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Belgium City Series: Ghent Geocoin - COINTEST: see post #26


FreLeCo

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Hello all,

 

I'm into geocaching since almost a year and somehow got addicted along the way :-) That's also the reason why I am looking into getting a geocoin produced. The topic of the coin would be my hometown Ghent (Belgium).

 

The front (black/yellow/red) would be in 3D, based on an image. The back would be rendered to 2D (the top URL would be another URL of course). The idea would be to have it produced in 1.5'' (38mm) and antique silver, antique nickel or black nickel as plating (not sure yet which would fit the best).

 

Could you share your experiences with taking pictures (e.g. the one I am using) as basis of a 3D design? Do you have opinions about the coin design?

 

02FRONT.OriginalPicture.jpg02BACK.justAUrl.jpg

 

02FRONT.jpg

 

(Second front example is just a guess how it would look like after embossing. Or is this too optimistic?)

 

Thanks!

 

SOSv2

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Could you share your experiences with taking pictures (e.g. the one I am using) as basis of a 3D design? Do you have opinions about the coin design?

For the front of the coin, my opinion is it would look better smoothed and simplified (I know the post is just an example). Also have the background smooth and flat (so it's like a mirror). The building is framed in the coin quite nicely.

 

I've seen coins in a very similar style (as Ruud4d shows), so I believe the detail is possible. The coin manufacturer probably uses photos all the time. So they'll work with you on the design.

Edited by kunarion
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My opinion here so take it for what it's worth.

 

I really like the design. 3D looks best for a detailed design when it's done in antique. I don't think you want black nickel unless you use it as a 2-tone option and not used on the 3D part.

 

When it comes to 3D, you never really know exactly how it's going to turn out until you see the mint samples. If you look at threads where people have posted their 3D artwork from the mint, it pretty much looks like your 1st front side and labeled as 3D. The mint 99% of the time does an excellent job with 3D renderings.

 

I hand drew the 3D design for my Neptunes Compass coin and it took me months to get it worked out but in the end it turned out really nice. The artwork you're submitting (1st one) will work just fine because it shows the detailing as it needs to be where as a pencil drawing doesn't quite do that most of the time so more claification is needed.

 

Looking forward to seeing how it turns out. I see many 3D coins from European coin designers and they've all been beautiful.

 

Best wishes :o

tsun

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I like it, especially the knot, and think it would turn out nicely!

 

I'm in total agreement with Tsun. Antiqued finishes would look the best. Satin, or "sandblast" finishes (e.g., satin/sandblasted gold) would probably be okay, too, but the antiquing would really bring out the detail (as it did beautifully on E&Cplus3's coin). I think you could also come up with some pretty handsome two-tone versions.

 

I'd make sure that you send the original photo of the cathedral & knot to the mint or vendor (not the photoshop-filtered version of it) in the largest resolution you've got. I'd also ask them to use a light grit texture (perhaps texture #3) in the background of the knot to simulate the stone. I think that the size of the graphics you've posted here would be fine for the vendor/mint; everything looks perfectly clear.

 

I would buy several of these. Outstanding job!

 

Edited to add: You should make this coin 1.75" at least. It's a good size and would have a nice heft to it. If you made it 1.5", the detail would be too small to see.

Edited by Jackalgirl
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Thanks all for the comments, the good advise and the nice examples.

 

...unless you use it as a 2-tone option...

...I think you could also come up with some pretty handsome two-tone versions...

 

Not sure though what is meant with "two-tone versions". Do you refer to a 2D instead of 3D or is two-tone still something else?

 

I also have a document in which I find back the sandblast gold/silver/bronze, but the satin finishing is new to me (perhaps because the document I have, dates back from 2008). Does anybody have a newer document which described the finishings of coins?

 

Thanks,

 

SOSv2

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Not sure though what is meant with "two-tone versions". Do you refer to a 2D instead of 3D or is two-tone still something else?

 

I also have a document in which I find back the sandblast gold/silver/bronze, but the satin finishing is new to me (perhaps because the document I have, dates back from 2008). Does anybody have a newer document which described the finishings of coins?

