Ballpark Cost of Making a Coin

[+tachoknight]

Hi all-

 

So I've gone rather quickly from "oh, look, a coin in the cache...huh...it says I can track it online..." to "I want to make my own!!!!!" in a rather short period of time.

 

I know there are a *lot* of factors involved, and that your mileage may vary wildly in terms of cost, but I was hoping to see if there was a general cost range, so as to decide how far I want to take the idea. Is $200 for a run of a coin too much, too low...? I can see how a run of some coins could probably be $1000 or more in terms of color, detailing, etc., but I actually have absolutely no basis for that particular figure...I just pulled it out of thin air as a "wow...that coin's gotta cost a lot!" number.

 

I have a number of ideas that I'd like to pursue, but I'd be really disappointed to have gotten the design I want, everything lined up, and then be presented with an enormous bill that would drive my wife bananas.

 

I guess the more succinct question is: what's the least amount of money you can spend for making a coin run that would be trackable. I understand that cheap does not necessarily equal quality, I understand that cheap does not make for a Scavok-quality coin; I just wanted to get a baseline that I could use and go from there.

 

Thanks.

[+The Moop Along]

As a coin customer who has made lots of coins, I would say that for a fully trackable coin with custom icon, you're looking at $600+. That's a ballpark minimum guess.

 

As a coin manufacturer, I would say check the pinned thread at the top of the forums. Drop a note to some vendors, have them send you some examples, describe what's in your mind (if only briefly), and they can ballpark you better numbers. It's never a bother to pull some numbers together to show you where you land.

 

TMA

[+ThirstyMick]

I'd agree with Moop Along, email some vendors and see what they tell you.

 

Trackability and Icon are cool and support the site, but also add a lot in terms of cost. Ordering more coins will decrease the price per coin, because of the die cost as well as the icon cost (if you go that route)

 

I don't really know a general range, but if you want a specific example, my own personal is 1.75" with 10-11 colors in tiny spots, and I thought I got a great deal. They were <$1000 for 250 coins (I think $3.90 per coin) but they aren't trackable. Glitters and glow in the dark and other special things cost a little bit more, but I don't think the special versions of my coin with glitters came out to that much more than the regular ones. Just a few cents per, and I believe the difference in cost was mostly due to ordering fewer of them. If the mint has to make 15 of one color scheme, they will charge more for them. I'd advise, if you're already spending so much, don't compromise on your design to save a few dollars, get something you're really happy with.

[+drneal]

add in the cost of a thicker coin, shaped vs. round, how intricate the design, how many colors, how many diffferent metals you want the coin made in, designer costs (if like me, you're not that artistically inclined,) and it becomes easy to end up with $1500-$2000 for 250 coins. As ThirstyMick said, don't sacrifice your design over a couple of dollars, but I'll add, don't spend more than your pocketbook can allow.

 

If there's a coin out there that you really like, find out who produced the coin and have a chat with them, but as the moop along suggested, get a couple of quotes and ideas from different manufacturers.

 

Hope this helps!

 

ILYK

[+anne.and.eli]

Also, talk to vendors about "partner" coins. They sell the coins, and you get some of the coins as payment. If you're interested in just getting a coin idea out there, this is probably one of the easiest ways to get started.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Hi all-

 

So I've gone rather quickly from "oh, look, a coin in the cache...huh...it says I can track it online..." to "I want to make my own!!!!!" in a rather short period of time.

 

I know there are a *lot* of factors involved, and that your mileage may vary wildly in terms of cost, but I was hoping to see if there was a general cost range, so as to decide how far I want to take the idea. Is $200 for a run of a coin too much, too low...? I can see how a run of some coins could probably be $1000 or more in terms of color, detailing, etc., but I actually have absolutely no basis for that particular figure...I just pulled it out of thin air as a "wow...that coin's gotta cost a lot!" number.

 

I have a number of ideas that I'd like to pursue, but I'd be really disappointed to have gotten the design I want, everything lined up, and then be presented with an enormous bill that would drive my wife bananas.

 

I guess the more succinct question is: what's the least amount of money you can spend for making a coin run that would be trackable. I understand that cheap does not necessarily equal quality, I understand that cheap does not make for a Scavok-quality coin; I just wanted to get a baseline that I could use and go from there.

 

Thanks.

Well, if you want to start from scratch, I'd say the $600-$1000 range is about right. On the other hand, if you see some of the Group Projects that have been done, you can get a custom version of those in the $200-$300 range, for 50 coins. The dies are already made, you pick your color, finish, and maybe add a personalized screenprint, then have them made.