Custom Challenge Coins

How to GO CUSTOM

January 14, 2019 By PNR 1 Comment

One question customers ask constantly is, “How do I get Challenge Coins?”. Whether you want a single coin to give as a gift or several coins to complete a collection, Pitch and Rudder has you covered with thousands of options to choose from, all conveniently located on the retail section of our website. To receive custom-made challenge coins for yourself or your organization, the first step is to request a quote on the GO Custom of our website. After determining your quote, we will be with you every step of the way, from design to delivery, to ensure your complete satisfaction with the final product. Without further ado, let’s get started on creating your next coin!

of our website. After determining your quote, we will be with you every step of the way, from design to delivery, to ensure your complete satisfaction with the final product. Without further ado, let’s get started on creating your next coin!

Step 1: Get A Quote

First, as stated above, you will want to reach out to us for a quote to ensure that you are getting the perfect coin that catches your eye and satisfies your budget. To create an accurate quote for your order, we’ll first need to know what size, finishes, and color schemes you want your coin(s) to have. Next, we’ll need to know how many coins to include in your order, whether you want a 2-or-3-D product, and if you want any additional features added to the final product. Here are some helpful tips to consider when talking to us about these details.

Size: The most common size for a coin is a diameter of 1.75,” but 1.5” and 2” are also common sizes. We may need an extra day to calculate a quote for other sizes.

Finish: The most common finishes you can choose from are Antique Brass, Nickel, Antique Silver, Antique Copper, Antique Gold, Shiny Gold, and Black Nickel. An antique finish makes it easier to read the coin’s text and see 3-D detail. A Shiny finish gives your coin a regal, high-value appearance. You can also combine different finishes on the same coin for a two-tone finish. Police and sheriff’s offices often request two-toned coins with the badge highlighted in gold and the rest of the coin finished in silver.

Colors: Pitch and Rudder offers a flat rate of $.35 per side to add any number and combination of colors to your coin. This is one of the best deals in the industry. Ask us for advice about which colors look the best together if you are unsure about what you want!

Quantity: The price of each coin drops significantly as you increase your order size. We can fulfill orders for a single coin, but the best price will be for orders of at least 100 coins. If you are unsure of how many coins you will need, please tell us the quantity you want to be quoted for in the notes section of the quote request form.

2-D or 3-D Design: If you want images on your coin to “pop out,” then you will want to request a 3-D design. Some designs require it and your coin sales representative will suggest it in that case. Some 3-D effects will increase the price of the die-mold, but this usually does not change the order’s total cost per coin.

Step 2: Deposit

After the quote is agreed upon your order will be charged a $150 deposit fee. The artwork is free, so this deposit is applied to your total order. The remaining balance of your order, total minus the deposit, is due before your finished coin can be shipped.

Step 3: Design

You will get unlimited design edits on your coin, and we will accept artwork in any format. You can send us your desired design electronically in standard formats like .pdf, .ai, or .jpg, or mail or fax us your hand-drawings. Our experienced staff and designers have processed 40,000 different coin orders, so you can feel confident that you will be receiving a top-quality coin!

Production and Delivery:

Once we have received your approved artwork, production takes between 14 to 18 days to complete. We will then deliver your order right to your doorstep.

We make ordering challenge coins easy by doing all the hard work for you. We will take your vision and turn it into a coin that will last for centuries to come! Please take the simple first step of filling out the Go Custom and we will do the rest.

PITCH AND RUDDER SERVICES

Making custom quality challenge coins and Military belt buckles are one of our specialties. If you’re interested in getting a designing a custom buckle or Quality Challenge coin for your Division, Command, or Mess we’ve streamlined the process, click the get started link at the bottom of the page and someone from our design team will be with you within 48 hours to bring your vision to life. If your interested in making something awesome in metal, so hot you need glove to put it on your belt check out Pitch and Rudders Custom Military Belt Buckles.

How business can use custom challenge coins

January 14, 2019 By PNR Leave a Comment

business and custom challenge coins

The History of the Custom Challenge Coin and How Businesses Can Use Them

The history of the custom challenge coin goes back about a hundred years. They’ve widely been used in the military to signify brotherhood and units.

The challenge coin has long been a symbol of camaraderie, passion, and pride. Pride in the work the unit does, passion for the country, and camaraderie that’s unique to the military.

