Frequently Asked Questions
How are the medallions made?
What are the physical characteristics of my US Treasures medallion?
Can I buy US Treasures Medallions directly from you?
How are the medallions made?
They are made exactly like the US Mint produces coins!
Once an attraction determines what image they would like on the front of the medallion, our artists create the design and the graphics department creates an illustration of it.
Sculptors then painstakingly carve the medallion’s image in clay, then in hard plaster, working on a base that is six to ten times larger than the actual medallion – about the size of a dinner plate - until the right image is captured.
The plaster form is then converted to a rubber mold. This mold is put into a transfer engraving machine where, for many, many hours, it slowly turns and cuts the mold’s image into a tiny metal copy called a die.
Big sheets of brass are rolled out and blank metal disks are cut out to the size of the medallion. The disk is then cleaned using a multi-step process that includes burnishing and ultra sound cleaning before it is put in the press to be struck.
Coins can be made to different heights of relief. To produce higher relief coins not only requires thicker material but greater tonnage or capacity of the press to move the material to the desired height. Our presses range from 50 tons to 1600 tons (3.2 million pounds per square inch) allowing us the ability to strike any dimension or thickness required.
Our coining presses range from high speed (500 coins a minute) to manual feed machines.
What are the physical characteristics of my US Treasures medallion?
Diameter: 1.326 inches (33.7 mm) – larger than the US Half Dollar and smaller than a Silver Dollar
Thickness: approximately .090 - .114” (3.5 - 4.5 mm)
Weight: 0.70 ounces (19.6 grams)
Edge: Reeded
Metal: Brass Bullion
Pressure to mint each medallion: 600,000 lbs. per square inch (average)
Can I buy US Treasures Medallions directly from you?
Yes and No. If you have purchased a US Treasures Medallion from an
attraction
and registered your purchase on this website, you may purchase
a replacement
medallion by calling us and ordering a new medallion,
or send
us
a message
in
Contact Us and we'll call you to order a replacement.
If you
have not visited
an attraction and want the medallion, you must
purchase
your first one at that
location. That's half the fun of having the
medallion . . . visit a great
attraction
and collect a memory!
