Post Your Challenge Coins

I was awarded this for teaching a computer operations class to our Officer Candidate School. I am enlisted (E-5 petty officer 2nd class).


I was given this for working with another petty officer to write a song for the Texas State Guard. (We also received commendations from the Adjustant General. I will post that coin later.)

(Both coins are actually about the same size, silver dollar or crown sized, as you would expect. The different here is just an artifact.)

 

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This is the only one I have had time to go back and re-image. It is also from my last trip to Africa. I spent waaaay too much time over there.

 

Having apparently been living under a rock prior to joining CT.... Is a challenge coin something presented in the military for accomplishing a difficult goal?

 

Challenge coins CAN be presented by a high ranking officer. They can also be ISSUED to unit members. If you are challenged and can not produce a coin YOU pay for the drinks. Some people rank the coins by the unit's reputation and the person with the least prestigious coin pays. Amongst officers, REMFs and social climbers the highest rank shown on a challenge coin drinks free with the tab paid by underlings or those with coins from lesser ranked notables. Basically serves the same purpose as a SHORT SNORTER. Lately civilian groups like police, fire. emt, SWAT have begun offering challenge coins to their members. The rules for use vary from place to place and some folks very vocally assert that their version of the rules apply everywhere.

 

Harley Bissell gave a good, succinct answer; and I tagged it for "Best Answer." I wrote several versions of this article about the history of Challenge Coins -- more than you ever wanted to know...

https://necessaryfacts.blogspot.com/2016/09/challenge-coins.html

I wrote it first for the Georgia Numismatic Association Newsletter back about 1996. I reworked it several times and did more research.

Personally, I understand the people who collect them as numismatic items, but I am wary of that, as they are awards and it is too easy to abuse them as "stolen valor." I am not talking about the true numismatist, but those who actually were awarded some and then go to eBay to get more, to trade them around, and build a rack for their desk.

And I have some of those, actually, trades with "battle buddies" when you share a moment, and you hand over an extra and get a double in return. I got one from our Public Affairs Office that way. (I am a writer and I take snapshots of ceremonies, but the coin came from someone else near my level, not from a commander. She was just saying "Thanks.") And I got an FBI coin pretty much the same way.

But if I had an office and a desk with a coin rack, those two would not be on display: they are for my own room here at home. On that rack, I have a patch from Australia that I got from a guy I slept with. But, I stray from the topic...

 

From left to right: Texas Military Department Adjutant General's awarded for individual achievement in public relations; Maritime Regiment commanding general's awarded for individual achievement (attaboy); TXSG CG's Hurricane Harvey; Texas Department of Public Safety Division of Emergency Management Hurricane Harvey.

 

I actually got two of these. The first one, the commanding general got a nastygram from Washington to fix something. It was not a big something, but it needed to get fixed. So, he called three sergeants into his office and asked us to take of this. We put our heads together and managed a combined IQ near 100 and got it fixed in about a week. The second was for the end of my tour.

 

How come so many members are awarded "Best Answer"? Alright, it's probably my version of Sour Grapes !!!

 

New improved Color 82nd Signal Battalion Commanders Voice Veteran Challenge Coin designed by Chief Warrant Officer Pete Hill in 2017 after the deactivation of the 82nd Signal Battalion at Fort Bragg NC in 2012. AATW!

 

I neglected to mention that challenge coins have been manufactured for many former units. Unit veterans will buy them for a pocket piece as reunion fund raisers. I've seen other challenge coins in the original packaging showing the prices asked for them at the PX. I have a branch coin for the defunct ASA BRANCH and coin for defunct unit MACV. I don't recall seeing any challenge coins throughout my period of service which ended in 1977 on active duty and the year of the Iranian Hostage Crisis in the national guard. The article by @kaparthy is well researched and written with many historical highlights that I had never heard.

 

opposite side of the 82nd Signal Battalion Commanders Voice Colored Veteran Coin designed by Chief Warrant Officer Pete Hill in 2017. AATW!

 

Two which were gifts to me as a civilian. Thank you to all who serve and have served.

Both showing the B-52 in all of its glory.

First is 60 year anniversary.


Second being the 2nd muns Ammo division.
“If you ain’t ammo, you ain’t ____”

 

My battle buddies and my sea son returned from HOA 2 months ago. I would have been there if I was still in.

 

I loved teaching commissioned officers, I was enlisted, Petty Officer 1st Class, (E-6). They track me down and beg to be put on my class raster. I have to say with rare exception I was always treated with respect by them.[/QUOTE]

 

This coin given to my son from Brig General Ken Dahl, while serving in Helmond province Afghanistan.(Later Maj General Dahl prosecuted the deserter Beau Bergdahl), 2nd coin from 319th Military Intelligence battalion with whom he served & was awarded Commendation Medal.

 

I love challenge coins! There was an old thread about them...

What I love about challenge coins is that they tell a story of my career. Since I've been in the Air Force (2003-present) every unit I've been part of makes their own and sells them to raise money for events like holiday parties, etc. I have a bunch and I love them.

Here are a couple from my career field:






The last one with the skunk I got after completing training following Basic. Pretty sure I know who designed it. Anyway, I found the below patch on eBay and had to get it.

 

I do not know when the enameled varieties began, but I associate them with casino tokens because the techniques are similar. Back in 1977, challenge coins were real coins. If you had the 1964 1-dong after it was demonetized, then it meant that you had been "in country" before (almost) everyone else. I think that even as late as Gulf War I, when the Iraqi 1-dinar was the sought after souvenir, the enameled ones were seldom seen. I would like to know more history about them.

There was a Challenge Coin Collectors Club for a few years. Read about Jesse Medford's efforts here:
https://www.challengecoinsltd.com/i...hes-first-official-challenge-coin-association
(Note that this was from 2012. ... and actually, it opens up another thread topic on Gambling Tokens. From that article: "In fact, professional poker players now use challenge coins as cardholders." That is an old, old tradition. If you know the novels of Jane Austen, then you know about playing whist for "fish." Fish were mother-of-pearl gambling tokens with the family crest on them. That was how one man could remind another that "I am holding your markers for fifty pounds." I will see about scanning the "fish" that I bought for my wife. But that all goes into another topic thread.)

 

Interested in challenge coins, check out this link:

http://www.coinbooks.org/club_nbs_esylum_v14n18.html#article4

Numismatist Ray Bows discusses the challenge coin's history.

 

Disappointed that it does not appear to be an active organization. I found a Facebook page and the website challengecoinassociation.org redirects to a maker of coins.