 

Thanks,

 

SOSv2

 

"Two-tone" means that the factory uses two platings on the same coin. For example, you might have antique copper in the background, with the 3D portions of the coin done in, say, silver or nickel, like so:

 

rsDutchRider_ACPS.jpg

Geocoinshop.de's Dutch Rider Geocoin -- Read more about it here

 

As for the finishing of coins: it really depends on what vendor (or mint) you're using. Some offer features that others don't, and the finishes can vary from vendor/mint to vendor/mint. Your best bet is to contact your vendor(s) of interest and ask what features they've got. They should be able to point you to a page that has examples. If you're interested in two-tone (or three-tone, or x-tone, where "x" is the number of different platings you want), make sure to ask about that. Some metals don't play well with others and either have such a high error rate* that the mint will refuse to do them, or they'll end up costing loads extra.

 

*error rate: if the mint messes up, they have to discard that coin. No big deal when it's, say, 2 coins in 100. But it's a problem when it's, say, 3 out of every 7 (or some similar large ratio).

 

Also: as far as I can tell, "sandblast" (or "sandblash" as some of the mints will call it), "foggy", and "satin" are all the same. They involve sandblasting the coins so as to take off the shine and make the coins more matte. This can help bring out some of the detail in the coin without the overall darkening effect that antiquing gives (but antiquing brings out the detail the best).

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Hi Jackall,

 

thanks for the clarifications (once again :blink:). I'm not sure whether two-tone would go well with the coin, as the border on the front would need to be black/yellow/red (Belgian flag colours), it might become "too busy" when there are two metals instead of one.

 

The mints would go into antique finishing (silver for sure, still doubting about gold or maybe bronze), which would mean it would have the sandblasted effect.

 

Beneath the first artwork (thanks CacheAddict.com!) as I personally find it nice to be able to follow from initial design until mint (as seen in some other topics). There are still some things to be changed in the artwork (e.g. colours missing, trying to remove tram cables which might be too emphasized in 3D). Still doubting to have the backside texturized as well. I guess that would make it feel more antique (which would be my personal preference for this coin).

 

coinGent.artwork.small.jpg

 

In case you have suggestions/ideas, just drop them!

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Hi Jackall,

 

thanks for the clarifications (once again :)). I'm not sure whether two-tone would go well with the coin, as the border on the front would need to be black/yellow/red (Belgian flag colours), it might become "too busy" when there are two metals instead of one.

 

The mints would go into antique finishing (silver for sure, still doubting about gold or maybe bronze), which would mean it would have the sandblasted effect.

 

I think that the two-tone effect would look very nice on the back, in particular. For example, look at the Dutch Rider coin then think of your coin in antique copper (to bring out the details of the cathedral) with the knot (or parts of the knotwork) highlighted in nickel. Or the coin done in antique silver with the knot done in gold. It could be quite lovely.

 

I don't necessarily agree that having enamel colors on the front of the coin would make a two-tone be too busy; then again, though, I think it would be best to let the cathedral be done in antiquing rather than two-toning, which should not conflict with the colors. If you do any two-toning at all on the front, you might want to consider it for the lettering that's going to be in the yellow section, and done in black nickel, so that it stands out (but, warning: it might also isolate the lettering -- that is, make it stand out more than it should). BTW (edited to add this), two-toning the text of the yellow section in black nickel would approximate your original art.

 

And remember that if you two-tone the knot, you don't have the two-tone the whole thing. Just pick out specific sections of the knot -- such as the central cross figure, and perhaps the N/S/E/W letters -- and you could have something quite striking. : )

Edited by Jackalgirl
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Hi all,

 

beneath the finalized artwork for the coin. I decided not to go for the sandblasted effect as I am already having antique finishes. I'd also like to keep the backside sober, that's why I opted not to use enamel on the back (I use it on the front for the Belgian colours, it will be hard enamel).

 

coinGent.artwork2.small.jpg

 

Cheers,

 

SOSv2

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sorry, i didn't see this post before, but one big thing to consider is, if the photo is a newer one, did you take the picture? or do you have permission from the copyright holder to use the image in a geocoin? is the photo in the public domain?

