We all get to a point where we might feel like we hit a wall in coin collecting. Perhaps all the coins we have seen are the same ones we already have. Maybe you aren’t feeling like the collecting is accomplishing anything. You sit and buy coins and you have no outlet in sharing your awesome collection of coins. I know this and I think many collectors in the challenge coin hobby have been down this road before. No doubt if you haven’t been there you will eventually unless you prepare yourself for this feeling.

So if you know that one day it might come that you think you just want to sell off your collection or you just don’t have it in you take a look at some great opportunities to get yourself back into it all like when you received your first coin. There are two ways that we will discuss here. The first is joining a community of other collectors and share what is going on, new things, and even connect with real people when you are traveling. The other is broadening your horizons on where you look for coins. Just picking up new coins on eBay can be cumbersome. Everyone has the same things over and over again with maybe one or two new coins a month being thrown in the mix.

So let’s look at the community aspect. There are several really great outlets to join and discuss challenge coins. There is the largest forum on the net at U.S. Challenge Coins, there are opportunities to talk and trade right at the Challenge Coin Trading Site, and the Challenge Coin Forum. You have several other avenues if you look hard enough. Being among friends can help your experience and develop you into an even better collector. You get to explore new avenues and hear about the latest and greatest things in the hobby and even get some personal feedback about all things.

By missing these chances to grow you are destined to become bored and under developed with a passion that has no reason to dither away from lack of interest. A forum or message board is a great fix. In many cases I personally have met other collectors in person because of the forum. Some people are looking to connect with collectors like them and you could be missing out on so perfect opportunities.

The second and probably the biggest common mistake is people will hop on a place like eBay and be flooded with some of the most common coins that are always for sale by the same people. There are of course new entries from time to time. Most people on eBay get the retail coins from the same wholesalers so you are left with lackluster choices that could be avoided by expanding your search for coins up for trade or sale just by using Google. To most collectors Google is something unknown. Some of the best coins never go up for auction. In fact most great coins are on actual websites.

Take a few minutes and search Google for some challenge coin stores. The only time I recommend using something like eBay is when you find a website you know carries their coins on an auction site and you want to try to get it cheaper. Besides that one reason exploring the web is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Make sure you explore past page one in the search results for even more hidden gold. I think you might just be surprised of what is out there.

The coin is a 2″ brass coin that can open bottles with ease. The coin itself is plated in a dual tone and the striking part is it’s black nickel with details laced in high polished silver. Oh this is a coin many would actually love to put in their collection. The coin continues in a 3mm thick fashion and totes along some fashionable design in 3D and 2D. All wrapped up in hard enamel and you have one of the best looking company coins from the number challenge coin company in America.

There’s a catch before you start figuring out how you ask for one. They aren’t selling it, and they aren’t giving them away, at least not yet. As of right now the coin only gets taken away by the employees and high visibility connections that the company has. So this is a coin for the time being that will not be seen by the masses except for the picture we have it right here. Keep an eye out for this one, this is a sure fire coin to get your hands on. If it becomes available we will update this article accordingly.

There is a new toy in town for challenge coins and poker guards. Have you heard about the C.H.A.M.P.? It’s short for Custom Holders Are More Personal. With a patent pending and a small buzz growing about this there is no doubt this will find a home with any collector. It’s simple yet special in many ways. The first way it is being introduced is as a keychain. Simply slip a coin in it and you know have no reason to ever be without your coin. You can change the coins out for any occasion with ease. Are you going to a function at the O-Club and need to make sure you have the top coin? Just put the Wing King’s coin in it and go. You won’t be buying anymore rounds with this handy device.

Currently the 1.65” and 1.75” are being released in several colors with additional sizes coming. It fits 2mm coins and 3mm coins for a snug fit so no coins can fall out. Maybe you are heading to a corporate luncheon with the boss and need to make sure you are ready for a challenge. You don’t need to have your coin jingling in your pocket anymore. You just reach for your champ on your key ring and it’s ready for action. It’s great for any type of activity to stir things up and have a little fun among the people you mingle with. If you are reading this and don’t have one yet then you need to grab one.

Get the Challenge Coin CHAMP now!

Brian Williams and Roger O’neil even challenged each other right on the air in a true traditional fashion. What many might not understand right now is that this is such a huge opening for recognition in what collectors have come to love. This is the next step for a real hobby to reach even more people. When it comes down to it this was a great piece and those that were in the segment were not the stars. It was the coins and the process they showed.

The video can be seen at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#28663038

So how do you find these great deals? As coin collectors, Google is a big part of the search and find that many seem to not include in the system of collecting. Why is this? Do most collectors just bend to the will of eBay and hope they will get great coins? The reality is there is more to it than just that. We are helping you to branch out a little and explore some great alternatives. So where are this penny auctions? Here is the road map for you:

Challenge Coin Auctions listing: SR-71 Black Bird Coin, Barack Obama Coin, and the U.S. Army 8 Trp 38th CAV Long Surveillance Challenge Coin

MilBid Auctions listing: SR-71 Black Bird Coin, Army 3d ESC LNO Coin, and the Army WO Field Artillery Targeting Technician Coin

These are some of the best auction sites coming into the market recently that are a gold mine waiting to happen. Take the first one for example which emphsizes challenge coins and only such with minor variations to pins, patches and the like. You can not get that anywhere else. Would you be foolish to skip out of it, nah…but you would be missing some great stuff from the niche. Anyways, don’t miss out on this years penny auctions and walk away with some great coins that in the future will be worth a lot of money.

