So I just spent a week working with the guys at MINI Motoring Graphics on ordering some metallic gold racing stripes for the Cooper I'm ordering. We went back and forth over the Pantone colors blah, blah, blah, and we finally found one I thought was right. Got the stripes today and, there's just no other way to say it, they are baby-poo brown. There is nothing metallic or gold about them! Has anyone else looked into gold stripes and if so what color # did you use? These are Pantone 873C, which is apparently just a "gold" paint over the standard vinyl. I've ordered a sample of gold vinyl from 3M to see if that is what I was actually looking for before I go back to MMG crying about how awful these are. Thanks for the help!

 

Sorry to hear of your problems with your stripes. You should always request a sample of something for approval when having printing done. That way when the final product does not match your approval swatch you have something to fall back on to not pay them or get it redone.

As for the Pantone colors there are many different styles, Process color, Metallic color, Neon color, Pastel color etc, that may have this number in the style. Each of them is going to look slightly different for color.

I have looked at my Pantone Swatches and this color, although called gold looks very brown. More of a very dirty gold color.

If you are looking for the metalic look you would be much better off going with a Metallic Vinyl from 3M than trying to have a metallic printed. The color will also vary depending on the material that it was printed on. And with a Metallic Print it will still not really be as metallic as you may want.

Interesting Facts:

This 873C color was used by the Baltimore Stars of the US Football League as one part of their uniform colors. At the time it was called Old Gold.

Lego blocks use this 873C color for one of their blocks and it is called Sand Yellow Metallic.

 

Thank you so much for the response. I agree that I definitely should have asked for samples before I pulled the trigger. Expensive lesson learned... I've asked them if they can do the Metallic Vinyl instead of printing and we'll see what they say. So far they haven't responded.
Great facts! I should have asked here first. Think Notre Dame Gold, not dirty penny

 

Notre Dame has two different colors of gold.

1. in the logo is Notre Dame Gold and is Pantone 116

2. Helmet is Notre Dame Metallic Gold and is Pantone 872

Neither of them have a Shinny finish like polished gold.