That’s been recognized and adopted by organizations outside of the military. Today, they’re used by first responders, governments, non-profit organizations, and businesses. Even the President has one (and he just gave it a makeover).

Read on to learn more about these unique coins and how you can use them in your business.

What is a Challenge Coin?

A challenge coin is a coin that carries the unique insignia or mottos of a group or unit. Usually seen in the military, these coins give those who carry them a sense of pride.

The size of challenge coins was originally about one inch in diameter. Now, they’re about 1.75″ in diameter. Most of them are round, just like a coin, but there are some that are in the shape of a rectangle or pentagon.

They’re issued to show appreciation, for serving in a military operation, and soldiers will show them to identify themselves as part of a particular unit.

They’re traded and exchanged like trading cards or business cards among military members.

History of the Challenge Coin

No one truly knows how the challenge coin became pervasive in the U.S. Military.

The most common story is that a wealthy American lieutenant created insignia and had medallions made for his unit during World War I. He was fighter pilot was shot down and captured by German soldiers, who took all of his ID, with the exception of the coin he kept in a leather pouch.

He escaped and managed to make contact with French villagers, who thought he was a German spy and sought to kill him.

He pulled out his coin and a French soldier identified the symbol, which saved his life.

Other stories that may or may not be the first use of the challenge coin come from World War II and Vietnam.

The challenge coin tradition took shape in the 1960s when the 10th Special Forces Group became the first and only military unit to commission its own coin. It remained the only unit in the Army with its own challenge coin until the 1980s. That’s when the tradition became standard among military units.

The truth is, the use of coins in the military goes back to the Romans. Roman soldiers received coins for their pay after a day on the battlefield. Soldiers were recognized for an extraordinary job with another coin.

These coins were thought to have been specially produced to reflect different Roman military units.

The challenge coin tradition can even be found in other countries. Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom are just a few of the countries that have embraced what challenge coins represent.

Where Does “Challenge” Come From?

How did a challenge coin get to be called a challenge coin?

The challenge comes in the form of a coin check to make sure all members of a unit are carrying their coins.

This usually occurs at a bar, where one member (the challenger) will slap their coin on the bar. That’s a call for everyone else to immediately show that they have their coins present.

If everyone has their coin on them, the challenger has to buy a round of drinks. Whoever does not have their coin present has to buy a round for the challenger and everyone else.

Why You Should Use Them in Your Business

The reasons why these are used in the military can be carried over to your business. If your employees are short on passion, pride and camaraderie, consider getting challenge coins for your team.

There are other reasons why you should have challenge coins in your business.

Team Building

How fun would it be if your sales team were sitting around at a meeting table and someone tried to challenge the rest of the team, with the challenger having to buy lunch for everyone?

Those are the times where everyone in the room is laughing and having fun and creates a true team environment.

Brand Building

Challenge coins used as part of marketing promotions is a unique way to make your company stand out.

A custom challenge coin can make a positive first impression for your brand and will help your company stand out from competitors.

With a challenge coin, you can use your logo, company name, or the vision and mission statement of the organization.

Recognize Outstanding Work

Employees who are appreciated are more engaged. They’re also motivated by recognition, appreciation, and a fun workplace.

They are not motivated by money.

With a challenge coin created just for outstanding employees, your employees get to experience all three.

Walk Together Forever

Challenge coins can present an opportunity to bond. Have you ever been a part of a big project or was part of a team where everyone worked hard, worked overtime, and the team succeeded?

Those are special moments. They happen in team sports, in business, in the military.

Those are the moments that bind everyone together and you don’t forget.

As a manager, you can make those memories last by giving a challenge coin to each member. It’s a way to recognize the hard work, the fun, and the memories that last long after the work is complete!

Ways to Add a Custom Challenge Coin to Your Business

Does your team have any special projects or objectives to meet?

Maybe you have different sales teams competing for the highest sales volume. Perhaps there’s a conference or trade show and you want your company to stand out.

Here are just some of the ways to add these special coins to your business:

Reward Outstanding Teams
Appreciate Individual Employees
Marketing Promotions
Customer Appreciation
Business Cards

The possibilities are endless. You can get as creative as you want with how you incorporate challenge coins.

