Jump to content

Cosy of minting a coin


kc8hnz

Recommended Posts

It really depends on how many "options" that your coin has and how many that you make. I made 60 trackable coins for my boyfriend's birthday and they ended up costing almost $10 each. The fewer coins that you make the more expensive that they are a piece in part because you are dividing up the set cost of the mold over a fewer number of coins. We are considering having the same coin re-minted with an icon and for 250 coins the cost would be about $5.00 a trackable coin in part because we would be using the same mold. It also depends on if they are trackable and have an icon. Tracking on geocaching.com costs $1.50 per coin. Personally I would have any coin be trackable, but I place all (or almost all) of my coins "in the wild" so tracking is most of the fun! If you chose not to have tracking numbers I am sure there still are people who would be willing to trade coins with you. I wish I could have made 250 so the coin could have had an icon and also we would have had some to trade. I was only able to make a few trades because I had 5 metals made so we had to keep one of each and I put a certificate for a new, unactivated coin in each of the 50 caches I placed for his birthday. I had hoped that the coins would be traveling, but so far only 2 that I have seen are. So we decided that while I am doing cache maintenence this fall I am going to pick up the remaining certificates and replace them with activated coins. That way people will still get to enjoy the coins, but hopefully they will travel. To get back on topic, when I was thinking about having a coin made I did notice that if you had an idea for a coin that the manufacturer thought was marketable they would make the coins at no up front cost and then would have rights to sell the coin. At least that is how I understood it. Good luck with your project!

Link to comment

We have only produced 1 coin so far. (2" with cutouts, 3d on both sides, a foto inlay with epoxyfinish on 1 side)

The cost of that personal coin (trackable with its own icon) ranged from $6.45 to $6.85 each (depending on the type of metal) if you order 500 or more.

The airtight acrylic case+ box added another $0,30 each.

 

A less complicated design costs you less, of course

Link to comment

The coins I mint run from $3.97 (500 coins)-$4.88 (100 coins)

 

Cost factors:

• number in mint run --- the more you mint the more price breaks you get

• metal finish --- some metals run more in costs

• an icon on gc.com --- $250.00

• trackable on gc.com --- minimum 250 ($1.73 per coin (etching and tracking number)

• size of the coin, obviously 1" coins take less metal than 2" coins

• you will also have to factor in design fees, shipping fees and 2d or 2d die costs depending on the vendor

• some minters use higher quality processes than others, which costs more

• various enamels and epoxy coatings could also bump up the prices

 

Yes, there are lots of things to consider.

Link to comment

The coins I mint run from $3.97 (500 coins)-$4.88 (100 coins)

 

Cost factors:

• number in mint run --- the more you mint the more price breaks you get

• metal finish --- some metals run more in costs

• an icon on gc.com --- $250.00

• trackable on gc.com --- minimum 250 ($1.73 per coin (etching and tracking number)

• size of the coin, obviously 1" coins take less metal than 2" coins

• you will also have to factor in design fees, shipping fees and 2d or 2d die costs depending on the vendor

• some minters use higher quality processes than others, which costs more

• various enamels and epoxy coatings could also bump up the prices

 

Yes, there are lots of things to consider.

 

an icon with your tracking is $150.

 

Definitely shop around, send off an email to the different minters and they will give you a quote, some even do the art from roughs or an idea.

 

things to keep in mind, 3d, shaped coins, and larger than standard 1.5" round coins will be more expensive, as will options like epoxy coating, numbering, the number of colors, immitation hard enamel vs. softe namel. and im sure many more things.

 

look at the different minters web sites and they will usually show you what kinds of metal options you have, what colors, and so on.

Edited by Nero
Link to comment

As you can see there are many factors, several companies use the same mint (maker) for their coins so the quality will be the same, but there are other companies whose quality is not so great, make sure you are familiar with the quality that they are putting out.

Decide what you want-

How many

Trackable or not?

How many colors

3d or 2d

What size

Then, get bids, shop around, some companies don't advertise as much, but you can still get the best rates from them, you won't know until you call or email them.

Link to comment

*** !!!NOTE!!! ***

 

When you choose a coin company - make sure you ask if THEY will obtain the tracking codes from GC.com or is it something you will have to do!!!

 

Chances are, they did NOT include the cost of the codes in the cost of minting!!!

That's a good point Mandollyn, but if a client is asking for a quote to make a trackable coin with an icon, that is what should be in the quote. Most companies that produce geocoins know that the coin is either trackable or not; if you take your coin production to a company that doesn't 'know' geocoins, then this could definitely be a concern.

Link to comment

*** !!!NOTE!!! ***

 

When you choose a coin company - make sure you ask if THEY will obtain the tracking codes from GC.com or is it something you will have to do!!!

 

Chances are, they did NOT include the cost of the codes in the cost of minting!!!

That's a good point Mandollyn, but if a client is asking for a quote to make a trackable coin with an icon, that is what should be in the quote. Most companies that produce geocoins know that the coin is either trackable or not; if you take your coin production to a company that doesn't 'know' geocoins, then this could definitely be a concern.

I certianly agree with you there!!!

 

The company I had mint my coin, www.thecoinmaker.com, has made several geocoins... However, they have never delt with GC.com. I provided them with the codes and they just put them on.

 

Was my coin worth that extra step? Yep!

Is my coin high quality? Yep!

Would I use this company again? YEP!

Link to comment

This became a geocoin...sketch.jpg

 

There are people who want coins made that have art ready in Illustrator format and others who have a sketch on a dinner napkin (with coffee stains <_< ). Should both be charged the same to have the coin minted?

 

The stage of die art creation isn't just about sending it off to the factory and waiting for a sample; there is often a lot of back and forth and revisions between the mint and the designer to get it 'just right' according to how it was drawn and intended to be represented. Every line and dot gets scrutinized by the designer. The same mint could be used as a lot of other companies, but the final result could be very different.

 

Some companies have professional designers and some don't. You may need their services, you may not. That should be part of your research when you are getting a quote, make sure they offer exactly what you need. Be clear about what's included in the quote and what isn't. Ask lots of questions! Maybe you can go with the cheapest, but ask around with some other companies to make sure you are getting the service you need from the cheapest company. My father-in-law used to say: cheap, fast or good... pick two!

Link to comment

As you can see there are many factors, several companies use the same mint (maker) for their coins so the quality will be the same, but there are other companies whose quality is not so great, make sure you are familiar with the quality that they are putting out.

 

This is correct, there are several coin brokers that use the same mint, but each broker also has their own style they use to administer the die art and production. This can change the quality of the coin style. It is best to take the time to look through other peoples collections to see what kinds of options and art styles you would like. For the most part, many of the people that have been collecting custom coins for a while can tell which coin was made by which broker based on the different techniques each company uses.

Edited by CoinsAndPins
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...