A custom shape changes the coin’s outer edge, so the coin itself is not round. A cutout removes metal from inside the coin, creating open voids you can see through. They are separate options and can be used together.

  • Custom shape. The outline follows your design: a badge shape, an arrowhead, a state outline, an aircraft silhouette, a shield. The coin remains a solid piece of metal; only the perimeter changes.
  • Cutout. Areas within the coin are removed entirely, leaving open space. Common uses are the negative space inside lettering, the gaps in a crest, the space between a spread eagle’s wings, or a shape cut clean through the center. Light passes through, which is why cutouts read so strongly in the hand.

Used together, a coin can have both a shaped outline and internal voids, such as a sword-shaped coin with cutouts along the blade.

The design consideration with cutouts is structural. The strips of metal left between voids are the weak points, so a designer will widen thin bridges during the design stage. That’s a normal adjustment, not a rejection of the concept.

Both options add cost over a standard round coin, because the die work is more involved.

Almost nobody in the industry explains this distinction. See shaped and cutout coins in our gallery or request a free quote.