Recommended Custom Geocoin Supplier

[+mzairboy]

Am looking for a good supplier for custom geocoins. Any suggestions? What is a reasonable cost for a custom geocoin? Thanks

[+Chi-Town Cacher]

Am looking for a good supplier for custom geocoins. Any suggestions? What is a reasonable cost for a custom geocoin? Thanks

Hi. I don't have an answer to your question since I'm kind of new around here, but if you look at the stickied topics at the top of this page I think there's a thread up there that can help you out. I suspect they are just trying to keep the forum itself from turning into nothing but a free advertising venue for manufacturers and that's why they prefer folks to just review the stickied topic up top to find info on vendors. Good luck in your search for information.

[+Jackalgirl]

Michigan Cacheman is totally right on all counts. Here's a link to the pinned (or "sticky") thread at the top of the forum that lists approved vendors/manufacturers.

 

Edited to add:

----------------

 

You also asked "what's a reasonable price for a geocoin?" The answer is "it depends", unfortunately. There are no hard & fast rules. The cost of the coin is driven by:

 

o the size: 1" (micro), 1.5", 1.75", 2"? More?

o the plating. Bronze? Gold? Silver? Nickel? Is it antiqued? Dyed?

o the enamel. Soft enamel or imitation hard enamel?

o the enamel, part II: glow in the dark? Pearlescent? Glitter?

o other features: does it have 3D features on it? Are there holes or cutouts? Is it a suncatcher?

p what about the shape -- round? Or shaped in some way? Are there glass gems in the coin?

o is it trackable?

o does it have a custom icon?

o more other features: does it have stuff dangling off of it? Do parts spin or turn? Is it hinged? Is it multipart (that is, multiple pieces go together in the coin)? Are magnets involved?

o what's the material? Assuming it's not the standard bronze-core coin, what is it? Zinc? Glass? Ceramic? Coal? Pewter?

o is the coin hand-made or does it require a lot of hands-on finishing? Is it die struck, die cast, spin-cast?

o do you have a reputation as a high-quality designer, and if you're selling the coins on your own, do you have a reputation as a high-quality vendor?

 

Your standard 1" regular soft or imitation hard enamel trackable coins (with a bronze core) usually run in the neighborhood of $5-6. I don't see too many 1.5" coins; most of the coins these days are around 1.75" and run anywhere from $8-10ish. Standard coin features that cost extra (and drive up the price): cutouts, holes, odd shapes, edging. Suncatchers might run $12-15 (or more), depending on the complexity. If you have separate pieces, each is going to require a separate set of dies, so that's going to add to the cost too (and the vendor/mint will probably charge you a bit extra for assembly) -- the most expensive new coins I've seen are the working models of navigational equipment (Nocturnals, the Cosmolabs, etc). Coins with custom icons are normal. If you /don't/ have a custom icon, you should expect to charge a bit less for the coin. If it's not trackable, you won't be able to sell it here (but it also will cost you $1.50 less per coin, the cost of the codes).

 

If you're brand-spanking new to the market, the very best thing you can do is talk to the different vendors about the option in which they sell your coin (for their own profit) and pay you in coins. You can opt for standard coins, but the usual practice is to get an "Artist's Edition", which is a special plating/color combo. The number of coins you get depends on how many the company sells, or thinks they can sell. Ask around, look at the example coins, and you should get a sense for who'd be the best fit. You can sell your Artist's Editions (and if you're new, I'd recommend that you wait until you have them in hand).

 

Once you've been around for a while and have done several coins, people will get to know you -- and you can start branching out into your own sales.

 

I hope this helps!

Edited September 4, 2009 by Jackalgirl

[+Ashallond]

wait, you can try to design a coin without having to put down a big down payment and/or paying for them yourselves?

 

even if the coin sale completely flops?

[+Eartha]

Please see the pinned threads at the top of these forums. Contact some of the Groundspeak approved vendors to discuss the coin costs. We don't leave threads like these open, because it leads to advertising. The pinned threads at the top of these forums provide a lot of information, including the geocoin forum guidelines, and Groundspeak's Current Coin Tracking Policy (getting tracking numbers). You can also check the link in my signature to the Groundspeak Knowledge Base.

Closing this thread.