Get a Unique Custom Challenge Coin

A challenge coin is a great way to reward team members, bring teams together, and bring fun into your work.

Want a unique custom challenge coin for your business? Have a look at design options and get a free quote today!

PITCH AND RUDDER SERVICES

Designing Challenge Coins: Knowing Where to Start

January 6, 2019 By PNR 2 Comments

Differences in 3D, 2D and Offset Print Challenge Coins

Creating a design is the most exciting part of ordering challenge coins. It gives our clients a chance to let their imaginations run free and a place to bounce ideas off the walls and see what sticks. Through years of experience, we have become experts on the ins and outs of the design process by creating one of a kind challenge coins for all walks of life. Our art team has skill and experience, and our sales team is friendly and knowledgeable. Together, they help every customer figure out what kind of coin is best suited for their ideas: 3D, 2D or offset print.

Each one of these styles will flesh out a design in a different way, and knowing which one to choose is the start of the whole process. When describing a coin as either 2D or 3D, we are indicating the number of levels on the coin face. A 2D coin has only two planes of metal: a raised surface and a recessed surface. A 3D coin has the potential for any number of levels with rounded and sloped edges between the raised and recessed portions of the coin face.

Offset print challenge coins look like they could fit somewhere in the middle of these two design options. Offset printing is the process of transferring an image onto a rubber “blanket” and then rolling that image onto the coins. It’s called “offset” because the ink is not directly transferred onto the surface of the coins. It’s a hard method to describe in words, but the final results speak for themselves. Take a look at the comparisons below to get an idea of how each style looks.

Custom Bottle Opener, Custom Challenge coin bottle opener, unique bottle opener, coin bottle opener, military bottle opener, — Custom Bottle Opener

Choosing the Right Style For Your Design

Each of these styles comes with their own advantages and disadvantages when considering certain design factors. For example, 3D coins are excellent for adding depth and detail to a design but, ironically, we do not recommend using a 3D mold to depict a person’s face. The human brain is hardwired to recognize facial features and expressions, so even the smallest imperfection is easily noticeable. Offset print coins work much better at capturing the likeness of an individual. Knowing which design to choose comes from knowing which styles are best suited for your design ideas.

3D designs are the best option for customers looking to create something with layered details and incredible depth. We make law enforcement challenge coins with 3D police badges that have the authentic ridges and curves of the real counterpart. Some military coins incorporate 3D images of emblems, equipment or vehicles like helicopters or trucks. The coin minting process starts with sculpting the mold with a 3D CAD file. Once the coins are minted, our production team puts them all through a meticulous deburring process that smooths out all of the rough edges and ridges, ensuring a uniform quality in the entire set.

2D coins only have two levels as opposed to the potentially limitless levels of a 3D design. But that does not mean they cannot have depth or substance in their set up and artwork. 2D coins are perfect for recreating company emblems and logos, military insignias and team mascots and colors. They are also perfect for creating stylized representations of people and faces. When comparing 3D and 2D coins the biggest difference is depth in design, however, 2D coins still offer plenty of avenues to create colorful and intricately detailed artwork.

Offset print challenge coins are the best option for anyone looking to recreate a picture or person’s face. The final product is almost like a blend of the massive depth and detail of a 3D coin and the more paired down coin construction of a 2D coin. Making offset print challenge coins starts with designing a mold, just like any other coin, and the design image is transferred onto each coin after the minting process.

Coin size will play a role in how a design is implemented as well. For 3D artwork, we do not recommend going any lower than 1.5”. 2D and offset print designs are better suited for smaller coins, however, we can work with almost any specifications or sizes. Standard coins range from 1.5” to 3”, but we have made oversized coins and oddly shaped coins for all sorts of different customers. While there are certain challenges associated with any type of design, we stand by our ability to have any project produced and delivered within 14 days.

Knowing Where to Start

Challenge coins possess a personal quality that comes directly from our clients. Their ideas shape the entire project and the end result is something truly meaningful to their organization or team. Our job is simply to help each customer make those design inspirations a reality, and we hope that the information here offers the right starting point.

Knowing where to start comes down to knowing what type of challenge coin to choose.

