FREE ONLINE CHALLENGE COIN DESIGNER
Pick your shape, plating, edge, and text. Add icons or upload your own image. Toggle between front and back. When you're happy, submit for a free quote — we'll send a refined production proof within 24 hours. No sign-up. No credit card. Free to use forever.
Building on this gallery piece. Sketch out your own take — we'll send a free proof when you submit.
44mm diameter · 3.5mm thick
Heavier coins feel premium — 4.0mm adds noticeable weight in hand.
Each enamel color is hand-filled at the factory. We bump this whenever your design needs more.
Don't know where to start? Pick a preset layout — military, fire, corporate, retirement, and more. You can fully customize it after.
Polished, unadorned rim — the cleanest, most traditional look.
Tip: drag icons/images on the canvas. Add text up top. Toggle between Front and Back to design both sides.
Can't quite capture your vision in the designer? No problem. Our designer is a great starting point, but some designs need a human touch. Send us a sketch, photo, description, or reference image and we'll create a professional proof for you — free, no obligation.
Call/text (619) 892-8508, WhatsApp for fastest response, or email quotes@thecoinlockerco.com.
DESIGN YOUR OWN CHALLENGE COIN ONLINE — FREE
The Coin Locker designer is a real online challenge coin maker — not a form that emails our staff. Open the tool, pick from 8 coin shapes, swap between 11 plating finishes, type your unit name on a curved arc, drop in icons or your own uploaded logo, and watch the coin take shape in real time. When you're done, you've got a production-ready visual that our team can take straight to tooling. No sign-up, no credit card, no friction. It's the fastest way to go from idea to here's exactly what I want.
WHY WE BUILT IT
With most coin companies, the process starts with an email and a lot of back and forth with an in-house artist. You write a paragraph. You wait a day or two. They send a sketch that's almost-but-not-quite what you meant. You write back with corrections. Repeat for a week. It works, but it's slow, it puts the artist between you and your idea, and it makes ordering a coin feel like hiring a contractor.
We built the designer because we'd been on the customer side of that process for twenty years in the Navy. There was no reason it had to be that slow. So we built an online coin design tool that puts the shapes, platings, fonts, edges, and color fills directly in your hands. You design the coin. Our team handles the production prep — line weights, color calibration, file conversion. The concept stays yours.
WHAT THE DESIGNER CAN DO
- 8 coin shapes — round, shield, dog tag, hex, and custom outlines.
- 11 plating finishes — polished and antique gold, silver, bronze, copper, plus black nickel and dual-plate combos.
- 5 edge styles — smooth, rope cut, reeded, wave, cross-cut.
- Two-sided design — toggle front and back, design both independently.
- Curved text — type your unit, command, or company name on top and bottom arcs.
- Icon library — drop in tactical, military, and corporate icons from our library.
- Image upload — upload your logo, patch art, hand sketch, or photograph.
- Color fills — pick enamel colors for any recessed area.
- Production-ready output — the generated proof has the resolution and structure we need to take it to tooling.
- Auto-save — close the tab, come back, your design is still there.
HOW IT WORKS
Open the designer (you're already here). Use the side panel to set your base coin: shape, size, plating, edge. Click the front face to add text or icons; click the back to design the reverse. Drag elements around, scale them with the corner handles, change colors with the inline picker. When you're satisfied, hit submit — you'll be asked for an email and a few specs (quantity, deadline), then we take it from there. A real production proof from our designers lands in your inbox within 24 hours, and you own unlimited free revisions until it's exactly right. No payment until you approve the final art.
FREE, NO SIGN-UP, FOREVER
You don't need to register an account, hand over an email, or save a credit card to use the designer. Open it, build whatever you want, leave when you're done. The only time you'll be asked for contact info is when you decide you want a real production proof — at that point we need an email to send it to. The tool stays free for everyone, forever — including folks who use it to mock up coins they end up ordering somewhere else (though we'd obviously love to be the ones who actually make it).
OTHER WAYS TO START
Not sure what you want? Browse our gallery of recent custom challenge coin projects and click "Customize this design" on anything that's close — the designer opens with that piece pinned as inspiration. Want to skip the tool entirely and just describe what you want? Send a free quote request with a sketch or a description and we'll handle the rest.
Learn more about custom challenge coin construction options, the full ordering process, or who we are at The Coin Locker — a veteran-owned shop.
DESIGNER FAQ
Is the online coin designer really free?
Yes — completely free, no sign-up, no credit card, no email required to use it. You only share your contact info if you decide to submit your design for a refined production proof. The tool is free forever; we only ask you to register interest when you're ready to actually order.
Do I need a designer to use this tool?
No. The designer is built for the customer, not for a graphic designer. You pick from preset shapes, platings, edges, and fonts; you can type your text and add icons; you can upload your own image if you have one. Everything is point-and-click. The tool generates a production-ready proof in about 60 seconds — and if your design needs refinement, our team will adjust it for free after you submit.
What can I do in the designer?
Pick from 8 coin shapes (round, shield, dog tag, custom outlines and more), 11 metal platings (polished and antique gold, silver, bronze, copper, plus black nickel and dual finishes), 5 edge styles (smooth, rope, reeded, wave, cross-cut), add curved text on the top and bottom arcs, drop in icons from our library, upload your own image (logo, patch art, sketch), and toggle between front and back to design both sides. The full feature set rivals what an in-house artist would offer.
How is this different from other challenge coin sites?
With most coin companies, the process starts with an email and a lot of back and forth with an in-house artist — days or weeks of describe-wait-revise before you see anything close to what you wanted. Our designer lets you build your vision in real time: pick your shape, plating, edge, add text and images, and see exactly what you're getting before you ever submit a quote. When you submit, our team takes your file and refines it for production — but the concept stays yours, not theirs.
Will my finished coin look exactly like the designer preview?
The preview is a faithful production proof — your finished coin will closely match what the designer shows you. Final proofs from our team will refine line thickness for production tooling, optimize colors for enamel fill, and adjust anything that wouldn't strike cleanly. You'll approve the final art before any production starts.
Can I save my design and come back to it later?
The designer auto-saves your work to your browser as you go — close the tab and come back, your design is still there. To save across devices or share with teammates, submit your design through the quote form; we'll store it with your project and you can pick up where you left off any time.
What if I want to design something other than a challenge coin?
The designer is optimized for challenge coins, but the same artwork translates directly to patches, belt buckles, and key tags — anything we manufacture. Build your design in the coin designer, then submit. We'll convert the file to a production-ready proof for whatever product you actually want.
READY FOR A REAL PROOF?
When your design is where you want it, submit it for a free, refined production proof from our team. 24-hour turnaround. Unlimited revisions. No payment until you approve.