Press Golf Co.

Coin Design System

The coin is equipment, not merch. Everything below is driven by one requirement: four people standing around a tee box must read the result instantly.

Obverse — “T” side

Reverse — “A” side

Why two metals. The T side is gold, the A side is nickel. From three feet away on grass, in a cart shadow, half the group can't read a letter — but nobody misreads gold vs silver. This is the single most important decision on the whole coin, and it costs almost nothing.

Non-negotiables

Five rules the coin has to obey

01Readable at three feet, upside down. The letter occupies roughly half the coin face. Everything else is secondary. If the T and A aren't instant, the game stalls on every hole.

02Two different metals. Gold obverse, nickel reverse. Colour does the work when the letter is at a bad angle or the light is flat.

03Reeded edge. Grooves give wet or gloved hands grip for the flip, and it's the detail that makes a coin feel struck rather than stamped.

04Symmetrical weight. No cutouts, no off-centre mass. If the coin favours a side, the game is broken and someone will notice by the back nine.

05Numbered. Edition numbers turn a novelty into a collectible, and collectibles are what stop subscription churn.

Manufacturing

Spec sheet

Hand this to any challenge-coin manufacturer. These are standard, quotable specs — nothing exotic, nothing that inflates tooling cost.

Attribute	Spec	Why
Diameter	40 mm	Big enough to read, still pockets easily. Ball-marker coins (25 mm) are too small to flip.
Thickness	3.5 mm	Gives it weight in the hand. 3 mm feels cheap; 4 mm+ adds cost for little gain.
Base metal	Brass, die struck	Takes fine relief. Avoid zinc alloy — softer detail, dents on cart paths.
Plating	Dual: antique gold / antique nickel	One side each. Antique finish hides scratches; polished shows every one.
Edge	Reeded (diamond cut)	Grip and perceived quality.
Relief	2D, dual level	3D sculpting doubles tooling cost and isn't needed for type-led design.
Enamel	Hard enamel, 1–2 colours max	Polished flush, premium feel. Soft enamel is recessed and collects grit.
Min. stroke width	0.3 mm	Anything thinner fills in during striking. Kills hairline serifs and thin script.
Min. type size	6 pt	Below this, letters close up. Applies to the handle and edition number.
Artwork format	Vector, outlined, 1:1	Fonts converted to paths. Mints will not accept live text.
Packaging	Rigid sleeve + card	The card carries the month's rules — that's what makes it a ritual, not a trinket.

Tooling

One-time die fee, roughly $50–150 per side. Often waived above 500 units — always ask.

Unit cost

Expect $2.50–4.50 at 500 pieces for these specs. Below 250 the per-unit price climbs sharply.

Lead time

2–4 weeks production plus freight. Sea freight adds 4–6 weeks; air is worth it for drop one.

First order

Order 500. It clears most tooling fees, and 12 months of subscribers plus retail will absorb it.

The monthly variable

What changes, what never does

Subscription products fail when every drop looks unrelated. Lock the architecture and vary only the marked zone — the shelf of twelve should read as one set.

Never changes

Diameter, thickness, edge, the T and A letterforms, the brand arc, dual-metal split. This is the chassis.

Changes monthly

The reverse field art, series and month, edition number, and the collaborator credit line.

Credit line

Handle set in 6 pt minimum around the lower arc. Keep it on the nickel side so the gold face stays pure brand.

Series marks

Number them 01–12. A missing coin in a display case is the best retention tool you have.

Before you commission any collaborator artwork. Get a signed licence covering the territory, the term, and the specific uses — coin, packaging, web, paid ads, and resale. A verbal yes for “a coin” does not cover a Meta ad two years later. Assign all artwork to the LLC in writing; without it the illustrator owns the design, not you. And keep the spicier reverse art on its own storefront and payment processor, so a single processor review can never freeze the apparel and app side of the business.

Drop one

What I'd actually ship first

Make the first coin the plainest one you'll ever make: gold T, nickel A, brand arc, “SERIES 01”, numbered to 500. No collaborator. It's the reference every later coin is judged against, it's the one that goes in the press kit, and it can't be held up by a licence negotiation.

Sell the flaw. Number them, cap it at 500, and say so. “Series 01, 500 struck, never struck again” is worth more than any design flourish — and it costs nothing.

Deliverables to send the mint

Artwork checklist

☐Vector file (.ai or .eps), 1:1 at 40 mm, all type outlined

☐Separate artboards for obverse and reverse

☐Pantone references for any enamel colour

☐Callout of plating per side — gold obverse, nickel reverse

☐Edge treatment noted: reeded, diamond cut

☐Sequential numbering instruction and range

☐Request a physical sample before the full run — always