3D challenge coins are the best option for adding depth and shape to a design. Choosing sizes over 1.5” helps to ensure that no fine details are lost as artwork is downsized onto a smaller surface, but our production team can make any size work.
Custom 2D coins do not have the same potential as 3D coins for layered textures but they still afford plenty of opportunities for intricate detail. The two levels on the coin face are perfect for recreating colorful logos, emblems and character art.
Offset print challenge coins show the exact likeness of a person or particular image. The final product is a perfect recreation of a supplied pictured and has a smooth surface and glossy shine framed within the borders of the coin.

When a client can’t decide on just one of these styles, we tell them not to worry. It’s entirely possible to order a coin with 2D designs on one side and 3D designs on the other. Or you can have a coin made with both 2D and offset print designs. Especially when a customer has their heart set on a 3D design, choosing to mix and match these styles is a good way to save money on the final product. Deciding what style of challenge coin to make will have the greatest effect on your order, so make sure to check out some examples and get inspired before getting started.

PITCH AND RUDDER SERVICES

Challenge Coins | What are they?

December 17, 2018 By PNR 4 Comments

Challenge Coins | What is a Challenge coin | Why do people make Custom Challenge coins

Historically Challenge Coins were simple, they were small and easy to carry, with no real thought as for design. Made from metal, A challenge coin is a, often shaped like a coin but which can be any shape. It’s the meaning behind the metal that makes it so much more than the metal that it is made from. It’s a bond of brothers and family, one that you choose and not born into. A Challenge Coin is a representation of memory be it your unit, command, event or the individual that slapped it into your hand. Originally pilots used them as ways of uniquely identifying members of their own unit when they went down under fire, but as time has passed all branches of service have adopted the tradition. Today, not only does the Military use Challenge Coins, but it has spread into the civilian population, into corporate America not to mention all the fire departments, police officers, government and Charity Organizations that make Custom Coins any number of purposes.

Custom Navy Chief Challenge coin manufactured by Pitch and Rudder — Custom 3d Challenge coin manufactured by Pitch and Rudder

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The Challenge Coins Were so much simpler than the ones of today, the standard Round challenge coin was only 1.75 inches in diameter and would be 2D and have a total thickness of 3mm if you were lucky. The designs were very straightforward, the Navy Crest or an Officers Rank and along with their name, unit emblem, and perhaps an inspirational statement or quote. The Command Coins were the made from the same pattern, small round and flat, the colors would be limited and would have the commands unit patch one side and something simple on the other. Perhaps the Command name and aircraft or ship image to finish the design. Today more thought goes into what shape the coin is going to be then what the entire design used to be.

A Challenge Coin should tell a story about an event, a company or a person.

A challenge coin is unique and should be limited in production. It should tell a story; a story not only about the organization but also about the person who received it and the person who made it. It’s the story behind a coin that makes it a true challenge coin. Something that is just designed and pushed into mass production without any real story or emotional connection isn’t a challenge coin. It’s just a piece of metal. Challenge Coins are designed and made to bring units together, expand your reach and help build those bonds of friendship and brotherhood.

Challenge Coins have been designed for specific award achievements and memorial dedications. In the Military, Commanding Officers have personal challenge coins that they hand out to Soldiers for Jobs well done. Sometimes that quick moment, a handshake and a Challenge coin and change the direction of a young Soldiers Career. In the Navy Sailors of the Year are given Special Custom Challenge Coins signifying that they were selected. Senior Ranking Officers such as the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy has his own special custom challenge coin that he has designed that is coveted by Sailors.

Challenge Coins can be made and Sold for fundraising activities, from events as simple as virtual 5K Medals to selling Challenge Coins online to fund a gala or Military Ball, like the Marine Corps Birthday ball or the Navy Birthday Ball. Fundraising with custom challenge coins is really simple!

Challenge coins are exploding, they are popping up everywhere online. They have been a standard in the military and first responder communities forever; however, the last five years we have seen a huge influx into mainstream culture. Why wouldn’t they take hold in the mainstream world? Knowing how much a coin can impact the morale of your employees, it almost seems silly not progressing towards having your own. I’m a collector at heart and have in my collection close to 4k challenge coins but I can vividly remember the first time I had a Command Master Chief give me his personal coin. As I look back on my Career, I can’t remember any of the times I was awarded a personal award with the same fondness. Maybe it’s because an award is a piece of paper and a medal that I rarely wear, or maybe it’s because that Challenge Coin I palmed had story to it.

