When the El Paso, Texas Fire Department needed a new coin to present to it’s training graduates, they commissioned Challenge Coins Limited to come up with a unique design that portrayed not only their recognizable logo, but also their core values. The El Paso logo is quite intricate, which created a “challenge” for the design department as far as fitting each element on a coin.

Gold plated custom challenge coins for El Paso, Texas Fire Department. Click the coin image above for detailed view.

When a challenge coin is deigned, the actual specifications of manufacturing capability must be adhered to. What does this really mean? Well, you can’t simply slap a logo on an artwork file for production and just hope it turns out well. Metal line thicknesses are critical when it comes to a finished coin looking good. A quick glance at the El Paso example to the left reveals very small details within the reverse side. Knowing the manufacturing limits is critical for such detail to turn out well.

On the other hand, there is quite a bit of small text in the lower “International Accredited Agency” seal near the bottom. This small wording is actually beyond the minimum requirements for line thickness. The solution: silk screening. Silk screening very small text is noting new and quite common, especially in lapel pin manufacturing. This technique applies the desired color to the surface metal of the coin. Before you ask, we’ll let you know that silk screened text, or imagery, is very durable – it does not scratch off.

To make this challenge coin even more distinctive, we created a custom edge just for this coin. The edge is actually an adaptation of a “Rope Edge” that is fairly common on some custom made challenge coins.

Challenge Coins Limited is able to tackle just about any design issue that may arise when composing your coin. With industry-leading options and helpful tips on ordering your coins, the process is a breeze!