A zinc-alloy die-cast medal, dual-tone gold plating, enamel infill, and a woven or sublimated neck ribbon — this is the highest-volume item in the whole category. It's also the easiest to quietly downgrade on a reorder: a thinner plating pass, a cheaper base alloy, or a printed ribbon swapped in for a woven one, none of which shows up until the piece has been handled a few times.
Standard turnaround is a digital proof in 24–48 hours, then production once the design is locked.
A newer category pairing a die-struck or etched metal coin or card with an embedded NFC chip — tap a phone to it and it opens a digital profile, membership page, or loyalty card, no app required. It's popular for VIP/membership programs and corporate gifting because the card itself never needs to be reprinted when the linked page changes.
Verification here covers more than the metal finish — the chip's read range and write-lock need to be tested against the approved sample, not just assumed to match it.
The same pin can be finished five different ways, and each one changes the price and the feel of the piece: hard enamel polished flush with the metal for a glass-like finish, baked enamel for bright saturated colors, soft enamel with a recessed textured feel, full-color offset printing for photo-level detail, and an epoxy dome for a glossy, protective top coat.
Hard enamel is the finish most often quoted and then quietly swapped for the cheaper soft-enamel process once a bulk order goes into production — see the buyer's reference below for exactly what to ask.