Challenge Coins | The Tradition | The History | Rules

Traditionally, challenge coins are passed from one person to the other via a handshake. This acting of Palming is timeless. It’s a form of showing respect, shaking hands while handing off something special without the world around knowing what’s going on. Most times, when done right the person palmed, will slide the challenge coin into his or her pocket and look at it away from the public eye.

Challenge Coin Rules

Let’s kick this off with a bang! Oh wait, I meant to say Beer! Yep I really meant Beer! When we start hitting the Challenge Coin rules and Games we are going to jump directly into the drinking games! So you find yourself a Christmas Party, or a Bar and someone pulls out a Challenge Coin and starts to perform a Coin Check. Wait what the hell is a Coin Check… Alright, let’s back up a bit. They are simply tracking down who is buying the next round of drinks. If they haven’t checked the area well enough it might even be them!

From here on its really easy, just whip out your coin and slam it down on the bar or table. First things first does everyone at the bar have one? Yep! Perfect now things can get a little dicey! There are different views on what happens next, in my neck of the woods, if you pull a coin check and everyone has a coin…. Your buying a round. If you’re with a Chiefs Mess and you pull a Coin check and you do not have a Chiefs Coin, oh brother your in for a long night of buying drinks…. In other venues of the game, It may have to be the current command or unity coin, sport team coin or it could be the lowest ranking coin has to buy drinks. However, in all capacities, If you do not have a challenge coin on you… YOU LOSE and have to buy drinks. Now if there are three losers in the group, you can have them split the round cost, or my favorite…… Have them buy 3 rounds. Coin Check preference. Building traditions is what the coin check is all about. A few words of wisdom from an old Senior Chief (who always has a Coin on him) Never, never, never, challenge a group US Navy Chief Petty Officers on a Coin Check. You will lose, not once or twice but we will follow you from bar to bar. IM sure you’ve heard the saying drunk like a Sailor, We are great at not having to pay for our beverages of choice when someone unknowingly coin checks one of us.

Important Challenge Coin Rules

Challenge coins can be used by friends and military members to challenge each other to a round of drinks. When one person pulls out their coin, each other person must show their coin, or buy drinks for the others. Let’s recap all the rules so you have them fresh in your mind. When someone calls for a coin check:

Whip out your coin
If someone doesn’t have a coin, they buy the drinks
If more than one doesn’t, those people split or they buy more than one round Coin Checkers call.
If all people have challenge coins, the coin checker buys
So keep your coin with you all the time!!!
Never, Never Challenge a group of US Navy Chiefs

Challenge Coin Styles

As mentioned the traditional challenge coin is a round shaped coin that is about 1.75” or 2” in diameter.

However, as challenge coins have gotten increasingly popular over time, people have had to differentiate their coins by getting increasingly creative in their designs. Now, coins feature any number of different shapes, from the recognizable to the non recognizable. Some coins also feature cutouts, which are holes within the coin that go clear through to the other side.

Another way people are making new challenge coins is by turning them into bottle openers and thus keeping going the proud military tradition of drinking beer. We can fit bottle openers into a variety of different shapes and placements in order to get creative as well.

Military Challenge Coins | Different Branches have Unique and Cool Features

Lets be honest, even with Challenge Coins moving more mainstream, they are still widely associated with the military. Each branch is known for its specific styling of service coin. In the following sections we can dig into what makes Custom Military Challenge Coins difference from the civilian counterparts; as well as, what makes them unique to the branches as well. Custom Challenge Coins are super diverse and military coins even more so!

Navy Challenge Coins

Navy Challenge Coins, Davey Jones and Krakens! Sailor Jerry Custom Coins and ship wheel cutouts. There isn’t much that can’t and hasn’t been done on a Navy Challenge Coin! Their style is amazing and so diverse! Inside the Navy you can find different regions have distinct characteristics in challenge coins making them a collector’s paradise or if your worried about your collection getting too large a money pit as well. Some of the more well know styles of Navy Challenge coins are as follows:

Challenge coins shaped like ships; submarines and aircraft carriers. These can be really cool 3D coins, but you have to work on tying in the back of the design to the front to make sure it’s a smooth transition.
Squadron Challenge Coin; these have to be one of my favorite types of custom coins to design, they are awesome to design and come in so many different shapes. You can add things to them and really make them pop off the chart, bottle openers, golf ball markers and most squadron have cool animal mascots. Designing coins for VP-4, doesn’t sound crazy cool…. Designing custom challenge coins for the Skinny Dragons of VP-4 is awesome!
Seal coins, enough said.
Promotions and retirements coins. We just did a complete article on these type of coins check it out here at retirement challenge coins
Navy Birthday Coins, these are always a blast to design and collect, from ticket ideas to simply awesomeness in a shipwheel!

