Smart Coin® — Where Challenge Coins Meet Technology, and Fundraising Gains Momentum

Hi, I’m Keith Hanshaw.

I’ve spent nearly 30 years designing custom coins, and I wrote the #1 best-selling book on Amazon about it. But this? This is different.

This is Smart Coin® — a patented, NFC-embedded coin that turns donors into ambassadors and giving into a chain reaction.

It’s not just a keepsake.
It’s a tool. A conversation starter. A catalyst for scalable fundraising.

What Is a Smart Coin®?

A Smart Coin® is a 2-inch brass coin with intricate 3D design on one side and a secure NFC chip embedded under epoxy on the other.

When someone taps their phone to the coin, it opens your charity’s donation page — instantly.

No app. No QR code. Just tap and give.

But the real power isn’t the tap.
It’s what comes after it.

One Coin. One Tap. One Ripple.

When you give someone a Smart Coin®, you’re not just collecting a donation — you're inviting them into a movement.

You ask them to:

1. Carry it – Every day, as a reminder of the mission

2. Talk about it – Share the story behind the coin and the cause

3. Find just one more person – Someone else willing to give and carry it forward

Now you’re not just raising money — you’re activating your donors.

A New Fundraising Model

Let’s say a corporate sponsor covers the minting cost for 10,000 Smart Coin® units.

You offer each coin for a $100 donation.

• The charity keeps 100% of every donation

• That’s $1 million raised with zero out-of-pocket cost

• Every donor promises to find one more

If they do, you raise another $1 million — without spending another dollar

If every donor finds three? You’ve created exponential giving, not just incremental growth.

This is what we call the Theory of Donor DedicationTM:

C = m × d²
(Coin = Mission × Dedicated Donors Squared)

Why It Works

Smart Coin® is rooted in the military tradition of challenge coins — symbols of pride, commitment, and belonging.

But it was originally born out of magic — literally.
The patented tech was developed for a high-tech card trick.

Now, it performs real magic:
It transforms donors into fundraisers.
It makes generosity visible, portable, and trackable.
It helps charities grow by empowering the people who already believe.

Scale Without Asking Again

Smart Coin® lets you turn one donation into many — not through advertising, but through intentional action.

It’s self-propelling, peer-powered fundraising.
And it works because the people who give… actually care.

Let’s Talk About Your Cause

This isn’t about whether Smart Coin® will work — it’s about showing you how to make it work.

No risk. No pressure. Just a conversation.

👉 Visit https://smartcoins.GrayWaterOps.com to learn more
📞 Or schedule a Zoom session, strategy call, or in-person meeting

You can keep doing what you’ve always done…
Or try a fundraising tool that’s been quietly in the works since 2013.

Let’s build something amazing — one Smart Coin® at a time.

— Keith Hanshaw
Founder, Gray Water Ops®

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is a coin that is capable of transferring digital information to another electronic device. The present invention would typically be used to digitally store promotional information that can be readily transferred to another electronic device. The physical appearance of the present invention should relate to the promotional information as well. The present invention mainly comprises a metal planar body, a near field communication (NFC) chip 6, and a vinyl sticker. The metal planar body 1 resembles a typical coin with a disc shape and is aesthetically designed to relate to the digital information being stored on the present invention. The NFC chip 6 is used to establish radio communication with a host electronic device that is also NFC-enabled such as a smart-phone, a tablet personal computer, or a laptop. The NFC chip 6 does not require a portable power source because the NFC chip 6 is capable of drawing power from the host electronic device. The NFC chip 6 can also be used to send commands to the host electronic device such as storing contact information, opening a particular webpage, or playing a specific sound. The NFC chip 6 can be, but is not limited to, a 144 byte chip or a one kilobyte chip. In the preferred embodiment, the present invention is used as a kind of business card, and the NFC chip 6 is used to store business contact information. In addition, the vinyl sticker 9 is used to enclose the NFC chip 6 within a recessed well 4 of the metal planar body 1. The vinyl sticker 9 allows the NFC chip 6 to properly function and communicate with the host electronic device while still enclosing the NFC chip 6 within the metal planar body 1.

