Interview with Joe Ward of Goliath Coins
We all like to collect things in one form or another. The geek community tends to collect things that fall in line with their fandoms, hobbies, artistic tastes, the list does go on. Goliath Coins is a company that offers a unique spin on coins…collectible display coins. Double-sided coins that feature characters from pop culture, mythology, and gaming. If you are crafty enough or enjoy painting, they can be painted! They are almost 2.75 inches in diameter, weigh almost 4 oz each and are about 6mm thick. They even come with a display stand. We had the privilege of meeting the makers of Goliath Coins at Gencon and knew immediately that our readers would also enjoy learning more about Goliath Coins.
GeekPost: How did you get started in making collectible coins? Where did the inspiration come from?
GoliathCoins: A little over 11 years ago, I came across a challenge coin. Challenge coins are big in the military, police, fire, and increasingly in the corporate world. I was intrigued by the detail. I thought back to when my children were younger and how they would collect all the Pokemon and Yu Gi Oh cards. I thought these characters would look great on the coins and I started researching how the coins were made. I tried to learn everything about them and while I was doing this, I started doing some custom military and police orders. The custom coin side of my business then took off. I did that for many years and continue to do that. A few years ago, I went back to my original idea and started working on my personal coin line which initially focused on fantasy and mythology coins.
GeekPost: Do you have a personal favorite coin?
GoliathCoins: I like the new Goliath Coins best. I love the size and the sculpted 3D artwork. If I had to pick, I would probably say the Wizard coin. I love the detail in his face, on his staff, on his clothing, etc.
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GeekPost: What can you tell us about Dice Coins?
GoliathCoins: When I started working on my own coin line, I thought the coins could be part of a game. I wanted to incorporate a random element to the coins where you could have attack/defense values on the coin. I thought about flipping the coin, spinning the coin and letting it land towards a value, etc. I told one of my friends this idea and he suggested a knob on one side of the coin. This would allow you to spin the coin like a top. We thought this was very unique, but as it turns out, someone did it back in the 1920’s for a novelty coin.
However, I came up with the idea to add the typical RPG dice numbers to the outer perimeter of the coin. After you spun the coin, you would stop it with your finger. The issue was that your finger would either cover the number, be between numbers, etc. My wife suggested that the result would be the first completely visible number to the left of your finger. This worked out really well.
We launched these coins on Kickstarter and did extremely well and continue to do so.
GeekPost: GeekPost got to meet you at GenCon. What can you tell us about the experience?
GoliathCoins: It was our first time as a vendor at Gen Con. It was a great experience. My wife and I love talking to people. It was really nice because we got to meet some of our Kickstarter and online buyers in person. And…the coins sold extremely well so we were very happy. A lot of work, but worth it.
GeekPost: We’ve been on your website. It appears that you have many things in the works. Is there anything you can tell us?
GoliathCoins: Going back to my original idea eleven years ago, I really believe that adding characters to the coins would be popular. We started out with generic fantasy monsters and mythological characters since no license would be needed to use those characters.
Based upon the results of that, we talked to the Edgar Rice Burroughs people at the Los Angeles Comic Con. This resulted in another meeting at their office and us signing a licensing deal based upon his characters – Tarzan, John Carter, Dejah Thoris. This was special to me because I grew up reading his books.
After this, we attended the licensing expo in Vegas and things have taken off. We have licenses for Castlevania, Ultraman, Zorro, Chaosium’s Cthulhu mythos, and artwork from Frank Frazetta, Amy Brown, and Ruth Thompson. All of these are coming out in the next few months. More are in the works.
GeekPost: What is your favorite source of inspiration for the fantasy display coins?
GoliathCoins: I grew up watching Godzilla, the Ray Harryhausen mythology movies like Sinbad, reading Marvel comics, etc. I also started playing D&D in the early 1980’s. All of those has inspired me.
GeekPost: Do you consider yourself geeks? What does that mean to you?
GoliathCoins: I think everyone has some geek in them now a days. I don’t really like the typical stereotype of a geek. To me, it means being passionate about something that is fun or unique. For example, when the first Michael Keaton Batman movie came out in 1989, it was a game changer, and it was before trailers were online. My friends and I would pay to enter a different movie just to watch the Batman trailer. I think that answers your question about being a geek!
GeekPost: Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about your work?
GoliathCoins: We are trying to change the perception of coins. A lot of people treat them like stamps – fragile, put them away, don’t touch them. A lot of that is based upon precious metal type currency coins that are very small.
We have a completely different take. Coins are basically indestructible. Our coins are extremely large, goliath size you could say, with incredible 3d detail. They are meant to be handled and displayed. It is a collectible that you can hand down generation to generation.
A very big thank you to Joe Ward of Goliath Coins for taking the time for this interview. We here at Geek Post cannot wait to add some of these gorgeous display coins to our collection.
To keep up with Goliath Coins, make sure you check out the social media links or check out their website.
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