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How to Set Up Challenge Coin Artwork for Minting

04/25/2026

A crisp, well-struck coin starts with artwork built for metal, not for screen. Setting it up right takes a few minutes and avoids a round of revisions — and if you’d rather not, our artists will handle it for you free.

Here’s the short checklist we use.

Start with clean vector art

Coins are struck from a die, so line art needs to be crisp and simple enough to render in raised and recessed metal. Vector files (AI, EPS, PDF, SVG) are ideal because they stay sharp at coin size. If you only have a photo or a low-res logo, send it anyway — we’ll rebuild it mint-ready at no charge.

Think in relief and enamel areas

Decide what stands up in metal (text, emblems, borders) and what gets filled with enamel color. Keep fine text large enough to strike cleanly, avoid crowding the face, and leave a readable border — a clean coin with a strong central emblem always strikes better than a busy one.

Specify colors, plating, and edge

Give your enamel colors as Pantone (PMS) references so we match them exactly, choose a plating that fits the mood, and pick an edge — standard, rope, diamond-cut, or oblique — plus any add-ons like sequential numbering or an epoxy dome. Unsure? Tell us the use and we’ll recommend a full spec on the proof.

Send your logo or crest in any format and we’ll return a mint-ready, proofed coin design within one business day — revisions always free.

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