A company anniversary coin marks a milestone such as a founding date or a long-service year, and it can show a building instead of a logo. This coin shows the 1930 A.E. Staley headquarters in Decatur, Illinois, etched on one face with engraved inscriptions on the other.
Putting a Building on the Coin
Most corporate challenge coins show a logo. This one shows a building. We made it for a food and beverage company.
What’s on the coin:
- Front face. The A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company headquarters in Decatur, Illinois, which opened in 1930. Locals know it as the Castle in the Cornfields.
- Detail. The building is drawn in fine detail across a plain field, with no enamel (colored fill).
- Lettering. Raised letters give the company name above the building and the city below.
- Rim. A wide plain rim frames the face in a silver-toned finish.
- Back. Engraved inscriptions.
Employees may feel little about a logo, since it belongs to the company. A building is where people spent years of their working lives. For a workforce with long tenure, it can land with more feeling. A company anniversary coin built around it can give the date and the place a shape.
Buyers in other industries can try the same idea. Look for the object your people would recognize from the parking lot. It might be a plant, a campus, a tower, a bridge, a piece of equipment, a ship or a rig. If one exists, it could make a stronger corporate heritage coin than a logo would.
Fine Line Work Suits a Building
A building is made of fine lines. It has window grids, cornices, a roofline and a strong vertical rhythm. Enamel sits in small recessed cells with thin metal walls. Lines this fine and dense wouldn’t fit inside them. So the artists build the image in the metal itself, using lighter and darker areas to show depth. That technique is called etching, and it lets rows of windows read clearly at 1.75 inches.
A coin without color looks calmer than an enameled one. It may not stand out from across a room. That quiet look can suit a heritage piece, since people tend to hold it and study the details up close. A conference giveaway usually needs more color to get noticed.
If you’re considering a similar building coin, ask us about etched and engraved finishes when you request a proof. A proof is a digital preview of your design. It shows how your building will read at coin size before production starts.
Why Food Manufacturing Orders Coins
Food manufacturing often has long-service workforces, plant towns and strong safety cultures. Those conditions can lead to recognition coins. Four situations often call for a company milestone coin:
- Long service. Tenures can run for decades, and an employee recognition coin can give each one a marker.
- Plant towns. A site can be the center of a community, and several generations of one family may work there.
- Safety milestones. Records such as days without an incident are a source of pride, and a coin can give them a physical form.
- Site closures and consolidations. These happen in the industry, and a coin can give people something to keep.
The nearest comparable industry is brewing. See a brewing company coin in brushed brass.
Getting the Inscription Right
Engraved text is cut into the metal and stays there, so the wording matters. On an engraved corporate coin, settle these points before artwork starts:
- Whose words these are. The inscription can speak for the company or for the site.
- Whether the date range is open or closed. A closed range can read as a memorial.
- Whether individual names go on. Names can raise the cost and rule out a single die, the metal stamp that presses the design into the coin.
Shorter wording reads best on a quiet coin. Send your draft and we’ll lay it out on the proof for review.
Order Coins for Your Company
We create your artwork at no charge. You can ask for as many revisions as you need before production begins. You’ll approve a digital proof first. If your anniversary date is close, rush production is available.
The minimum is 50 coins, and shipping within the continental US is free. Embleholics is veteran-owned and registered in SAM.gov as a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB).
Planning a manufacturing plant coin, or a coin with a building or piece of equipment on it? Send photographs from more than one angle. Our artists draw each subject from your images, so more views help.
Ready to start? Request a free quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a company anniversary coin?
A company anniversary coin marks a milestone such as a founding date, a site opening or a long-service year. It can show a logo, a building or an inscription. We design each one around what your people recognize.
Can you put a building on a challenge coin?
Yes. We draw the building from your photographs and render it in fine line detail. Send images from several angles so the artist can capture the rooflines, windows and proportions.
Is a logo or a building better on a corporate coin?
It depends on who receives the coin. A building can suit a long-tenured workforce, and a logo can suit a coin meant for customers or the public. If your people have strong feelings about a site, the building may be the better choice.
What is etching on a challenge coin?
Etching forms an image from fine lines in the metal, with no enamel color. It can suit detailed line work such as architecture. Ask us for a proof to see how your design reads.
Can we engrave names on company coins?
Yes, though individual names can add cost and can rule out a single shared die. A shared inscription, such as a site name and a date range, can keep the cost lower. Tell us the count and we can quote both options.
Do food and beverage companies use challenge coins?
Yes. Food and beverage companies order coins for long-service milestones, plant anniversaries, safety records and site transitions. We can build a design around a plant, a product or an inscription.
What photographs do you need to draw a building?
Send photographs from more than one angle, taken in clear light. Include the full facade and close views of windows, rooflines and entrances. Historic images can help too.
How many coins do we have to order?
The minimum order is 50 coins. For a heritage piece, count the people who worked at the site and add a margin in case the count grows.
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