What materials are your coins made from?

The base metal of our coins is either brass, zinc or, on rare occasions, copper. Each coin is then either plated or powder coated in another metal/material, and, when necessary, painted.

Challenge Coin metals by Signture Coins

Why Do You Chose Those Materials?

There are different qualities to each of the metals that make them perfect for different types of coins. The production team looks at the proof of the coin and determines which base metal is best to use.

Brass

An alloy of copper and zinc, brass is perfect for 2D coins up to 2.50". Brass has higher malleability than zinc, making it perfect for the die striking method used to create most coins. It is also a quite dense metal, which gives the coins a good weight in hand. This heft is one of the key determinants of increasing perceived value with recipients.

before and after challenge coin plating

Zinc

A naturally occurring element, zinc’s strength and durability make it perfect for high relief 3D coins, large coins and even 360° Molds. As a harder metal, zinc is used in the die-casting process used to make certain coins. It also has a relatively low melting point which makes it perfect for this application. Creating a coin out of zinc gives us incredible flexibility in design, and we’re able to incorporate details that wouldn’t be possible in a traditional stamped (die-struck) coin.

Copper

Not a very common base metal used in coins, copper is only used by special request and is perfect for coins that are going to be turned into jewelry. You can choose between an antique copper or a high polish copper look for you coins. One key use case is when a customer wants us to make a custom coin for them, and then they want to use those coins to make custom rings.

Brass - Zinc - Copper Challenge coin examples

Challenge Coin Customer Reviews