 

u.s. copyright law protects even photos from derivative art works being created. not sure how european copyright works.

 

rsg

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@RedShoesGirl: I have taken this picture indeed. It's however a picture you see returning a lot of times when looking up Ghent. The three (quite old) towers are a very valuable asset which Ghent is using in the touristic sector. They are even using it in their logo towards their citizens (Visit Gent). You can find more information about the towers at for example this page.

 

Cheers,

 

SOSv2

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Hi all,

 

got some pictures of the sample coin today. I've been told the actual coin looks better in real life than the picture, so from my point of view that looks promising :laughing:

 

coinGent.silver.jpg

 

The golden version is visible on http://www.getafreecoin.be. You can let me know if you want to be notified once the coin becomes available.

 

Cheers,

 

SOSv2

 

Wow...this coin turned out well! I love the way they get the 3d art so nicely done from the pictures they receive..its an art really! Good job!

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Hi CCWashburn,

 

I have considered doing something additional to the back, but in the end I wanted to keep it simple, so the main attention goes to the front (the back would be generic if I would do other belgian cities as well).

 

The coin will indeed be trackable (tracking number will be in front of the "trackable at geocaching.com"). If you look closely, you might see that I removed the tracking number of the sample.

 

Kind regards,

 

Frederik

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Hi,

 

asked the vendor to have coloured back samples minted, as I want to have the best result possible for my coin :laughing: I also asked to have some other samples minted to see how other approaches work out, but not sure yet that they will get minted as well.

 

Beneath artwork for the coloured back sample:

 

geocoinGentColouredBack.jpg

 

I would love to see an antique silver version - I bet that would really bring out the details.

 

The picture of the sample concerns an Antique Silver coin.

 

Cheers,

 

SOSv2

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Hi,

 

asked the vendor to have coloured back samples minted, as I want to have the best result possible for my coin :laughing: I also asked to have some other samples minted to see how other approaches work out, but not sure yet that they will get minted as well.

 

Beneath artwork for the coloured back sample:

 

geocoinGentColouredBack.jpg

 

I would love to see an antique silver version - I bet that would really bring out the details.

 

The picture of the sample concerns an Antique Silver coin.

 

Cheers,

 

SOSv2

 

That is very nice!!!

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Hello all,

 

having watched the geocoin forums for some time, I believe it's time to do some Ghent Geocoin Cointest. Although the coin is still in production (some additional samples being produced), I am seriously considering to provide it with a custom icon.

 

Cointest 1:

 

Perhaps you already see where this first cointest is heading to. Until end of June (2010 of course), I will be accepting all proposals for a custom icon for this coin. I need the images in 32x32pixels, as wel as in 16x16 pixels, in the GIF format. The best proposal will be rewarded with a Ghent Coin.

 

Cointest 2:

 

A second cointest is probably only relevant for Belgian geocachers, but you never know if you are coming on holiday to Belgium :-) For the second cointest I will be accepting proposals for a new "Belgian City" geocoin. The proposal should contain a city name, accompanied with a picture (similar to Ghent and its three towers). Please also provide a small (or long) explanation of why you choose this picture. The picture should be yours (copyright laws!) or you should be explicitly allowed by the creator to use the picture for a geocoin. Once you provide me the image, you allow me to use it in a geocoin design.

Before you rush into the two cointest (or only the first one), it might be valuable to know what's actually on the Ghent geocoin. The coin contains (as can be seen on the sample) the three ancient towers of Ghent: Saint Nicholas' Church, the Belfry and Saint Bavo's Cathedral. The towers are well known and make the skyline of Ghent very recognizable. The city council even uses a drawing of the three towers as its logo.

 

There's not yet a guarantuee that there will be a custom icon or a second coin in the "Belgian City" series, but I do give the guarantuee that the best proposals of both cointests get rewarded with this coin. You are free to send as many proposals as you want, as well as being able to join both cointests. I will update the topic from time to time to post some of the incoming proposals (feel free to post them yourself in the forum as well). The "mass produced" coin is expected to be available somewhere in July (considering that I am waiting some additional samples + production will need to start after approval + shipping) The cointests will end on June 30th, after which I will announce the winners.

