Custom Fiesta medals.

Unlike a race medal worn on a long neck ribbon, a Fiesta medal is commonly attached to a short ribbon drape with a pin. People wear, trade and collect new designs during San Antonio’s Fiesta season, often displaying many together on clothing, hats or a sash.

The official Fiesta San Antonio history traces the celebration to 1891. Its medal timeline describes King Antonio distributing coins to children in 1946 and Charles Orsinger punching holes in collected coins in 1971—an important step in the form that developed into today’s medals.

Current designs may add top bars, spinners, danglers, sliders, glitter, glow color, printing and backstamps. These are not isolated decoration choices; every extra component affects balance, assembly, packaging and schedule.

Nonprofits may need a clear identity and controlled landed cost for fundraising. A local business can connect its brand with a San Antonio story instead of placing a logo on a generic colorful plate. Schools, clubs and teams can build around mascots, milestones or anniversaries. A yearly series benefits from a consistent backstamp, proportion and package system.

Decide who will buy or receive the piece, where it will be worn, the planned selling price and whether next year’s version should feel related. This prevents a promotional piece from becoming too heavy or a collector edition from looking too generic.

Plan the main metal body, short ribbon, pin, connection points and backside first. Then choose one movement or surface effect that helps tell the story. A Ferris wheel can rotate, a food or mascot icon can hang below, and a ball or vehicle can travel along a short slider path.

A moving sample must be handled, shaken and worn. “It moves once” is not enough: check connection security, edge comfort, visual balance and repeated contact with enamel or plating.

Glitter works best where its particles have enough area to register. Glow color needs sample review in ordinary light and after charging; a screen rendering cannot establish brightness or duration. Transparent color changes with the metal texture beneath it. Printing can preserve gradients, tiny lettering or illustrated details that cannot be separated cleanly by metal lines.

Crystals, lights and other fitted parts may increase perceived value, but also add assembly, packing and service risk. The buyer should decide whether the target customer will pay for the effect—not simply whether the factory can add it.

Specify ribbon color or color combination, width, folded length, custom printing, one- or two-point attachment, pin size and pin direction. The connection between the ribbon and medal determines how the face hangs.

A heavier assembly should be tested with the exact ribbon and pin. Packaging should also prevent the pin from scratching the metal face and keep loose or moving parts from becoming tangled.

A simpler, flatter outline with clear color blocks may suit a stamped direction. Thick custom shapes, deeper relief, open areas and multi-part structures may point toward die casting. Material names alone do not establish quality.

Compare quotes on the same finished size, thickness, relief, plating, number of colors, moving parts, ribbon, pin, backstamp and packaging. Otherwise, a lower unit price may simply omit parts included elsewhere.

Establish a visual hierarchy: who the organization is, what the annual theme is, where the year sits and which element moves. Very small words, thin lines, gradients and border decoration compete with axles, holes, metal partitions and connector rings for limited space.

A production proof should mark metal lines, color areas, finish, moving direction, axis or track, holes and connectors, front and reverse, ribbon colors, pin direction and packaging. Do not approve only a polished front rendering when the product depends on backside assembly.

• Organization name, year and small text
• Color and plating against the approved proof
• Metal borders, cutouts and sharp points
• Spinner rotation and axle retention
• Dangler ring closure and swing path
• Slider movement and end stops
• Balance, flipping and edge comfort
• Ribbon, connector and pin under full load
• Glitter, glow, print or transparent effects
• Backstamp, numbering and packaging

For a complex design, retain one approved assembled sample as the reference for bulk production. Record the complete configuration, including ribbon and pack—not only the metal body.

The Fiesta San Antonio website distinguishes official events, official merchandise and official medals. Similar colors or a San Antonio theme do not create permission to use the Fiesta® mark, official posters, event logos, team marks, sponsor marks or another artist’s work.

Before production, confirm who owns every name, logo, character, photograph and illustration, whether brand approval is required, and whether the product may accurately be described as “official.” A factory can assess manufacturability; it cannot grant the buyer rights owned by someone else.