Designing the Best Custom Challenge Coins - Size and Shape Options

For all the different options soldiers have when design a custom challenge coin the size and shape of the coins themselves have a lot to do with the price, look and feel of their units coin. Here we will be looking at size and shapes you can have challenge coins made into. For more information you can visit our site and take a look at our complete custom challenge coin guide: Custom Army Challenge Coins

Choosing the Best Size and Shape for Your Custom Challenge Coins

When designing a custom challenge coin there are several option to consider to make your coin stand out from the others and still stay within budget. The most popular choices are the size of your coin and building a coin with a custom shape. These choices will greatly influence the look and feel of your coins and also the price you will pay to have your coins made. In this guide we will look at the different shapes and sizes you can use for building a custom challenge coin and go over details over each option. Standard challenge coin sizes are 1.5”, 1.75” 2”, 2.25”, 2.5”, 2.75” and 3”, however, a coin can be any desired size.

What Challenge Coin Size Is Right For Me?

Choosing a coin to small or to large can easily take away from the quality of its appearance and its functionality. The best way to answer this question is that it depends on how you plan to use it and what type of budget you have to work with. The size of your coin will affect the cost of building a custom challenge coin more than any other option.

Are you going to carry it around with you to show off to your friends? Then it needs to be small enough to fit in your pocket, but large enough so people can be impressed by its detail.  A challenge coin from 1.5” to 2” will probably work the best and coincidentally the most common coin size today is a 2” diameter coin. The 2” coins are popular because not only do they fit in your pocket but the coin surface is large enough to get creative with the use of colors, Dual Plating or the use of intricate patterns and insignias.  If however you are working on a strict budget 1.5” to 1.75” coins may be the route to take to make sure everyone in your unit can get a coin.

Do you want to win more coin challenges? Does your unit have a time limit on produces a coin after a challenge? Then you might want to look into a smaller coin. The smaller the coin the harder it is to see. Hit it on the bar and people might not be able to hear it or produce their coin in time to save them from buying a round of drinks. Challenge coins under 1.5” are very rare and are for very special applications.

Is this coin meant more for a keepsake or used as a car badge? If your intention is to build a coin for a stationary display piece then you might want to look at building a 3” or larger coin. Any coin larger than 3” is awkward to carry but makes for a more striking display in a case, coin rack, office or car.

Today’s coins are becoming larger and larger. We live in a society where bigger is better and let’s face it: SIZE MATTERS! Large sized challenge coins can be used holiday ornaments, prizes, keepsakes, commemorative tokens and any coin over 4.5” is typically referred to as a car badge.

These larger coins make the details and design of your coin really stand out and are truly eye-catching. Since the dawn of time men have been pulling out items to prove their worth and the bigger item gets all the attention. Having said that, you will have to have a budget to support such a decision, since being the best always comes with a cost.

Challenge Coin Shape

You can make your custom challenge coin in any shape you wish. Some of the more popular choices are unit patches, dog tags, bottle openers, states, aircraft wings, maps or even the building your unit is in. Many military personal prefer when buying a coin that signifies their tour to have it shaped like the country they served in.

The nice thing about designing a custom shaped coin is that it won’t have a big impact on the price. Most coin builders will only charge you for the die charge but it is wise to check with yours before proceeding with your order.

One thing to think about when choosing a custom shaped coin is that Diamond Cut edges are only available on rounded coins so blending the two of these together will not be possible.

 

The other thing to think about is functionality. Having a challenge coin in the shape of a dog tag means you can wear your challenge coin and will most likely never lose another challenge as it on a chain around your neck. The king of functionality when it comes to a soldier and a challenge coin is having a built-in bottle opener. We all know what soldiers do when they are off duty and it certainly isn’t visit the library. If you are a steely-eyed commander and want your men prepared for every possible scenario, then give them a challenge coin in the shape of a dog tag they can wear around their necks with a built-in bottle opener. You may never see that coin in a display case, but it will certainly be the one that gets used the most.

Designing and building a custom challenge coin is a rewarding and fun task. I hope this guide helps you with your sizing and shape options and makes your decision a little easier.

If you want more information or to see our full challenge coin guide, please visit: http://armychallengecoinsforsale.com