Navy Chief Challenge Coins

A sub culture under US Navy Challenge coins is the entire world of the Chief Petty Officer Challenge Coin. Now for every command and unit in the Navy, there is a Chiefs Mess and that Chiefs mess has a Coin. These coins are the pinnacle of the Challenge Coin collectors world in the Us Navy. Each type of coin that has already been talked about has a subsection specific to the Chiefs Mess, the difference is that the Chiefs Coin has more detail. It holds more value than a standard command challenge coin because it was presented to that Sailor by his or her Chief for a specific great job. It is fairly easy to identify a Chiefs Mess Challenge Coin, it will have a US Navy Chief Anchor on it. It should have a gold FOULED anchor with the Silver USN. There are five Standard Anchors that you will find on todays Chief Coins. The Standard CPO anchor, the Senior Chief Anchor and the Master Chiefs Anchor. Then there is a Heritage Anchor, the Falling N some call it and then on Chief coins you will find a rare anchor with 3 stars.

Army Challenge Coins

Army units are almost certainly the most competitive when it comes to making the best looking challenge coins. The difficulty for them is that these coins will typically be handed out by senior officers of the unit, so they must remain professional. In this way, Army challenge coin designers work with us to make some of the coolest looking coins in very unique shapes in order to remain competitive and still look professional.

Among the many Army challenge coins we’ve designed are:

Paratroopers
Military Police
Chemical Brigades
Deployment coins
Coins representing every kind of Army unit imaginable

Business Challenge Coins | Corporate Challenge Coins | Business Card Challenge Coins

We find that any sector that a large number of veterans means challenge coins will follow as well. Although veterans tend to go work in government after the military, many do go into business either at corporations or as self-starters like ourselves.

With businesses, the tried and seemingly still true method of leaving a client with your contact information is a business card. But the business card just gets thrown out by almost everyone or lost in the stack of hundreds of other business cards people have sitting in drawers and collecting dust.

For the modern business, we are selling challenge coins as great ways to leave a mark on an organization’s most important clients. Such coins typically include the company logo and any associated logo, along with their name, important symbols, and other important ideas. For example, we made a coin for a wealth management firm that featured a stock market bull and bear, while an insurance company made a coin to give out to their truck drivers, serving a useful purpose by helping to remind their truck drivers to drive safe.

Smaller companies can also make coins and would typically include contact information such as a phone number or email address, a website, and anything else important to what they do.

With a challenge coin business card, we have found that customers will not only hold onto and continue to see it as a reminder of future business but also share it with their friends. Although it is much more expensive than a normal business card, we find that they make great investments if you exercise care in who receives one.

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Law Enforcement Challenge Coins | LEO Challenge Coins | First Responders Challenge Coins

Given the clear connection between the military and law enforcement, not only in similar duties but also with veterans who become police officers, you would expect to see lots of challenge coins as well. Although this is true, it is much more common among larger police departments and Federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, Secret Service, and Homeland Security.

Many Police departments have their own unit coins and trade them between themselves. They trade them during conventions; as well as, online on the different facebook groups dedicated to police challenge coins.

Federal Government law enforcement organizations love to make challenge coins, and given that they use them quite differently than anyone else does, they arguably come out looking among the funniest and interesting of all challenge coins. The New York Police Department has a wide variety of challenge coins that they design and trade. In fact, the NYPD Challenge coins may rival some Army units for their designs. NYPD coins have been using the Guardian of Galaxy tapes as of lately for the inspiration of design. NYPD challenge coins are pretty dang awesome and we have a few in our collection!

Firefighter Challenge Coins

Firefighters are, surprisingly, as into challenge coins as any military challenge coin aficionados are. Perhaps it is the friendly rivalry and competition between different shifts of a firehouse, or between different stations within the same fire district that drives firefighters to want to make the best challenge coins possible.

