Each branch of the American armed forces participates in the tradition of military challenge coins. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Air National Guard all have special challenge coins to represent their membership in their particular service branch.
The history of the tradition isn’t precisely clear. One story goes that a young wealthy pilot who flew as a member of the Army Air Corps in the First World War ordered a batch of bronze coins to present to other members of his squadron as a way for all to remember their time serving together. Another story pegs the start of the challenge coin tradition as having begun during the Second World War. There are tales of military members gathered at a pub in Germany, challenged to present a particular coin, and the last one to do so was expected to buy the round of drinks.
There are tales that during the Vietnam war, almost all of the men in combat carried these challenge tokens with them at all times as a form of identification as a member in his particular unit. The practice today is for men and women in the armed forces to be awarded special tokens from their commanding officers and medals of praise for jobs well done. Many have touted these tokens as more meaningful than any official form of praise or designation.
So much more than a mere small circle of metal, they are symbols, tokens, mementos, and enduring sources of solace pinched between fingers during the horrors of battle. Their owners have felt a sense of kinship, pride, loyalty, and solidarity. domain parking . The rule of ownership continues that it must be carried continually and presented upon challenge, lest he or she face a penalty.
The medals themselves are designed to represent something unique about the unit and the branch of service it represents. They are often colorful, contain mottos and emblems, and symbolize the strength and unity of those who carry them.
Gold, silver, copper, bronze — any number of metals can be used in minting. It’s happened that one commission instructed the mint to create a set using the metal from some equipment retrieved from a battle. Quite often it will be a significant event that inspires the creation and design of a coin, commemorating the event and forever reminding and bonding those who participated.
And it’s not only military personnel who take interest in this. Collectors of varied backgrounds have taken interest in the rich and meaningful history behind the stories of the sentimental tokens, and they trade and auction off pieces of their collections all over the world.
Other organizations are getting in on it, too. Police and Firefighters are making their own commemorative challenge coins, as are branches of governments. So, too, are enthusiasts of different hobbies and cultural trends. What begin as a practice and tradition of military challenge coins is evolving, reaching numerous other groups and organizations who recognize the value of honoring and celebrating unity and strength, endurance in difficult times and celebration of triumph.
Get the low down on all you need to know about military challenge coins now in our overview of exquisite unit coins collecting.