Army Challenge Coin

Challenge coins are often used by police and military to certify unit members. These custom coins have been called different names over the years such as unit coins or commander coins. The importance of these coins does not lie in the name; it lies in what they represent. To many, these coins stand for hard work, friendships and memories. A specific memory or set of memories are typically associated with each unit’s custom challenge coin set and the coins help ensure the memories are not lost. We have touched briefly on the history of challenge coins with our video blog post and When Where and Why Challenge Coin post, but let’s take a closer look into the full history today.

There are several different stories on how the challenge coin originated, but one of the most commonly held views is that the tradition began in the United States Army Air Service. Air Warefare was still relatively new during World War I and most aircrafts were manned by people from an “everyday” walk of life. A wealthier lieutenant ordered small bronze medallions or coins which he gave to other pilots in his squadron to serve as a keepsake of their service together. The custom coin was gold-plated with the squadron’s insignia or logo. One of the pilots was so appreciative of the coin that he put it around his neck in a leather pouch to keep it safe.

The story continues that this pilot’s aircraft was heavily damaged during the war and he was forced to land behind enemy lines. He was captured by the Germans and they took all of his belongings except for the challenge coin he wore around his neck. He was able to escape from the Germans and eventually made contact with French patrol. The French had mistaken him for a German due to the civilian outfit he was wearing as part of his escape from German capture. The French captors were prepared to execute the pilot as he was unable to identify himself. He finally thought to present the coin to the Frenchmen in hopes to confirm his identity. One of the Frenchmen recognized the insignia or logo on the coin and the pilot was able to safely return to his squadron.

Once the pilot returned to his squadron, it quickly became tradition for all members to carry their coin at all times. Other members of the squad would challenge each other to produce their coin. If the coin could not be produced, the challenger was owed a drink by the other member. (revised from Wikipedia entry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenge_coin)

The tradition continues to grow and there are several rules of the “challenge” that exist among the coin’s history. The one thing that will stay consistent among all stories is the amount of pride members take in their coins and all the memories associated with them.

We provide custom challenge coin packaging and accessories for all of your challenge coin needs.  Check out our challenge coin & medals web page for more information.

Challenge coins have become a popular item for all branches of the military, service clubs, organizations and departments. The challenge coin has a long tradition of symbolizing unity and providing recognition for fellow members.

“Coining” began in the ancient Roman army, where coins were presented as rewards. The history of the challenge coin dates back to the U.S. military in World War II. There are other undocumented stories of military coins in the early 1900’s, but we’ll focus on Soldiers Magazine’s version from their August 1994 issue.

In the early 1940s, a soldier in the 11th Special Forces Group (SFG), over-stamped some old coins with their emblem, and then gave them to unit members. The 10th SFG was the first to mint their own Special Forces challenge coin and remained the only unit with its own Army challenge coin until the 1980’s.

The military challenge coin tradition carries on today, but now almost every military unit creates its own custom challenge coin which every member carries. It identifies the soldier, sailor, airmen or Marine as a unit member and is a symbol of pride, respect and fellowship. Their revered symbols and mottos capture in metal the essence of their affiliation and fierce pride.

It is fascinating to watch a single batch of Special Forces challenge coins spread over the years to many different custom military coins, including Air Force challenge coins, Marine challenge coins, Navy challenge coins and USMC challenge coins. Even police departments, fire departments, service organizations, local clubs, universities, motorcycle clubs and poker tournaments now use custom coins. Not only are challenge coins a great fundraising tool and morale builder; they still provide the same recognition and appreciation they did in the Roman times.