 

If you want to be updated when this coin is ready, you can subscribe yourself on http://www.getafreecoin.be. You can send your proposals to info [at] getafreecoin.be

 

Hope you like the cointest!

 

SOSv2

Edited by SOSv2
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To the moderator: Is it possible to change the topic title and description, as it is no more accurate.

 

Preferably:

Topic Title: Belgium City Series: Ghent Geocoin

Topic Description: Cointest on #26

 

You can remove this entry once done (if possible). Tried to find info on whether I can do it myself, but did not find something.

 

Thanks!

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Title updated at Op's request.

Note: to have your titles updated, simply click on report on your original post and let us know what you want your new title to read. This gives us a link right to the thread, for faster, speedier service! :ph34r:

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Decisions have been made and the order has been placed. In total, 150 coins will be produced, they will be distributed as an incentive (free) at two shops.

 

Antique Gold, Antique Silver and Antique Bronze will be made with a soft enamel coloured back. Currently, each will be minted in an amount of 45. A Silver edition will be made with a hard enamel back. It will be minted in 15 pieces (not distributed via getafreecoin.be)

 

Except for drneal, there has not been much reaction yet to the cointests. So if drneal provides his proposal in 16*16 and 32*32 pixels, it looks good for him :-)

 

Sizes of the images should be:

icon32.gif & icon16.gif

 

To drneal: thanks for participating. The pixel limitation actually means the width and height of a picture. In most painting programs, you can define this width and height. This is a limitation made by Groundspeak. Often a picture looks great in high measurement, but if you make it 16 or 32 pixels, you can hardly imagine what the picture was supposed to be. The pictures might be used as an icon for the coin. But by sending a 16 and 32 pixels proposal, you are in for the first coin.

 

The coins that will be given away, are silver edition coins. They are currently limited (although there's no commitment that it will be a LE).

 

coins_overview.jpg

 

Cheers,

 

SOSv2

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Hello my friend!

 

I do not know at all how to make small icons and the pixel things...

 

I tried to make some but I am not sure that they are the right size! I was minimizing the photos and with the eye and how my PC was taking it I may did something to see how it will look in smaller!

 

I did DrNeal's suggestion (it was in my thoughts too! Other was the flag of Gent or the the symbol of the municipality there, which was a stylish way of the 3 towers... but it didn't look nice and I deleted it)

 

So... here it is: :rolleyes:

 

icons.jpg

 

lion.jpg

Edited by GATOULIS
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How about that? As I said for the others, I do not know if this is the right size! I hope at least it is close to the real size! :blink:

 

The small size is a little bit too large, but heck, I will not discuss about only one or two pixels :-) It's in for the competition :-)

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Ok..... I used your design for the front side of the coin, and took it from your post 1! I couldn't take the first one because it was your name on the design and it might change the design when I would try to minimize it! :blink:

 

Anyway, I hope it is ok! :mad:

 

Here are the icons:

 

02FRONT2.jpg02FRONT.jpg

 

As a second try, I found in the net a photo of Gent! I made icons from it but I do not know if that is ok...legal etc!

 

gent08-01-1.jpg4-1.jpg

Edited by GATOULIS
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To summarize some things: I currently have 6 proposals from 3 people for Cointest 1. The photo proposal is not participating due to copyright. Beneath the overview. You are still welcome to send your proposals until end of June 30th. Less than 2 weeks to go!

 

proposals.jpg

 

Next to visiting our website http://www.getafreecoin.be (to be updated in the next month), you can now also become a fan of 'Get a Free Coin' on Facebook. Become a fan on this link.

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June 30th is history so it's time to announce who won the cointest. It was not an easy decision, but I like the design of Ian1959 the most. Therefore Ian1959 wins cointest 1 and will receive a modern silver version that I will send by mail once they arrive (estimated to arrive somewhere within the next two weeks). @Ian1959: Just let me know your address (via PM or info@getafreecoin.be) and I will let you know when posted.

