Drink Tokens

[Pete Moss]

I have a client whom I am updating their branding, they own a tavern. I asked if he needed business cards or coasters, he asked for drink tokens. I found this:

Custom Imprinted Wooden Nickel - Promotional Tokens

However ,I have never worked with this vendor nor had drink tokens made before. It seems pretty simple. You send them the art they produce, yada yada yada..Anyone have any input or vendor referrals for free drink tokens?

 

[TrustMoore_TN]

I haven't seen the "wooden nickels" used as a drink token, but it's an interesting idea. Keep in mind, your client may be able to do a simple google search and find the same pricing you have. May be easier to refer him to a promotional products partner if you have one in the area, and try to make money on the rebranding that you're able to do in-house.

 

[ddarlak]

I haven't seen the "wooden nickels" used as a drink token

you must not be old enough or go to old timer bars... wooden nickles are the only thing i've seen used as drink tokens...

 

[Gino]

While I have quite a few wooden nickel tokens for various bars and clubs around town, I think I have far more plastic tokens. They all spend the same.



Did you suggest drink coasters ?? That's always a good one for the bars to stock up on.

 

[MikePro]

Few bars i've done this for, we decided that its cheaper/faster/easier to simply buy clay poker chips (nice feel to them, not "cheap" like plastic chips) and simply print/cut vinyl overlays for the center circular-portion. Even the cheaper print materials like ij35 hold up after indefinite washes through their dishwashers. Chips are like <$0.25 a piece, decals maybe <$.10 when making like 1000 at a time. easy.
my clients even just like getting sheets of decals ordered, to keep in a drawer, and buy more chips online when they need them...just to have their employees apply them during their paid downtime.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

Few bars i've done this for, we decided that its cheaper/faster/easier to simply buy clay poker chips (nice feel to them, not "cheap" like plastic chips) and simply print/cut vinyl overlays for the center circular-portion. Even the cheaper print materials like ij35 hold up after indefinite washes through their dishwashers. Chips are like <$0.25 a piece, decals maybe <$.10 when making like 1000 at a time. easy.
my clients even just like getting sheets of decals ordered, to keep in a drawer, and buy more chips online when they need them...just to have their employees apply them during their paid downtime.

We offer the same product, but we have a guy in town here that pad prints for $.10-.15 per impression, so we go that route.

 

[Pete Moss]

One would have to order 2500 of these from the site, I listed, in order to fill a minimum order. Does one really need 2500 or these suckers? I'd think most people typically use them in the same night, at least that's what I've done. Any vendor suggestions? I'm hoping to keep this under $100 or so for my client. I do like the poker chip idea although the labor of cleaning and applying multiples of these would kill the $100 cap. It's times like this a flatbed sure sounds nice.

 

[Pete Moss]

I found a local flatbed printer which I am hoping will produce full color for the same cost as one color. Big Frog is writing up a quote as well. They say their ink is sprayed then heated so it would be full color. I am also getting a quote on a pad printed token. I wonder which will be the most durable. Pad printed?

 

[royster13]

AAkron Line

 

[mpn]

How many do you need?

 

[jfiscus]

I would bet that buying decent poker chips, then making a template to inlay them into (for mass production) then laser engraving them would be a really nice end product.

 

[Pete Moss]

Laser does sound cool. Durable and somewhat dimensional. A Makers Space has opened here: Duluth MakerSpace I've been itching to get in there and use the cnc and laser engraver, and what do ya know..the home page of the website shows some laser engraved tokens.

 

[Pete Moss]

Now all I need to do is find a blank token source.

 

[HDvinyl]

If you don't want to learn something new, I use these guys for custom poker chips.

 

[jfiscus]

Now all I need to do is find a blank token source.

A laser can both cut and engrave if you're looking for just wooden tokens. Kinda like a print/cut machine.
Just use different power/speed settings for each function and have a common X/Y axis origin.

 

[Pete Moss]

Okay, cool. I was thinking about that. Now where do I go for lumber? Thin sheets of birch look nice, suggestions? After this I should be set, I'm big on the D.I.Y. ethic, but I am not going to grow the tree.

 

[bjt140]

Pending how many you need, we can supply the wood and laser cut and engrave them. If you'd like to do this on your own, pm me and I may be able to help you out with the wood needed.

Good luck!

 

[BobCap]

I've made tons of these for a couple of local bars. I've sublimated the tokens. Permainent. No label to come off. Full color logo.

Bob Cap
AAI
Gilbert, MN

 

[mmblarg]

I second the vote on sublimation - we use JDS Industries for that stuff. We just order the material, but I think they print as well

 

[Fares Bayazeed]

A friend of mine has a bar too. We ordered the wooden blanks at $14.99 per 100 and had a rubber stamp made and handstamped both sides. Gave it an aged look. Small Bar did not want a thousand of them out there floating around....

Wooden Nickels