Minting coins, or to be more precise (so that you don’t think that I am suggesting that you compete with the Central Bank of Russia), minting souvenir coins - is it possible to turn this business idea into a source of solid, and most importantly, stable income? What do you think?

Business brief analysis:
Business setup costs:60,000 - 90,000 rubles
Relevant for cities with population: from 70,000
Industry situation:the entertainment industry is developed
Complexity of business organization: 1/5
Payback: 2-4 months

At first glance, projects of this kind often look like "one-day", and even outright "scam". But while some are looking for better ideas or are sitting in thought about the moral principles of business, others have turned the making of souvenir coins into a profitable business. Many entrepreneurs across the country have proven that you can make great money from the souvenir trade!

Wedding coins

Souvenir coins can be minted at weddings, and the names of the newlyweds and wedding symbols can be depicted on them. This idea can be adopted by wedding agencies, or companies involved in the design of the holidays.

Memorable souvenir + company advertisement

The company logo can be minted on the coins. As an example, I can cite one restaurant owner who installed special equipment for minting coins in his establishment. For a small symbolic fee, anyone can mint a coin with the restaurant's logo for themselves.

There is no end to the guests "warmed up" with strong drinks. Not only is a very “immodest” amount “running up” as a result of this “modest” payment by the end of the working day, but the owner also receives free advertising for his restaurant. It is simply a pity for many of the visitors to throw away a coin made with their own hands, and therefore it is safely stored somewhere in the pocket of the purse. And at every opportunity it is shown to friends and acquaintances.

Such "know-how" can be introduced by the owners of catering establishments, hotels and hotels, amusement parks, etc.

Creative "business cards"

Souvenir coins can act as business cards. On which the contact details of the company will be minted. In one of my past publications, I talked about how you can organize a business for the production of exclusive and creative business cards. You can only come up with something more original than a business card-coin if you try very hard. Visitors can play with the situation of handing such a "business card" in different ways.

One of the options may look something like this: equipment for minting souvenir coins can be placed near the exit, and, seeing off the visitor, you need to offer him fun for the sake of hitting the anvil with a hammer (or do it yourself), and - wow! Here it is - a ready-made business card for your company. It is unlikely that someone will get rid of such a "gift".

But most often, the manufacture of coins is still used as attractions.

Attractions for minting souvenir coins

St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Murom, Nizhny Novgorod, Altai resorts, many cities in Karelia - this is just an incomplete list of those cities that I was lucky enough to visit, and where I personally saw (and even took part) in such attractions. I even have a small collection of souvenir coins from various regions of Russia.

Almost everywhere, minting of coins is presented in the form of a colorful performance - a show in which any passer-by is invited to participate. This is the basis of a delicate psychological calculation of the business - the more reckless the offer is, the more there will be those who want to receive their "prize". People, seeing the crowd around the attraction, will definitely come up and take an interest in what is happening, some of them will want to take part.

The production of souvenir coins is a mobile business, this is its undoubted advantage. It doesn't "go" in one place, after 20-30 minutes you can try on another, after another half an hour - on the third. Where can such spectacles be held?

• in city parks
• in the squares
• in entertainment and shopping malls
• just at crowded intersections

After gaining some work experience and making the first profit, you can think about opening another point where minting of coins will be offered.

The Coin Attraction company in Altai, over 6 years of its activity, has turned from 2 mobile points where coins were produced using only 3 cliches, into one of the largest enterprises in the country in this area, offering its services for the acquisition of franchises (read about the franchise in detail at this link -), equipment for attractions and cliche production, etc. - everything that may be needed at the "start" of a business.

Equipment for the manufacture of souvenir coins

Equipment and tools for organizing the minting of coins can be purchased from companies that manufacture them. Demand gave rise to supply, and now, in order to get contacts of such organizations, it is enough just to type in any search engine the phrase: "Buy equipment for the production of souvenir coins."

By the way, his list is small, and includes only a few items:

• anvil
• sledgehammer
• special mounts
• cliché for minting
• and blanks for coins made of copper or aluminum (as an option, you can consider using blanks made of silver)

The last point is the most troublesome. It is impossible to work with one or two coin designs for a long time - this is a quick "boring" for the visitors of the attraction. Therefore, from time to time it will be necessary to change the design of the cliche for the manufacture of coins with a different minting pattern.

The production of cliches can be ordered "on the side", or, by purchasing additional simple equipment, you can make them yourself. To do this, you will need:

• mini press
• and stamp for minting

A preliminary sketch of each embossing pattern is drawn, which, after approval, is converted into a vector image, after which engraving is performed on unhardened metal (you can learn more about laser engraving on metal), then the matrix is ​​heat hardened and polished.

As you can see, the process is quite painstaking, but, nevertheless, it is quite affordable for a beginner entrepreneur. After 1-2 trial runs of cliche production, this process will no longer be difficult for you. However, I repeat - you can order the production of cliche coins in third-party companies, since there are a lot of them now.

By the way, having mastered the skills of making cliches, you can provide yourself with additional income offering its services in the development of design for coins to those who are just taking their first steps in this business, or who prefer to use "purchased" blanks.

Few numbers

How much will it cost to organize a business, and how much income can it bring?

The purchase of equipment will have to spend from 50 to 85 thousand rubles. The purchase of equipment for the production of cliches will add another 100-150 thousand rubles to the expenses. Meanwhile, an order for the production of one cliche will cost you within 1 thousand rubles.

The price of blanks today looks like this:

• copper blank - 30-35 rubles (depending on the thickness, diameter, polishing, the presence of a edge (inscription on the edge), and an ear)
• aluminum - 18-22 rubles
• brass - 32-36 rubles

Prices for ready-made coins vary widely, it also depends on the parameters of the coins, the minting pattern on them, and the “greed” of the owner of the attraction. For example, in Nizhny Novgorod souvenir coins cost from 150 to 300 rubles, and in St. Petersburg - from 150 to 700 rubles.

By the way, in the USA the minting of coins by hand a few years ago was replaced by the use of vending machines (read about the vending business here -), on which you can make a souvenir coin for yourself. In the States, this idea is very popular. Will it take root in our country, we'll see ... In any case, you can always return to the more familiar hammer and anvil ...