Opalsns - you are welcome
but I caution it doesn't always go as smooth as you described.
You produced your own coin with family and there were I am sure a limited number of people to make decisions. The decision making and approval process takes time and can slow down or delay things. Also, the Chinese New Year!
Which can slow things to a total halt until they return to the factories.
You have been fortunate, your timing has not run into that season or there were not mint hitches (which do happen and are beyond the control of the coin company). The more people involved with decisions (a couple of pals as cachers vs. family, a group of a few vs. largre group such as GCM or others) the slower decisions are made. A while ago I had a very experienced Geocoiner tell me - the less people involved in working on and approving a coin the better - 4 is the absolute max! That individual has done a lot of coins.
All of the Geocaching.com Groundspeak rules (and there are rules - the design even has to be approved by Groundspeak) are available for anyone to read on the Groundspeak web site, in the Forums on Geocoins. They are there for any interested person to learn more about producing a coin.
As for changing companies, GCM has a relationship with Coins & Pins (I believe they did the first coin). I also believe money was saved on the second coin by reusing one half of a die from the first coin. Working with one company is not a bad thing as they know you and you know them.
The company I recommended was one of several I would have done business with. They just happened to be the one we used for the MPQ coin. Coins and Pins is extremely good and very reputable.
As for the quality of the coins - I have many coins and they are about all the same......landsharkz coins are coming down the line of the same factory doing coins for lillysue and many other "coin makers" doing Geocoins. The mint is just minting what they are told.
The coin is not what "coin maker" did it - it is the design, the elements, the marketing, advertising, method of selling, the pricing and a ton of other things which make a coin popular, collected and a winna!
JMHO - last but not least, I believe Sudonim is doing this through his business so we are in compliance regarding Maine state law on sales!
For that I thank him!