The metal planar body 1 is used as a base to connect all the other components of the present invention and has a disc shape. The metal planar body 1 comprises a first side 2 and a second side 5, which are the flat portions of the metal planar body 1 and are positioned opposite to each other through the metal planar body 1. In the preferred method of manufacturing the present invention, the metal planar body 1 is die-struck by two molds, one for the first side 2 and another of the second side 5. The first side 2 comprises an annular surface 3 and a recessed well 4. The recessed well 4 is a space that traverses into the first side 2 of the metal planar body 1. The NFC chip 6 is mounted within the recessed well 4. Moreover, the recessed well 4 is centrally positioned on the first side 2 so that the annular surface 3 has a consistent radial width, which allows the present invention to have a more symmetric appearance. Thus, the annular surface 3 encircles the recessed well 4 and is marked with engravings or other graphics that relate to the digital information on the NFC chip 6. As can be seen in FIG. 5, an epoxy finish 10 is layered onto both the annular surface 3 and the vinyl sticker 9, which is used to further protect the exterior of the present invention from physical damage.

An insulative pad 7 is a kind of shielding that is used to prevent the NFC chip 6 from short-circuiting by coming in contact with the metal planar body 1. If the NFC chip 6 were to touch the metal planar body 1, then the NFC chip 6 would not be able to properly function. The first insulative pad 7 can be made of, but is not limited to, foam or rubber. The insulative pad 7 is positioned in between the recessed well 4 and the NFC chip 6, which prevents the NFC chip 6 from touching the metal planar body 1. The insulative pad 7 is also adhered to the recessed well 4 so that the insulative pad 7 is properly situated on the recessed well 4.

An attachment tag 8 allows the present invention to situate the NFC chip 6. The attachment tag 8 is positioned in between the NFC chip 6 and the vinyl sticker 9 so that the vinyl sticker 9 does not directly adhere to the NFC chip 6. The attachment tag 8 is centrally adhered onto the NFC chip 6 and is peripherally adhered onto the insulative pad 7, which secures the NFC chip 6 to the insulative pad 7. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the insulative pad 7 and the attachment tag 8 are combined with the NFC chip 6 as one manufactured part.

The vinyl sticker 9 is the means to mount the NFC chip 6 to the metal planar body 1 without inhibiting its ability to transmit digital information to the host electronic device through radio communication. Thus, the vinyl sticker 9 is centrally adhered onto both the insulative pad 7 and the attachment tag 8 and is peripherally adhered onto the recessed well 4, which secures and situates the vinyl sticker 9 into the recessed well 4.

The present invention can be implemented in a variety of ways. One way is for a football team to sell a commemorative embodiment of the present invention, which would allow user of the present invention to access exclusive team-related content that is only available through the present invention. Another way is to change the data on the server side so that the present invention would contain the same link and only the content for the link would change on the server side. Another way is to have the host electronic device be a smart-phone, and the present invention could call a phone number or link to a map location for a secret party or event.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Order a single coin to test the technology for yourself, before minting your custom order of 200 or more coins. The coin comes formatted and you can program it for your specific needs. The most common uses are as a digital business card or programmed to launch a website when a smartphone is tapped to the coin.

Abstract of the Gray Water Ops NFC Smart challenge coin

A digital information transferring coin is a disc-shaped apparatus that is capable of transferring digital information to another electronic device through radio communication. The apparatus includes a metal planar body, a near field communication (NFC) chip, a vinyl sticker, and an insulative pad. The NFC chip is mounted within a recessed well of the metal planar body. The vinyl sticker encloses the NFC chip within the recessed well, which allows the NFC chip to wirelessly communicate with a host NFC-enabled electronic device without interference from the apparatus. The NFC chip is situated within its recessed well with the insulative pad, which is used to prevent the NFC chip from making direct contact with the metal planar body. An epoxy finish is applied onto both the vinyl sticker and the metal planar body in order to further protect the NFC chip from any physical damage.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for use with a coin. More specifically, the present invention is a custom minted coin with a micro-chip embedded in the coin that allows a user to communicate information by using Near Field Communication (NFC). See the full patent here.