Custom Academy Challenge Coins

Academy graduation marks the beginning of a career in service. A custom challenge coin gives your class something permanent — a piece that represents who trained together, what was earned, and where it all started.

In Service designs and produces custom academy coins for police, sheriff, fire, and military academy classes across the United States. Every coin is built from premium materials, designed around your class identity, and inspected by hand before it ships.

Who Orders Academy Coins

Academy coins are typically ordered by class leaders, training staff, or small committees within the graduating class. Orders range from 50 to over 1,000 coins depending on the size of the class and whether coins are distributed to family, instructors, or department leadership.

Common buyers include:

  • Academy class representatives organizing a class coin for all graduates
  • Training officers or cadre commissioning coins to present at graduation
  • Class committees pooling funds to create a shared keepsake
  • Family members ordering a small run as a graduation gift

Whether the order is for 50 recruits or 1,000 coins to distribute at a ceremony, the process is the same: you submit your idea, we design it, you approve it, and we produce it.

What's Included in Your Order

Every academy coin order from In Service includes:

  • Custom artwork and design — our team creates a professional design file from your sketch, badge, class patch, or idea. No finished design is required to start.
  • Free digital proof — you receive a detailed proof for review before any production begins. Revisions are made until you are completely satisfied.
  • Hard enamel construction — our standard finish. Glass-based enamel is fired at high heat and polished flush with the metal for a smooth, jewelry-grade surface that resists scratching and fading.
  • Custom packaging insert — a branded insert card designed for your class or unit at no additional cost. Can include your badge, motto, QR code, or message.
  • Quality inspection — every coin is inspected by our team before it is packed and shipped.

Materials and Finish Options

The standard academy coin is 2 inches in diameter, hard enamel, with a polished metal finish. This combination delivers the best balance of size, quality, durability, and cost per unit.

Hard Enamel (Standard)

Glass-based enamel fired at high heat and polished flush with the metal lines. Produces a smooth, flat surface with a jewelry-grade feel. Resists scratching, fading, and daily wear. This is the finish we recommend for academy coins because these pieces are kept for decades.

3D Relief

Deep relief engraving creates raised metal details with visible depth and shadow. No enamel fill — the design is expressed entirely through sculpted metal. Best suited for bold insignias, weapons, crests, and high-detail emblems.

Hybrid

Combines enamel color with dimensional metal engraving. Raised details provide structure while enamel sections add color definition. A strong option when your design includes both detailed imagery and colored elements.

Metal Finish Options:

Gold, silver, copper, black nickel, antique gold, antique silver, and antique copper. Dual-tone plating is available for designs that use two metal colors on the same side.

Edge Options:

Standard flat edge, rope-cut edge, cross-cut edge, and oblique line edge. Edge text (e.g., class number, year, motto) can be added.

The Process

Every order follows four steps. No commitment is required to start.

Step 1: Submit Your Idea Send us your concept — a sketch, a badge image, a class patch, or just a written description. You can submit through our order form or email us directly at team@inservicehq.com.

Step 2: Confirm Details We confirm the coin size, quantity, timeline, finish, and design direction. If you have a budget range, we will recommend the best configuration to meet it.

Step 3: Pay and Finalize Design An invoice is sent to begin the final design phase. You receive a detailed digital proof. Revisions continue until you approve. No production begins until you sign off.

Step 4: Production and Delivery Once approved, production takes approximately 3–4 weeks. Every coin is inspected, packaged with your custom insert, and shipped directly to you. Full orders from submission to delivery typically take 4–6 weeks for new designs. Reorders are faster.

For a more detailed look at our production process, visit our custom order page.

Pricing Overview

Academy coin pricing is based on quantity, size, and finish. The standard 2"x2" hard enamel coin is our most common configuration for academy classes.

Quantity Price Per Coin Mold Fee Total Estimate
50–99 $8.50 $140 ~$565+
100–199 $6.00 $140 ~$740+
200–299 $5.75 $140 ~$1,290+
300–499 $5.40 $140 ~$1,760+
500–999 $5.25 Waived ~$2,625+
1,000+ $5.00 Waived ~$5,000+

The mold fee is a one-time charge for creating the custom die. Once the mold is made, all future reorders of the same design ship with no additional mold fee. Final pricing depends on exact size, finish, and any add-ons like edge text or dual-tone plating.

For a full pricing breakdown, including pins and patches, see our pricing page.