A custom physical pre-production sample may be available, but it adds both cost and production time. The standard approval process is a digital artwork proof, which every order includes.
The digital proof is a rendered image of both faces showing the design, text, plating, finish and enamel colours as they will be produced. Nothing is manufactured until you approve it in writing, and revisions are unlimited and free. For the large majority of orders, including unit coins, retirement coins and department coins at 50 to 500 pieces, this is what buyers work from.
A physical sample is a different thing: an actual struck coin from the die, reviewed in hand before the full run. It is worth asking about in three situations:
- Very large orders, where an error multiplies across thousands of pieces
- Precise brand colour matching, where enamel has to sit against a printed standard
- A recurring annual coin, where the first run sets the reference for every year that follows
Against that, the added lead time usually costs more in schedule than it saves in risk. On a fixed event date it is rarely the right trade.
If you want one, ask at the quote stage rather than after artwork approval, so the cost and the extra days can be built into the timeline.
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