Coins as bases

[Emir of Askaristan]

I use 2p coints pretty regularly as theyre always available.

When I came back from Norway with a pocket full of change I used the 1Kr pieces to base my WW2 Norwegians on - why not, you cant exchange them .

Then when I got my hands on some 1938 Czech figures I also got some Czech coins to base them on!!

Its a little idiosyncratic I know..but hey

[BaronVonJ]

Always use washers. Stick nicely to magnetic sheeting in the box, so no spills in transport. And they're not that expensive. With as much as I pay for miniatures, it's worth putting them on a nice, solid base.
Why crank out the money for the figs, but be a cheap skate when it come to the base?
-J

[Plynkes]

It has nothing to do with being a cheapskate. For me a washer has no advantage over a coin, so why do I need to seek out something else when on my sideboard there is already a bowl full of pocket change?

[Captain Blood]

Because...

It is how God wants us to base our miniatures.

 

[Johnno]

I use pennies. They only cost 1 cent
 AND I don't need to hit the hardware store either, where inevitably I ALWAYS come home with more then washers

[Hammers]

Because...

 

Who'll be the first to blow himself up to stress this point?

[BaronVonJ]

Well, here in the US at least, coins aren't magnetic. So I have to use washers to stick to my magnetic sheeting.

[Doomsdave]

Do any of you have trouble with the paint chipping off the sharp edges of washers or coins? I have had this issue with painted metal in the past that has defined edges.  Just wondering.

[number9]

I've used both, but I think I'll stick to steel washers in the future. The ferrous quality is more important than the cost and inconvenience to me. Not only do I store and transport figs magnetically, I also use a bunch of telescoping magnetic tools to secure them while I paint.

http://www.toolking.com/specialty-tools/magnetic-tools-magnets/grip-53390-pen-style-telescoping-magnetic-pick-up-tool-holds-5-lbs/

I protect painted metal base edges with a thick coating of clear polyurethane floor varnish. When dry the shine is reduced by the overall matte varnish the figure gets. Since most of my basing is in the brown/yellow spectrum, it doesn't bother me if it discolors slightly with age, and it serves as a pretty tough coating.

[Silent Invader]

Penny coins as bases?  Yep, that's me too.

Head usually down because ...... and at risk of sounding like a mildly obsessive thinks too much about it dweeb ..... the only time I've had superglue detach from a coin (while washing before underocating) was when the mini was stuck to the Queen's head.  I'm guessing that the superglue grips better on the obverse due to the sharper profile of the portcullis, whereas the Queen's head on the face is smoother and more convex.

[6milPhil]

I do find it odd how the best deal for bases is to use tuppences (2p UK decimal), quite incredible when you consider what a slotta can cost.

Aside from that, no emotion...

[Calimero]

I find that 1 cent (Canadian or US) where too small to base "big" 28mm figures… I then started gluing figures to 5 cents pieces, gluing the figures on the Queen’s face because the beaver on the other side is a little too well feed and the surface wasn’t flat enough… Now I use Litko plywood (1.5mm thick) 7/8" in diameter which cost me about 26 cents each but have a much better finish (at least that’s what I think).

[Supercollider]

I also use 2p coins: perfect size for the usual 25/28mm fig.  Don't tend to think too much about which side to score before gluing - I fear the Queen has been on the receiving end of many extreme facial ex-foliations at my hands. 

I like the brass/copper edge left bare around the base, and tend to choose newer/shinier tuppences for character/special figs.  For small figs, like familars and pets, I use pennies.

For bigger figs I use thin steel washers with the smallest central holes I can find ('fender washers' from Canadian Tire).

[Wirelizard]

For small figs, like familars and pets, I use pennies.

I find a standard Canuck/Yank/UK penny will base almost any individual 28mm figure I've found, even some of the more energetically posed Pulp Figures ones, providing I'm OK with a heel or toe poking over the ege of the base slightly. If you look at the painted specimens of his own figures that Bob Murch has up on the PF website, he uses even smaller bases than pennies - tiny squares of plastic card mostly.

Smaller bases make figures so much easier to fit into terrain (especially buildings) that it's worth letting the occasional toe hang over, I think. 25mm/1" bases (round or square) are Too Damn Big, especially those hugely chunky slottabases from Evil Empire and others.

Besides, as others have said, you really can't beat a penny for price.

[joroas]

It is illegal to deface the Queen's coinage, so can we expect a call from the Queen's Coin Squad at some point?