The first family of plating we will cover at the antiques. The antiques give you a dull or matte finish on the coin which will give you no reflection when you look at it. These plating’s also make the coin feel a little older or classy in many cases. The antiques are truly a beautiful however, they come with one disadvantage. The downside is they can not be dual toned with another shade of metal like high polish plating can be. So what are these plating’s?

• Antique Silver/Nickel
• Antique Brass
• Antique Gold
• Antique Copper

There are 5 main ones as you can see in the list (counting nickel and silver separately, but the yield the same basic result). Each have the own hue and position in the coin world. When you are doing your artwork on what you would like, take the time to consider which plating will enhance your design. Copper is a fairly new and used plating that many companies haven’t fully experimented with. It’s not big on the market because it takes a special coin to carry that bright copper look.

Another family of plating’s are the opposites of the antiques. They are the high polished family of plating’s. They contain much of the same as we have seen in the dull form however they can be used in conjunction with one another. This is one of the key factors as there is no metal paint replacements. Dual or even a tri-plated coin brings something unique to the table and if used correctly can make a coins worth jump. The plating’s we see used in the hobby are:

• High Polish Nickel/Silver
• High Polish Gold
• High Polish Copper
• High Polish Black Nickel

You will notice in this family you will find high polished brass missing but we gain a new family member. Black nickel plating is a beautiful and sleek looking black color that gives a coin a very special look. Though it is seldom used, it is amazing when applied in the right context such as the hobby introduction of the tri-plated Special Forces coin. The Special Forces coin keeps that “dark and hidden feel” with the black nickel and it was enhanced with silver and gold highlights. So this is one of the biggest advances in plating’s we have seen in the recent years.

You are able to use these plating’s with one another, however, most minting facilities will not do anything beyond a dual plating. Tri-plating or better becomes very difficult to achieve but some factories will put their best foot forward to accommodate a customer. When designing it’s beneficial to have several coins with different plating’s at your disposal so you can figure out what will make your coin shine.

There is one unique twist to plating that we should cover although it’s not the plating that gives the effect rather the texture. Micro sandblasting can not only add texture but change the way a plating is presented. It’s almost like a plasma plating because the high polish plating’s become a matte texture look. It’s a great enhancement to your plating.

No matter what you feel about a certain kind of plating there is always a time and place for each. No what you want to do with the coin and how the end result should look. Get second opinions if needed and we wish you the best luck on your next mint.

- Challenge Coins will expand it’s collecting base by at least 20%
- New leaders and contributors will emerge to give back more to the collecting community
- 2 Books will be published on challenge coins
- The string of average coin making websites will slim down this year dramatically or be blended into bigger companies
- Challenge Coins will make a National spotlight to give it even more recognition
- eBay will be extinguished as the number one spot to buy challenge coins and ChallengeCoinAuctions.com will take the lead
- A lot of challenge coin retailers of wholesale coins will be hurting really bad competing against themselves for the same market mores o than any other year we’ve seen
- Police coins will take the lead in the hottest collectibles along with odd shaped coins
- U.S. Challenge Coins will be the number one company producing challenge coins starting in early 2009

Ok so some predictions have some weight behind them while others are a shot in the dark. So we will have to watch this to see how it faired through the year. These are all done in fun but some will become thruth as the year progresses. So now that we have put some thoughts out there for people to think about let’s have some fun with some resolutions for the digest:

- Aim to deliver 300 articles this year for collector’s and people interested to enjoy
- Point people into quality avenues for information and products
- Add 5 solid contributors
- Become a top resource in news for the hobby
- Be ready for 2010

Ok we got some things down in black and white so now we sit back, devise a plan, and get crackin on it. We have a lot to live up to and to deliver. So will we be able to cash in on some of these predictions? Only time will tell. What about your ideas?

One eBay seller reported that a normal STR of 50-60% had always been average for this time of year but reported only about a 25-30% rate for this season against similar numbers in previous years. The coins that once sold for $25.00 on a buy it out now were being picked up for less than $10 through last minute bids. Something has changed and the only things that could possibly give us this result is either the economy or the changes eBay made throughout 2008. New features like Best Match, No checks or Money Orders, and massive feedback overalls had an absolute effect, but the doubts of the nations money troubles is still a mystery.

It’s obvious some of the bigger sellers are continuing to push through selling coins at huge discounts barely making a profit but the little sellers are mostly throwing money in hopes that a big payoff will appear. Unfortunately things have changes but we hope it’s not a thing that stays. With years of success it is now a shame to see the coin world dwindle to what we see now. The profit rich days are gone, at least from this point of view.

When looking at auctions or even regular sales of coins they all bring in about the same $10-$15 token amount with obvious exceptions. These coins are generally round or dog tag shaped. Ok we get it, they are the norm for what we like. However, when an odd shaped coin hits the market or just something completely out of the ordinary it generally targets a larger sum of money. Coins that are not just round like the NSA Spinner coin that was produced in 2007 garnered $250 a piece when launched. This is well beyond most high ranking coins and even the oldest known challenge coin in the world. This has serious indications about what collectors are looking for. They might be yearning for that out of the norm piece.

I believe whole heartedly that odd shaped coins will eventually overshadow the round ones, maybe not in numbers but in value and part of me believes they already do. So when will other collectors demand more variety in their coins? When will we see a distinct transition? Well round coins are going nowhere fast but they will conitnue to keep their “norm” prices for a long time to come. It’s the coins that break away from structure that will continue to be seeked out.

New coins are wonderful to see being released day in and day out. We love this coin and right now it is on the auction block at Challenge Coin Auctions. You don’t want to miss this one. This is another finely made piece by U.S. Challenge Coins and the name will help this value last an era. We hope you have an opportunity to at least see this coin as it’s timeless.