The Smart Coin®
A challenge coin that talks back.
Smart Coin® is a patented NFC-embedded challenge coin invented by Gray Water Ops. Tap your phone to it and it tells you exactly who it's for, where it came from, and whose collection it lives in — anywhere in the world, instantly.
Hold your phone to the coin's face. An NFC chip embedded inside the coin (invisible from outside) wakes up and sends your phone a single programmable link.
This interactive challenge coin can interact with your smartphone when you tap your phone against a Smart Coin®. Open a video, a cause page, a thank-you message, a mission brief — whatever you program the chip to deliver.
Why it matters
For presenters
A command coin becomes a lifetime story. Attach a video thank-you, a mission brief, or a photo set to the chip and it stays with the recipient forever — no paper insert to lose.
For recipients
When showing your coin to others, encourage them to tap their phone to your coin to see what it does.
For nonprofits & fundraisers
Donors tap to open your cause, your story, your donation page. Every coin you mint is a lifetime donor touchpoint — see our free fundraising consultation.
For collectors
If you have a Smart Coin®, the Challenge Coin Check app can authenticate it and create a link from your coin. Users viewing the Smart Coin® on the app can follow the link from your coin just like if you were looking at the coin in person.
The patent
Gray Water Ops holds the exclusive U.S. utility patent on embedding NFC technology inside a challenge coin. Patent number US 9,027,841 B2. Invented in 2012, granted in 2015, in force through 2033.
If you've seen another company selling NFC-embedded custom coins, we want to know. Email keith@graywaterops.com.
Get one
Design your own Smart Coin® — bulk orders, corporate / unit coins, memorial coins. We'll handle the artwork, the mint, and the NFC programming.
Get a quote →Install Challenge Coin Check and you can use the advanced features of the app to validate a Smart Coin® so you can share the link with your digital collection.