Perth, Western Australia Geocoin

[+aussie-O's]

I am in the process of gauging market interest (to use some VERY technical terms). I am designing a new Perth Geocoin, and was wondering how many people would be interested in buying it. THIS IS NOT YET OUT as it is in the development and planning stages. I don't have any images as yet, but if interest is high, I will post some up. They would be on sale for approx. $10AU excluding postage and handling. Please be mindful of shipping, as I am in Australia.

Edited May 6, 2010 by aussie-O's

[+Eartha]

Most people would like to know what it looks like before they know if they will like it enough to buy it, so without pictures, it's going to be hard for anyone to know if they like it.

[+Crowesfeat30]

Yes, even a rough draft would be nice.

 

CF30

[+MustangJoni]

I agree with the two above posts. It is very hard to gauge interest in a coin that you can't see.

[+ECplus3]

There are some folks that will buy a coin unseen if it fits in with their collection (like me and Dutch coins). But the majority of collectors buy based on looks, not subject matter.

 

Good luck with the design. Hope to see some images soon.

[+Jackalgirl]

Just wanted to add my "ditto" to everyone else's comment re: needing to see some images. I am always interested in coins in general, but what interests me in particular is the design.

[+aussie-O's]

Edited May 6, 2010 by aussie-O's

[+gardengorilla]

Hey, Aussie-O's you may have to explain your design a bit. I'll start with the front because I don't have a clue what the back is myself!

Front: Black Swan..bird of Western Australia. Perth is situated on the Swan River and we have a lot of these crazy black swans. And of course the recognizable Perth Skyline above the river. But I don't know why the Swan is swimming in yellow. I would leave that one blue.

Sorry I can't help out on the Back.

[haysonics]

But I don't know why the Swan is swimming in yellow. I would leave that one blue.

 

Maybe the pre-schoolers have been swimming in there again ?

[+GeocoinGuy]

I saw the swan and immediately thought of the Loon from Chargeman's personal coin...

 

~J

[+Labrador Wild Man]

Do not forget the personnel ICON has well!

 

some come out very nice and well worth it

 

LWM

Edited May 7, 2010 by Labrador Wild Man

[+Jackalgirl]

Once again, ditto on the other comments; since the drawing itself is very sketchy, some explanation as to the elements and their meaning would be very helpful. What's the final size of the coin?

[+aussie-O's]

I will produce a better computer copy on Monday. The coin will be 3cm in diameter. The flag on the back is the Australian aboriginal flag, commemorating the people whose land we are on. The black swan is the symbol of western Australia, and specifically Perth. The black swan is normally put against a yellow background, but if no-one likes it, it can be changed. the black swan is a beautiful creature, and sits on the swan river, which is represented by the blue streak. The skyline is the Perth skyline. If there are any suggestions for the coin, or who is a good geocoin manafacturer, please tell me.

[+Jackalgirl]

Am I correct in understanding that it'll be slight more than 1 1/8" in diameter? (I'm using Google to convert from metric to Imperial)

 

What other features will the coin use? Cutouts? IHE? I ask because approx. US $9.50 is a lot for a coin that isn't even 1 1/4" in diameter. Is this going to be a fundraiser for a charity, or something along those lines?

 

I'm afraid we can't really recommend geocoin manufacturers here; however, if you check the pinned thread at the top of the Forum, you'll get a list of the Groundspeak-approved vendors, many of whom will do custom coin work.

 

Thanks for the explanation of the elements -- I'm looking forward to seeing a somewhat clearer plan for the design.

[+aussie-O's]

The expense is partly due to the shipping to Australia costs.

[+Jackalgirl]

If I might make a suggestion: look into going ot a mint directly. It's pretty daunting for the unitiated, but if what you're facing is that you're going to have to pay two-way shipping fees (shipping from China to the US, shipping to Australia from the US), then working directly with the mints is something you should consider. It just doesn't make sense to have your coins go all the way around the globe when you're on the same side of the planet as most of the mints.

 

Other options: ask vendors if they'd be willing to have the finished coins shipped directly to you from the mint. That would save the travel time /and/ cut down the cost.

 

Yet another option is, if you think the majority of your customers will be in North America and/or Europe, is to see if a vendor would be willing to sell the coins (and, more importantly, pack and ship them) for you. Some vendors offer the option to do this, for which they pay you in free coins; some vendors might pay you an agreed-upon amount for the design, and some might split the profit -- you'd just have to ask.

 

One of these methods should help bring the price down, because I don't think that you'll get a lot of customers when you're charging what is, essentially, a regular-size coin price (middle-to-high price, actually) for a coin that's slightly larger than what's considered to be a micro coin.

 

Good luck!

[+aussie-O's]

I have decided to put a halt to this, due to global finacial uncertainty. I probably will start this again if and when the global finacial status improves.