 

There were not so many participants, so as a thank you for those who participated, I will put two other activated geocoins into the game (I will drop them somewhere in Belgium). I will give them the goal to arrive in a cache of choice of GATOULIS & drneal. I will let them adopt the coin as well. When they are able to pick it up (in the defined cache or in any other), they may keep it or let it travel (up to them).

 

No-one participated to cointest 2, so no coins distributed there.

 

Coins were sent from the US beginning of this week, so they will be available very soon!

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Congratulations to Ian1959! :D

 

thnak you SOSv2 For the cointest and for the great offer with the traveller coins! :D Youy are very generous! :D

 

Oh! none was participating in the other cointest?? I had some ideas but I didn't have photos so... :(

 

But Belgians would had photos for the Venice of North (Bruges) and the Belfry, or Antwerp and the beautiful townhall or the Cathedral of our Lady and for the other side of the coin the story of the Giant and the roman soldier... (the sculpture in front of the town hall), or Brussels where you can put so many things on a coin.... from buildings or you can put the Atomium which is in heysel park and on the other side... what else... the famous Manneken piss!!! :lol: Lovely fountain! :lol: Hey... do not ask about icon if you make the Brussels coin! The symbol of the city (Iris) is fantastic for Icon! :)

 

anyway! I hope the coin to reach me one day! :lol: It will be the first Belgian geocoin in my small collection! :D

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June 30th is history so it's time to announce who won the cointest. It was not an easy decision, but I like the design of Ian1959 the most. Therefore Ian1959 wins cointest 1 and will receive a modern silver version that I will send by mail once they arrive (estimated to arrive somewhere within the next two weeks). @Ian1959: Just let me know your address (via PM or info@getafreecoin.be) and I will let you know when posted.

 

Holy smoke, I beat GATOULIS ! :( Miracles never cease !

 

Thank you so much for the cointest, it's a nice geocoin and it deserves a great icon :) to go with it.

 

Contact details sent, thank you ! Woooooooooooot !

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Hurray,

 

the coins arrived yesterday and we are now waiting for the final cards that will accompany the coins. All of this means that the coins will be available end of this week or latest the week after (at our two partners and some for sale).

 

I also decided that I will go ahead with the icon. I have adapted the icon of Ian1959 a little bit and added "Gent" to the 32pixel icon. I will soon submit it to be added to the coin itself (currently it's still the custom icon). The icons will be:

 

prop4.32.gifprop4.16.gif

 

I have also released the first coin of the final batch. You can find it back under this link.

 

@GATOULIS & @drneal: let me know which cache you want your coin to be heading to, and I will release them asap.

 

Cheers,

 

SOSv2

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glad i checked out this post today! thanks for the cointest...If the post remains open, I'll post updates on the coins whereabouts...final destination.............chiro-cache 1, just for fun, redone (GC1DPA6 )!

 

ILYK
Edited by drneal
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I do not have my own cache... yet, but there is one that is close to me! Right now the owner put a note not to drop coins there because there is a thief! Definatelly not a local geocacher because I am the only one here, but a muggle or a cheater geocacher...

I hope things will clear up soon, so.. I will give this cache as a goal! If the coin reaches Rhodes during summer it is the closest one to me so...

 

Ok, the goal is to reach the Island of Rhodes in Greece, in the cache : Ancient Stadium & Ancient Odeon/Theatre of Rhodes (GC1Q2R3).

 

WOW! They came!! B) and which one is your favorite? :blink: Bronze looks nice! :D

 

By modern silver you mean polished silver or satin silver? From the photo is seems like satin silver but I am not so sure... I even have problems to identify the antique bronze from the antique gold in some coins! ;)

 

Once again thank you my friend! :D

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The labels arrived as well. Last step on the to-do: get the new site up and running (hopefully in the coming week). After that: off the free coins go!

 

I will post Ians coin asap, and let the others travel as well.

 

The coin for GATOULIS is TB3RZJB. The one for drneal is TB3RZP3.

 

Thanks all for participating!

 

SOSv2

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