Another Year In the Books
2019 was a big year for us. We launched a new Signature Coins website with fresh content, improved images, and streamlined service. We’ve also been hard at work on a new Youtube channel that’s dedicated to showing the world everything there is to know about challenge coins.
We’ve taken these steps to empower our customers with knowledge and to streamline the user experience on our website, but when all is said and done, everything still comes back to challenge coins.
We make the best custom coins online, and over the last 12 months, there have been some incredible designs that we want to share. So, sit back, relax and check out the best challenge coins of 2019!
January
To kick things off, we have a dual plated coin created by LifeOmic. Copper and black nickel are far less common plating options than the variations of gold and silver, giving this coin a unique style that we don’t see very often. The stippling pattern also changes the way the coins feel by adding a sense of texture to the artwork.
February
We’ve made all kinds of amazing firefighter coins over the years, and this is one of our favorites. The badge shape is a common theme we see in first responder coins, but the small team of firefighters facing a fire breathing dragon is remarkable.
March
Dual plating a coin always creates a striking effect. Triple plating a coin takes the artwork to a completely different level! This sugar skull coin combines black metal, high polish gold and high polish silver. The gemstones above the eyes and in the gold teeth are another over the top addition that helps create an unforgettable challenge coin.
April
Shape is a powerful tool when creating a custom coin. If you want a badge coin, a gauntlet coin, or even a sugar skull coin, we can make it happen. However, sometimes choosing a simple shape is the best way to convey a message. Cassette tapes have long since gone out of style, but anyone born before the turn of the century will feel a familiar tug of nostalgia as soon as they lay eyes on one of these.
May
The only way we could have squeezed more color into this coin is if we used iridescent plating instead of black nickel. As it happens, soft enamel was all we needed to create this spectacular design. We love the custom shape and vivid artwork, but the most notable part of the design is the way the black nickel and bright enamel colors feed off each other, creating striking contrast in the design. It just goes to show that you don’t need high polish gold or silver to make a striking challenge coin.
June
If military challenge coins had superlatives, the award for most elaborate design would always end up going to a Chief Petty Officer coin. This 3D gauntlet is a whopping 4”x2.4”, with translucent colors added to the dragon on the back and the gemstone slots on the knuckles to create a spectacular shimmering effect. This is definitely one of our all-time favorite Navy coins, but it only scratches the surface of the incredible and elaborate Chief Petty Officer coins.
July
What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than with a record-setting month in sales and a set of custom employee recognition challenge coins? Goldring Gulf Distributing designed these coins to look like a familiar brand of beer, using high polish gold plating and old glory red and blue for the text, flag and Blue Angels.
August
If you want to make a meaningful and memorable gift for your team, the best thing you can do is let them come up with a fun design that shows off their unique sense of humor. The crew of the USS Ronald Reagan decided that an oversized coin depicting President Reagan’s version of James Bond was just what they needed.
September
This is one of our favorite examples of 3D design combined with translucent colorfills. It’s not easy to add color to 3D artwork because of the way 3D coins have multiple raised and recessed levels with sloping curves. Our team carefully planned out the design of the skull so that we could include the American flag colors, and the result is incredible.
October
One of the best ways to make a fun and memorable challenge coin is to include references to pop culture in the design. These coins reference the movie 300, using translucent red enamel for the logo, as well as a 3D design to capture the realistic shape of a Spartan shield and sword.
November
Pretty neat, right? These Army coins were designed for members of the 126th Theater Public Affairs Support Element. We added an epoxy dome over the lens to give the camera a more lifelike appearance. This, combined with the detailed 3D mold, results in an unforgettable design.
December
The translucent colors and functional bottle opener combine to make this an exciting coin that anyone can enjoy, but the story behind the Lonesome Larry Project will make them even more special. An 11-year-old named Topher Jones decided he wanted to make a difference by raising money to help the endangered Sockeye salmon in Idaho. These bottle opener coins are just one of the items available on his website with proceeds going towards the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Happy New Year From All of Us Here at Signature Coins
We’ve had a blast in 2019, and our whole team is looking forward to everything that 2020 has in store. Be sure to keep us in mind for all of your special events coming up in the new year. We’ll be here to help make every event even more special with commemorative challenge coins in every shape and size imaginable.
