Turning the Fourth of July Into a Two-Inch Emotional Wrecking Ball -Challenge Coin Style

There’s just something about the Fourth of July. The grills come out, the flags go up, and suddenly your neighbor who hasn’t spoken to you since Halloween is offering you a hot dog and a sparkler. From tiny towns with parades led by local high school bands to full-blown firework spectacles over big city skylines—America knows how to throw a birthday party. In 2024, we saw a renewed energy around Independence Day celebrations nationwide. Maybe it was the need for connection, or maybe it’s just the joy of red, white, and blue everything—but across the country, folks showed up to celebrate freedom with heart, history, and a LOT of lawn chairs.

America Celebrates as One—With Flyovers, Fireworks, and A LOT of Flags

Every year, the Fourth reminds us: we’re different, but we’re united. Whether you're watching fireworks in Wyoming, waving a mini flag at a block party in Brooklyn, or cranking up Springsteen on a beach in California—Independence Day gives us this beautiful, messy, colorful chance to say, “We’re in this together.” And if you're in Washington, D.C.? Oh buddy. That’s the main stage. You’ve got “A Capitol Fourth”—basically the Patriotic Grammys—with big-name performances, heartfelt tributes, and the kind of orchestral crescendos that make you tear up for no reason. (It’s fine. We cried too.) And let’s not forget the military flyovers—when those jets scream across the sky, we all stop mid-bite and point upward like excited toddlers. It’s tradition. It’s emotional. It’s AMERICA.

Challenge Coins: Commemorating the Spirit of the Fourth in Metal and Memory

We’ve been lucky—like, pinch-us lucky—to be commissioned on a few occasions to create a custom challenge coin style for Fourth of July celebrations. And let us tell you, designing for these events is no joke. There’s a weight to it—literally and figuratively. These coins are made to be symbols of service, celebration, and shared identity. From coins that capture the Capitol dome framed by fireworks, to designs featuring dual flags, bald eagles, or engraved excerpts from the Declaration itself—we aim to bottle up that patriotic energy and forge it into something timeless. We think of it as storytelling in alloy form.

Design Relevance: Why This Matters to Every Detail

All this celebration context —from the nationwide traditions to the D.C. flyovers—matters when we sit down to design. Understanding how the Fourth is experienced across the country helps us choose symbols that resonate widely. It guides our decisions around color, iconography, and tone. Is this coin for a military unit attending the parade? A VIP guest of the Capitol event? A veteran attending their town’s 60th annual barbecue bash? Each version tells a different story—but the soul is the same: pride, legacy, and unity. The more we know about how America shows up for Independence Day, the more authentic and meaningful our designs become. And THAT is the goal. Every. Single. Time. And when it came time to put all of that into practice? Washington, D.C.’s 2024 Independence Day celebration gave us the perfect opportunity. Here's how we brought the heart of America’s birthday bash to life—one coin at a time.

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Washington, D.C. Independence Day 2024 Challenge Coin Style

We knew exactly what we were designing this coin for—the heart of the nation on its biggest day. And I’ll be honest: this one hit a little differently. Because when you're designing a coin that’s meant to represent the entire feeling of standing in Washington, D.C., on the Fourth of July? With fireworks bursting above the White House? You can't just throw stars and stripes on a round and call it done. It has to sing.

This coin is a gleaming silver round—classic and dignified—but it’s what’s inside that gets me. The UV-printed, textured image of the White House under a sky of fireworks—it feels like you're right there, standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers turned friends on the National Mall. The white band around the edge doesn’t just name-drop history—it honors it. “President Thomas Jefferson first to celebrate 4th of July at the White House 1801” in silver text is our quiet way of saying, “This moment is part of a much bigger story.”

Flip it over and BOOM—there’s the Washington Monument in all its glory, lit up by the fireworks like the world’s classiest birthday candle. The white ring surrounding it reads: “Independence Day! 4th of July 2024 Washington, D.C.” This side feels like a celebration frozen in time. And if you’ve ever been to D.C. on the Fourth—if you’ve ever watched a jet streak over your head while kids wave flags and someone belts “God Bless America”—then you know this coin isn’t just about a date. It’s about belonging. It’s about being there. And if you’re holding this coin? It’s because you were part of it.

Independence Day 2023 Liberty Bell Challenge Coin Style

So, when we were asked to design a coin in the shape of the Liberty Bell and we nearly fall out of our chairs. Because this isn’t just design—it’s art meets artifact. The challenge? Make it powerful. Make it patriotic. Make it personal.

This piece is cast in antique silver—rich, weathered, and heavy with meaning. The yoke at the top is packed with etching so detailed you can almost feel the grain of history under your thumb. Sitting above the bell? A gold eagle, wings spread like it owns the sky (which… it kind of does), clutching a red, white, and blue banner that reads: “Independence Day, July 4th 2023.”And smack dab in the middle? A raised, UV-textured image of the White House North Lawn with fireworks lighting up the night. You don’t just see it—you feel it. That image is framed by red, white, and blue banners that declare: “White House, Washington D.C.” Because if you're going to celebrate freedom, you better start at the front steps.

For the back, we stayed true to the bell shape, but added a UV image of the American flag waving bright and proud—and layered on raised silver renderings of a tank, helicopter, airplane, and naval ship. These aren’t just vehicles. They’re symbols of what it means to answer the call. The top and bottom banners say it loud: “U.S. Armed Forces Answering the Call to Defend.” Because they do. Every. Single. Day.

At the end of the day, these challenge coins include the fireworks, the parades, and the red-white-and-blue everything (we love all of that). They’re about capturing a moment in time, one that’s bursting with meaning for the people who were part of it. Whether you stood on the National Mall with goosebumps as jets flew overhead, or toasted freedom from a backyard miles away—these coins are for you. They carry the weight of remembrance, pride, and purpose in the palm of your hand.

Designing these pieces is more than a job—it’s a responsibility. One we take seriously, and also joyfully (usually while arguing over fonts and crying over Pantone swatches). Because we know someone will hold this coin years from now and feel something. That they belonged. That they mattered. That they witnessed something great.

So here’s to the hot dogs, the sparklers, the rooftop flyovers, and the quiet moments between songs. Here's to Independence Day, in all its loud, proud, firework-filled glory. And here’s to the coins that help us carry it with us—one beautifully designed piece of history at a time.

Capturing History One Challenge Coin At A Time.

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