Low production costs.
  • Small minimum order quantities.
  • Free shipping.

Designing the Coin

Most coins carry the mark the group already uses. That might be a unit crest or a department badge, with a motto following the rim. It might also be a company logo on its own. The back can tell a second story. A hospital center put a soldier there, and a county police coin set the state flag colors behind the badge. A scholarship coin we made stayed simple, in polished gold, with the honor written in the metal. A delivery company ordered a plain thank-you for its shoppers.

Round is the shape most people expect, and it feels right in the hand. A custom outline is worth considering when the shape itself means something to the group. We cut a Fort Cavazos coin to the outline of Texas and filled that shape with the state flag. A fire department coin took the form of the old alarm box the station is named for, and a SWAT coin was cut as a skull in a helmet. A convention coin stayed round and worked dice and poker chips into the artwork. The coin can also double as a bottle opener when that fits the gathering.

The look of the coin comes from the color and the metal around it. Soft enamel brings the color, filled into the recessed areas between raised metal lines, on the front or on both sides. Groups often pull those colors from a flag or from a uniform. Gold, silver, antique gold, and antique silver are all common choices. Antique brass gives the metal a warmer tone. Black metal and black nickel darken the field around the enamel, and a high polish leaves the raised lines reflective. If the artwork needs two metals, two platings can share the same coin.

Once you approve the design, that artwork is what gets made. Raised metal lines outline each shape, and enamel fills the recesses between them. The plating you chose sits above the enamel, so the finished coin matches your approved proof.

Here are just a few of our satisfied clients and customers.

Custom Coin Plating Examples

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High Polished Gold

No Extra Charge

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High Polished Silver

No Extra Charge

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High Polished Copper

No Extra Charge

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Black Nickel

No Extra Charge


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Black Metal

Included with Your Order

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Antique Gold

$0.10 Extra Per Pin

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Antique Silver

$0.10 Extra Per Pin

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Dual Plating

$0.70 Extra Per Pin

Coin Packaging Options

Custom challenge coin in a PVC envelope
PVC Envelope

Included with every order

Custom challenge coin in a clear capsule
Coin Capsule

$0.80 Extra per Coin

Custom challenge coin in an acrylic display case
Coin Case

$1.25 Extra per Coin

Custom challenge coin in a velvet drawstring bag
Velvet Bag

$0.70 Extra per Coin

Custom challenge coin in a velvet presentation case
Velvet Case

$4.50 Extra per Coin

Simply email us, or complete our quick and convenient Free Quote form, and a sales representative will contact you regarding your request to begin the process of creating your custom challenge coins.

Get Started

Ready To Make Your Own Challenge Coins?

Start a Design Quote

Email us or complete our quick and convenient Free Quote form! Once you do, our sales representatives will contact you with further details.

We Conceptualize Your Ideas

Our art team will get right to work crafting an original design from your ideas, and you'll have your first free proof ready and in your inbox within 48 hours.

You Approve, We Produce

We offer unlimited revisions until you are completely satisfied with the design, materials, size, and colors. Once you approve, production begins.

FAQ

How do I order Custom Challenge Coins?

The ordering process is simple and can start in a number of ways. First off, feel free to give us a call or send us an email with any questions about the product or your design. You can also use our Free Quote request form. In this form, you will specify the product and quantity you are interested in. Also include any and all art or design ideas. We will reply promptly with an exact price quote and a color proof, a digital image of what your custom challenge coin will look like.

What is your minimum order?

Our minimum order quantity is 50. In certain rare situations, we can manufacture and sell orders of smaller quantities, but there is a below-minimum fee that often applies and the unit pricing is higher than that at quantity 50. Please contact us for additional details.

How long does it take to get my coins?

Although every coin is a little different, since everything we make is 100% custom, our orders typically deliver 10-14 business days after you pay for your order. That said, if you require a quicker turnaround, we will make every effort to accommodate it.

How many colors can I use in my design?

Each coin design allows you to feature up to 7 different color fills at no additional charge. If your design is complex and requires more than 7 different colors, we will happily add them. Each additional color only costs an extra $0.10 per coin.

How do I pay for my order?

You can pay for your order online via credit card or by check. Production will begin as soon as your payment is received. Public institutions and hospitals also have the option of paying via Purchase Order. Purchase Orders are not accepted from private organizations, except on rare occasion with prior approval from a salesperson.

Can I get my coins faster than the typical turnaround time?

Even though our standard turnaround times are some of the fastest in the industry, we understand that sometimes you need your coins even quicker than usual. As such, we work with all customers to understand their deadlines at the beginning of the quoting process. We can usually work with our production team to shave a few days off the delivery date. Like with all of our orders, we will ship your order as soon as it is complete.

From what material are your coins made?

All of our coins are made of metal. Depending on the design of your coin, the base metal will be either iron, brass, or zinc. Iron and brass are used for most 2D coins. Zinc is often used for 3D coins with extremely high relief molds. To combat the fact that zinc is a less dense metal, we make zinc coins thicker than usual to increase their weight and thereby the perceived value. After prepping the metal surface of the coin (stamping, polishing, etc.), the base coin is then decorated using plating, soft enamel paint, hard enamel color fills, offset printing ink, and/or silkscreens.

Do my coins have to be round?

Absolutely not! Your coins can be any shape that you would like. They can feature cut outs and high relief 3D molding as well. Check our “3D Mold” page for some examples of past work and inspiration.

Can you ship to APO or FPO Addresses?

We certainly can. We manufacture your order at our production facility and then send it to our headquarters, where the order is promptly repackaged and shipped via USPS to your APO or FPO destination of choice!

Do I have to pay a mold fee every time I order my coins?

Definitely not. We keep your mold on file for two years following your order. Every time you order, this two year period begins anew, which means that you’re not charged for a mold fee again until the 2 year period elapses. If you’re a little over the 2 year mark, there’s still a good chance that we have your mold on file. Just ask and we’ll be happy to double check for you!

If you have any further questions, give us a call!