A couple things are almost ubiquitously found on fire department challenge coins: colors matching their firetruck, images of the firetruck and, less commonly, depictions of the firehouse or other structure related to the fire department. are also extremely careful when picking the right color on the final coin design, as we have numerous shades of red and picking the right one can be very difficult.

Mason Challenge Coins

A lot of people may not realize that Masonry is still an important part of our country’s history and even current culture, and freemason organizations remain strong and active throughout the country. With Mason’s, they also like to make challenge coins.

Arguably the most important things to Mason’s are their symbols which they use as guides and reminders for living a successful life. Another important part is their buildings or halls. We have made a number of Mason coins and the challenge with them is often getting the placement of symbols correct and adhering to a high degree of accuracy and craftsmanship when it comes to the details hidden within both.

With so much detail being needed, this is a perfect example of why our design process works to the benefit of our customers and to create the best outcome possible with our challenge coin designs. We work with our artists on our designs until our customers are completely satisfied with their design, to the point of perfection.

Challenge Coin Trading

Challenge Coin trading is alive and well these days. It transcends military branches, LEO, Firefighters and our Civilian counterparts! It’s a truly awesome part of the Hobby! Sailor and Soldiers alike meet up online and in person to trade challenge coins. They hunt down old units that remind them of times past, friends lost or shipmates out to sea. It brings people together and it keeps veterans interacting with each other outside of the service. Its amazing to go to these Coin events with all the retired and Active Duty Members doing more than swapping coins they are swapping stories and knowledge. Challenge coins bring people together!

Pitch and Rudder sponsor a Facebook Group called Coined, it’s an online group where we focus on the stories behind the challenge coin. Where did you get your badass CMC coin? Who was the first Skipper that Palmed you? How many times a month do you look through your Stache of personal coins and remember old friends? Coined isn’t about the metal, it’s about what makes the metal a coin. Check it out here at Coined

Dedicated to Honoring Veterans

Many big corporations are natural places for veterans to go work in, particularly if that corporation is in defense or aerospace or otherwise promotes veteran hiring for their skills. With veterans being such a big part of some of these corporations, people like them or others like sports teams love to honor veterans for service. Nonprofits and governments similarly honor veterans frequently with a challenge coin.

We believe that a military tradition such as challenge coins should remain closely tied to the military and veteran community, not only in order to make sure new challenge coins keep some kind of tradition with them, but also because we believe something so closely tied with the military should also support the livelihoods of former military members.

Every member of Pitch and Rudder is an Active Duty or Retired Service member.

Creating Custom Challenge Coins with Pitch and Rudder

Here at Pitch and Rudder, we really hope that over the last few mins as you read through the article you gained some new information on custom challenge coins. We hope that you can take this and all the other articles that we have written and apply them to your own custom coins and make them even better! We would love to work with you designing some Rockstar coins but ultimately we wanted to ensure that your next venture was done with just a few more tools!

PITCH AND RUDDER SERVICES

ABOUT THE AUTHOR, TERRY MAYNARD, Former CEO AND PRINCIPLE OWNER OF PITCH AND RUDDER LLC

Terry is a 22-year Veteran of the United States Navy, a Retired Senior Chief and a loving husband with four children. With 5 years’ experience designing, manufacturing and marketing Challenge Coins under his belt, it’s easy to see how his experience could help others hone their craft.

How expensive are Quality Custom Challenge coins? Tips on Keeping your Project under budget in 2019

November 25, 2018 By PNR 3 Comments

Quality Custom Challenge Coins should be your #1 target!

Let me say that again, Quality should be your 1st target, your order should never compromise on the standard of the Custom Challenge Coin. Period

If you’re on a restricted budget or simply trying to keep the price down on your challenge coins, don’t sweat it. we’ve a couple of helpful tips that may save you cash and acquire you the high-quality coins you would like. Take a look at this article on designing awesome Challenge coins.

Getting the foremost bang for your buck starts with the unit price. Unit price is the cost of every individual coin in a full order. how much every coin costs depends on a variety of various factors like color, size, edging, planting, sn and myriad alternative customizable options. The more complicated a coin is, the costlier it’ll be.

