Case Study – B2B Personalised coins

One of the most common concerns when undertaking the stamping of a coin is the cost of the coin dies themselves.  Designing the coin relief, building it in a CAD program and then actually cutting into a die using CNC machinery is a costly business, particularly for a double-sided coin.  For start-up businesses looking for promotional items for brand launches this outlay can prove to be too cost restrictive.  To this end we set about designing a bespoke stock coin, which could provide full freedom to allow the customer to specify surface finish and material finish as well as complete freedom for content to appear on the coin itself.

  At the outset the aim was to create a coin ideal for personalisation to fulfil as many customer needs as possible and to provide a budget friendly solution to the design of a coin.  By negating the die costs, the most significant outlay, we aimed to produce a die stamped coin that even the smallest start up companies could afford to promote their business, as well as global companies ordering thousands of units.  By retaining the dies on site, we could also offer no minimum order quantities again encouraging smaller start up companies to promote their business using the product without a significant outlay.  

To maximise the flexibility of the coin it was decided that the design should be as minimal as possible.  This would allow the greatest coin table size available to maximise the canvas for the customer to print, engrave or even machine into.  We chose the 38.6mm coin diameter as this is the traditional crown coin size and the preferred size of modern, limited edition, UK issue £5 coins, providing not only prestige, but also the size to embellish the coin clearly.  However, to differentiate the product as a coin and not a medal, the design required a rim and denticles or a beaded interior border.  Denticles on coins are a series of small, conical and tooth-like or pointed projections that encircle the edge of a coin.  Denticles are distinct from similar ornamental elements, such as beaded borders, which consist of rounded dots.  Ultimately, we chose the beaded border option, as this created a softer less angular look, drawing less attention and focussing the eye more on the embellishment added to the coin in terms of print or machining.  The beads help to guide the flow of metal during the minting process, ensuring that the coin’s design is evenly and sharply stamped, contributing to the coin’s overall quality and uniformity.  Historically, the beaded border was added to coins as an anti-counterfeiting measure, as the intricate and consistent pattern proved difficult for counterfeiters to replicate.  Originally, coins were made of precious metals, so adding the beaded border prevented filing or clipping down the edge of the coin to steal small quantities of gold or silver.

With the design of the coin complete we set about maximising the options available to personalise each coin.  We successfully plated the coins in gold, silver and copper / bronze effect plating and introduced a bead blasting technique to provide a matt finish to the coin, as well as the standard mirror finish provided by the die.  Using our on-site print facility, we developed a multi layered print technique to create durable, scratch resistant print that adheres strongly to the coin surface.  This ensures high resolution, photo quality print that won’t fade over time.  As an added bonus, we use ECO UV print inks which have been proven to meet rigorous standards for low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into indoor air.  Finally, we added an engraving option to provide an engraved logo or text to finish the coin.   

Having developed the product, we now needed a service to bring this personalised coin to the consumer.  By providing a printing service, printing the company logo to the coin obverse and a QR code to the coin obverse, not only could we promote the brand, but also steer the consumer towards the company website.  A QR code can be read by the camera in most smartphones, automatically providing a link through to the chosen landing page of a website, hopefully capturing the viewers attention, increasing website traffic and ultimately increasing bookings or sales.

To conclude, by developing this bespoke personalised coin we have created a unique way to promote your business, without the costs usually associated with stamping coins.  This 38.6mm metal coin is built for the job – ready to become a branded giveaway, a commemorative token, or a modern take on a traditional business card. Whether you’re promoting a new retail line, or launching something memorable, this is your base. With one side dedicated to enhancing your business logo visibility and the other offering a direct link to your website, people will hold onto this token and remember your brand.  We offer it in multiple finishes, with low minimums and short lead times. Print, plate, engrave—it’s your call.  Use one side. Use both. We keep it simple and scale-able.