Coins are an often overlooked prop to use in role playing games, but they can add a great deal of realism. They give players an idea of how much space their money actually occupies. If you use metal coins, they also give them an idea of how heavy a coinpurse or chest of gold can be. Unfortunately, metal gaming coins can be pretty expensive, so a cheaper alternative is to 3D print them.
While 3D printed coins won’t have the same weight as metal coins, you can produce a large number of them at a fraction of the cost. In some cases the lesser weight might actually be beneficial, like if you need to carry around a large amount of coins. As for functionality, 3D printed coins work just as well as metal coins for visuals and role playing.
Whether you want to print just a handful of coins, or a few hundred, this article will go over everything you need to know. I’ll discuss where to find some free 3D models of coins, the types of filaments you can use, how to paint them different metallic colors, as well as share some of my thoughts and experiences with making them.
Finding 3D Models
First things first, you’re going to need some good 3D models of coins. Luckily there are many different options available on sites like Thingiverse. For this article I’ll be focusing on free 3D models, but just be aware that there are some paid options available out there. If you just do a quick search online for something like “rpg coin 3d models” you’ll find a variety of pages for both free and paid models.
Every coin that you see in the pictures of this article was found for free on Thingiverse, and I’ll give the links to each set that I used. These are just a few of the designs that I liked the most, but there are many more available. If you’re just looking for a few to try out, then these are a good place to start, but I encourage you to search on your own and see if there are any that you like more.
All of the 3D models that I link to on this page are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license, which basically states that you’re free to use the coins however you want as long as you give credit to the original designer.
The first set was designed by Dungeon-Master-Dan on Thingiverse (link to the thing page). These are double sided coins that print upright, and they have some simple but pleasing designs. While they were designed for D&D games, the designs are generic enough to be used in any fantasy tabletop game.
Another good set that I found was designed by BrentNewhall on Thingiverse (here’s the link to the page). These are a set of one-sided coins that print flat, and they include small bars as well as coins.
The last set that I used was designed by Alluvian on Thingiverse (page link here). These have kind of a dwarven theme to them, which is nice if you want to add some variety to your game’s coin system. It makes sense that different cultures or empires would have their own unique coins. The coins are designed to be printed flat and then glued together afterwards to make them double-sided.
Double Or Single Sided Coins
As you probably noticed, 3D printable coins are usually designed with either one or two faces that have detail. Double sided coins are meant to be printed upright and single-sided coins are meant to lay flat on the print bed, with the detail facing upwards. Which one is best for you kind of depends on your preferences, as well as your 3D printer and it’s settings.
It’s usually best to print double-sided coins upright on their edge, to preserve the detail on both faces. You might be able to get away with printing them flat, but the side that’s on the print bed will probably be less perfect than the one that faces up. I find it easier to just print them upright. However, due to there being less surface area to adhere to the print bed, this might make it more likely that they’ll get knocked over during the print.
If this is a problem for you, you might want to adjust the settings of your slicer so that the nozzle raises up any time the print head travels more than a set distance. This will make it less likely to hit anything as it moves, but it will also increase the print time.
One-sided coins of course won’t have this problem, but you’ll only have details on one side of the coin. Some of you might actually prefer that, in which case one-sided coins are the way to go. One-sided coins also have the benefit of not having layer lines on their faces, so they’ll have a smoother appearance than coins printed upright.
Recommended Filaments
Before you print your coins, it’s worth thinking about what filament will work the best. Of course you have the different types of plastic, like PLA, ABS, or PETG, but that’s just personal preference. I’m mainly going to go over the different colors of filament and why you might to use different colors.
There are basically 3 options for how to finish your coins. You can either leave them unpainted, paint the metallic paint straight onto the plastic, or prime them first and then paint them metallic.
If you want to leave them unpainted, which is the fastest and easiest method, then I recommend that you try to use filaments that match a metallic finish as closely as possible. There are filaments on the market that have metal filings infused into them, but those require a hardened nozzle or they’ll wear out your print nozzle pretty fast.
Another option is to use filaments that are simply metallic colored, but without any actual metal in them. These will have a slight shine or sparkle to them, but not as much as the actual metallic filaments. However, because they don’t have any metal in them, you can just use your normal print head.
If you do plan on painting your coins, then I recommend using a color of filament that either contrasts with or complements your paint job. I’ll explain in more detail below.
To Prime Or Not To Prime
If you want to get the best and longest lasting finish on your coins, then I recommend that you prime them first before you paint them metallic. I know that some people don’t have the time to wait for primer to dry though, and others might not have the space to safely spray paint, so if that’s the case then here are some tips.
Silver paints look very good when they’re painted on a black surface, so if you don’t have time to prime your coins, just print them in a black filament. Gold and copper paint looks good when painted on a brown or red surface, so try to print your gold coins in those colors of filament.
Be aware that normal craft paints probably won’t stick that well to bare plastic, so don’t expect the paint to last very long. Especially because coins are often sliding and scraping against each other in a bag or container, I really recommend that you prime them first so that the paint will stick better and last as long as possible.
Priming
If you have the time and the space to prime your coins before you paint them, then I strongly suggest that you do it. Primers are designed to bond stronger to plastic than normal paints. They also give you a nicer surface to paint on, and can make your paint job look nicer.
As I said earlier, reddish or brown backgrounds work well for gold and copper paints, and black backgrounds look good behind silver paints. Black and brown spray primers are usually easy to find in stores. For these colors of primer, it helps to print your coins in a lighter colored filament so that it contrasts with the primer. This will let you see where the paint has covered and where you might need a bit more primer.
If all you have is gray primer, then you can still use it, and then put another coat of normal paint over that in the background color of your choice. In my case I only had gray and brown primer, so I painted on some black acrylic paint over the gray primer for my silver coins. You could do the same thing with brown paint.
Hand Painting Versus Spray Painting
To make your coins actually look like silver, gold, copper, or whatever other metal you want, you can either paint them by hand or with spray paint. Hand painting will allow for a lot more control and detail, but it’s also a lot more time-consuming than spray painting. With spray paint, you can cover many coins at once, while hand painting usually has to be done one coin at a time.
Both methods will also give you different appearances. If you paint your coins by hand, you can choose to apply the paint only to the high spots of the coin, leaving the recessed areas darker. With spray paint, the paint will tend to coat the surface more evenly. Spray painting tends to make coins look newer and shinier.
It is possible to control the amount of spray paint that gets on the coin, which can result in kind of a speckled or gradient effect. I don’t think that that is a very realistic look for a coin though. If you’re going to use spray paint, it might be better to just coat the whole coin thoroughly and have it look brand new.
Just as a note, if you don’t have or can’t find any copper colored paint, then you can mix red and gold paint. I found that about 2 parts gold to one part red gave me a nice copper finish on top of brown primer. If you tried to paint that copper color over a gray primer, then it would look more like a shiny pink color.
Clear Coating
While you don’t really NEED to apply a clear coat to your coins after you paint them, it will help a lot to preserve the paint and keep them looking good for as long as possible. Like I said earlier, coins usually see a lot of wear and tear, so it helps to give your paint job some extra protection.
When choosing which clear coat to use, be aware that there are usually three different finishes available. There’s basically gloss, matte, and satin. A coat of gloss clear coat can also make your coins look shinier and more metallic, while a matte clear coat can make them look flatter and duller. A satin is kind of in-between.
I went with a gloss clear coat because I wanted a smooth and shiny finish, but that’s not to say that that’s the only way you should do it. Not all coins are very bright or shiny. A matte or satin finish might be more what you’re looking for. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to show the differences in finish in a still picture, so I suggest that you experiment for yourself and see which one you like best.