The best ways that to keep the unit price down, and acquire the foremost coins for your cash, is to concentrate on size, colors, and quantity.

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Size of Quality Custom Challenge Coins

Bigger coins can cost more cash. They need larger molds and a lot of material so that they are going to be inherently costlier. If you’re trying to induce the foremost coins for your money, smaller sized coins can forever be the way to go. Take this for an example:

Let say you were trying to order five hundred challenge coins with color on each side. Sizes vary from 1.5” all the way up to as massive as you’ll be able to imagine, and you opt that 3.5” is ideal. The unit worth for a 3.5” coin with color on each side is $7.29, thus five hundred coins can start up to a complete of $3645

Bear with me now, we all know it’s loads of numbers. By obtaining 2.5” coins in place of the 3.5” coins, you may save over $800 on this order. Those varieties of savings will help meet any reasonable budget! however, let’s take the instance simply a touch more. Let’s say your take into account this five hundred coin project is $4,000. you have got plenty to cover the value of the 3.5” coins. Now, the dimensions of your coins play a role in what proportion you’re obtaining for your cash.

For the selected $3,645, you’ll be able to have your five hundred coins at 3.5”. however, if you opt to take an inch off your coins and acquire a 2.5” style instead, you’ll be able to order 1,000 coins for simply a meagerly $405 more. meaning doubling the number of coins you receive for simply just a bit more money. Regardless of how you spin it, deciding what size coin to induce is wherever you’ll be able to realize ways that to satisfy any budget and acquire the foremost for your cash.

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The Quantity of Quality Custom Challenge Coins

Alight, buckle up as a result of there are some a lot of numbers during this section. But first, let’s bring up coin molds. coming up with a custom coin may be a heap of fun. You get to throw your concepts around and see however they flesh out. You get to travel through revisions creating design good. And after you finally get to carry the primary coin, you recognize it’s a real original. However, a custom coin desires a custom mold. mold fees cover testing the setup of the coin and therefore the development of a unique mold. It will cost anyplace between $50 and $250 reckoning on the dimensions of the coins and whether or not or not they’re one-sided or two-sided in style. this is often wherever amount comes into play. For orders of five hundred coins or a lot of, we tend to eliminate mold fees! this suggests that each one of your cash goes towards coins, and not towards set up! additionally, the unit worth of challenge coins drops exponentially with the rise of order amount, therefore a lot of you order the less you’re paying for every coin.

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Color of Quality Custom Challenge Coins

Color is an alternative choice that contains a vital impact on the unit price of coins. It takes additional time to line up a mold that has clearly outlined breaks for color patterns, making certain that no colors bleed together. The paint itself adds up, too. If you scrutinize one coin, it doesn’t appear as if it takes that a lot of paint, however, keep in mind, multiply the paint from one coin by three hundred or five hundred or however massive the order is. That’s loads of paint.

So, selecting to avoid color fills can prevent cash. How much, you ask? Well, let’s recall at the instance from above: you are obtaining five hundred coins with color on each side for a complete of $2,645. By eliminating the color fills and obtaining bare-metal coins, you may save nearly $700! You save $1.35 on each coin. during this example, eliminating color fills saves simply over 25th on the full order.

So before you Order your Challenge Coins:

When you begin the ordering method by requesting a design, take an instant to speak with a member of our sales team. provide them with your budget and that they can realize the simplest choices to satisfy your desires. obtaining smaller coins will save loads of cash on the lowest line, however, perhaps you actually want a 2.5” coin and can’t fathom the way to create that fits your budget.

Our sales team is friendly and jam-packed with expertise. they’re going to do everything in their power to help produce a coin that suits your desires (both in style and budget). inspect size comparisons and custom choices on our evaluation page, and acquire an improved plan of what we are able to produce for you. Our expertise has taught us that there’s some flexibility that permits our customers to avoid wasting cash while not sacrificing high-quality style. Just remember, Size, Qty, and Colors and let us get to creating you an Awesome Quality Custom Challenge Coin!

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Pitch and Rudder Services

Making custom quality challenge coins and Military belt buckles are one of our specialties. If your interested in getting a Custom buckle or Quality Challenge coin for your Division, Command, or Mess we’ve streamlined the process, click the get started link at the bottom of the page and someone from our design team will be with you within 48 hours to bring your vision to life.