Built From Service. Designed With Pride.

My name is Sam Palmer, and I’m a serving Chef in the Royal Australian Navy.

Samapa Designs exists because I wanted a better way for us to share our pride, passion, and devotion to service. Premium items that can be traded, collected, and kept for life give us a tangible way to represent who we are and what we’ve done — not just while we’re serving, but long after.

Why I Started Samapa Designs

The idea started during RIMPAC 2022, while I was deployed on HMAS Warramunga.

Every other nation turned up with bold, oversized, highly detailed challenge coins, patches, hats and belt buckles — items that people actually wanted to trade. Australia didn’t.

All we had were small, flat, generic coins. No one wanted them, and no one felt proud handing them over. That stuck with me.

Simple ideas

At the time, no one in Australia was producing large, premium, highly detailed challenge coins that could compete internationally. So I started designing them myself — initially for my own unit, HMAS Stuart..

Lasting impact

Word spread. One unit turned into many.
Today, I supply premium, detailed collectables to fleet units and establishments across Australia.

What Most Challenge Coins Get Wrong

Most challenge coins fail because they’re not designed for metal.

Too many are just logos dropped onto a flat disc — no depth, no weight, no thought given to how the design will actually be struck, plated or handled.

I took it further.

My focus has always been on:

Layering and relief
Bevels and 3D engraving
Weight and balance
Detail that holds up over time

I design coins that spark interest the moment someone picks them up — not something that gets forgotten in a drawer.

Designed for Metal.

Everything I create starts as vector line artwork, which means what you see digitally is exactly what comes out of the press.

There’s no interpretation gap.

I work closely with multiple specialist factories to push:

Maximum achievable detail
Accurate relief depth
Correct line weights
The right plating and finishes

I design digitally with the physical result in mind, so the final product is as close to perfect as possible.

That’s what “designed for metal” means to me.

Who I Work With

I primarily design for:

Australian Defence Force units
ABF and APS organisations
Navy, Army and RAAF elements
Warships and landing ships

I’m also expanding into private industry, working with organisations that want meaningful, collectable merchandise rather than disposable promo items.

All of my clients are Australia-based.

What I’ve Worked On

I’ve designed projects across:

Warships and fleet units
Army and RAAF elements
Course and commemorative coins
Limited-run collectables
Custom merchandise programs

Most of my work is custom-only, with occasional excess collectables released from my personal inventory.

The feedback I hear most often is simple:

They’re the best items people have ever seen.

Solo, By Choice

Director

SAMUEL PALMER

I’m a solo designer and operator.

I personally design every coin, oversee every project, and manage quality from start to finish. Nothing is templated. Nothing is rushed.

That’s deliberate.

Why Work With Me

Not because I’m the cheapest — I’m not.

But because I care about what the product means, not just what it costs. I’m more interested in getting it right than squeezing every dollar out of a run.

If you want something premium, intentional, and built to last, you’re exactly who I design for.