COIN FAQs: Recreating a badge on a Challenge Coin

We specialize in law enforcement challenge coins!  If you are with a police department, fire department, Sheriff’s Office, Federal or State department, or any law enforcement agency – you are most likely interested in having your badge replicated on one side of your coin.  The most frequently asked questions by sworn officials is, “What’s the best way to recreate my badge on my coin?” Our video, “Coin FAQs – Recreating your badge on a Challenge Coin” shows you the options available for make a replica of your badge on your coin.

Austin PD Law Enforcement Challenge Coin with badge
Austin PD Law Enforcement Challenge Coin

This informative video will show you the three (3) ways we can make your badge come to life on your coins.  What is the most cost-effective way to create a law enforcement coin? Do I need 3-d relief on my coin? My badge has both silver and gold plating – how can that be accomplished on a coin?

We will show you examples of each option available to you and give you the information you need to make sure you get a coin you’ll be proud to hand out.

Challenge coins are great way to recognize your top achievers.  This inexpensive form of informal recognition is growing in popularity.  Challenge coins – once exclusively used within the armed forces – have been embraced by law enforcement professionals.  Coins are an excellent way to recognize a job well done or signify membership in the agency. They also represent your legacy of service to your city, your county or your state.  

Celebrate Excellence is a Texas-owned and operated business.  Started in 1993 – we have grown to be one of the largest challenge coin companies in the nation.  We are currently the highest rated national coin company – with a BBB A+ rating and over 340 on-line 5 star reviews.  HUB certified as a woman-owned business in Texas and with the federal government – we are proud to serve those who serve our state and our nation. 

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Hello, and welcome to another edition of “Coin FAQs” – where we answer your frequently asked questions about challenge coins.
We get a lot of customers from law enforcement agencies and usually they want a recreation of their badge on one side of the coin.
So we’re here today to talk about what your 3 options are for recreating that badge.
Let’s look starting at the most cost-effective all the way up to the “money doesn’t matter let’s wave a magic wand.
I want the best coin I can get!”That’ll be your 3rd option.
 
Leon Valley PD Law Enforcement Challenge Coin with badge
Leon Valley PD Law Enforcement Challenge Coin with badge

Your first option is to turn that badge into a 2-d piece, which means we have raised metal and lowered metal but no curvature at all.

It’s kind of like having a wallet badge vs. a shirt badge.The wallet badge is flat. In 2-d relief your badge is going to look flat on the coin.
So that’s your first option.A great coin to look at is one we just got for the Leon Valley Chief of Police.
We recreated his badge on a challenge coin using only 2-d relief and you can see hownicely it turned out.
 
Your second option for recreating that badge is something we call “3-d relief”.
Now that’s kind of like your shirt badge.It’s got curvature; it’s got higher and lower areas – rounded edges on the banners on the
shield of the badge.That’s 3-d relief. And a great coin to look at is the Austin Police Department Lieutenant’s challenge coin.
You’ll see that we actually took photographs from multiple angles of that badge and then we created a 3-d mold and replicated that badge right on the coin.
 
The third and final option, which is our “wave a magic wand, price doesn’t matter, I want
a ‘killer’ coin” is allowing us to not only make the front and the back of the coin, but
take a 3rd die and make a small replica 3-d image of your badge.
It’s like a little “mini-badge”. We then solder that to the top of the challenge coin. So what you’ve got is a 2-piece challenge coin – the base being the coin, the top being your “mini-badge”. So those are your options for recreating your badge on a coin.
 
The second most frequently asked question we get about badges on a coin is the plating options that are available.
When you look at your badge – is it all gold? All silver? Or does it have parts that are gold and parts that are silver?
If the answer is part silver and part gold – your badge is dual-plated – meaning “2 plates”on the badge.
So we can dual-plate the badge on your challenge coin as well.In doing this, we lay the first plating down on the coin.
We mask that area and then we lay the second plating down right on top of the parts that
are plated in that second tone on your badge. The result is a miniature replica of your badge right on the coin.
We hope this answers your questions about recreating your badge on a challenge coin. The most important thing to us is that when you get those challenge coins – you are excited about them. So make sure you understand what your options are and then ask for the pricing based on
the options you want – 2-d, 3-d, an extra piece soldered, dual-plated.
 
You can see more examples of challenge coins we have made for law enforcement agencies on our website at celebrateexcellence.com. Remember to check back with us next week when we will have another edition of “Coin FAQs”. Finally, remember to Celebrate Excellence every day! Thanks for tuning in.