What Does Getting a Challenge Coin Mean?

If you had a first responder or military parent growing up, chances are they had a collection of challenge coins. These coins were awarded to them for accomplishments like leaving a base, obtaining a promotion, or meeting a dignitary. You might have heard about them. Challenge coins, however, are generally shrouded in some mystery. Although they are lovely keepsakes, what does it mean when someone gives them to you as a gift?

A challenge coin is a specially crafted coin used in coin collecting to signify a group or event. Giving someone a challenge coin symbolizes comradery or solidarity, establishes membership in a particular group, and honors the recipient's deeds.

Challenge coins have a unique way of making their receivers feel proud. They act as a less formal form of praise in place of awards like ribbons and medals. As a method to recognize service, the custom has a long history among members of the armed forces and first responders. Some companies have started integrating them into their teams to increase morale and drive, while others do it for branding reasons.

Obtaining a Challenge Coin

Many claim that winning a challenge coin is the only true way to obtain one. Receiving a challenge coin can be a very rewarding event, and it forges special bonds with other people who have shared the same experience. Challenge coins are regarded with respect by individuals who receive them because they serve as a reminder of the struggles required to obtain them. There are as many ways to obtain a challenge coin as there are coins, however, the following are the most typical ones:

Having served in the military

Having a meeting with a senior government official

taking part in a unique event

Achievement

Challenge coins can be purchased, but doing so eliminates their context and, hence, their significance.

The custom of awarding challenge coins is a significant component of its history. Since challenge coins are a non-formal prize, it is only fitting that this fact be reflected in their distribution.

A secret handshake has always been the favored method of presenting someone with a challenge coin. Usually, a commanding officer or senior official will palm the coin and present it to the recipient, either in front of others or in secret.

It is thought that this custom started back during the Second Boer War. The official medals awarded to British mercenaries throughout the conflict were usually given to their commanders. The medal would be stolen and surreptitiously given to its rightful owner via a handshake by others who thought this rule was unfair.

Custom challenge coins are a great way to recognize someone's accomplishment or a special event. They can be a wonderful method to link everyone who took part in the experience and remember it.

An Overview of Challenge Coin History

Although the exact origins of challenge coins are unknown, it is generally thought that the custom started among military personnel. The earliest recorded instance is from the time of Ancient Rome when warriors were honored with special coins as a sign of gratitude for their bravery in battle. According to some historians, the fact that these coins were specifically imprinted with the emblem of their legion led to many soldiers keeping them as mementos.

Another origin tale dates back to World War I, albeit it is probably a fabrication. There, it is believed that a member of the Allied Powers' officer corps imprinted bronze medallions with his aircraft squadron's insignia and gave them to his soldiers. One of them was shot down over Germany, but he made it back to France before being captured.

When he arrived, the soldiers mistook him for a German spy and attempted to have him killed. The pilot displayed his medallion to clear his name. A soldier noticed it, and it was quickly determined that he was who he claimed to be, saving his life.

But how did these coins change from being merely mementos to being a problem? Some claim that the American GIs who visited the pubs in occupied Germany after World War II brought the challenge back. Locals would frequently do "pfennig checks" on one another, where anyone unable to produce a pfennig (the German word for a penny) had to pay for a round of drinks for those who could.

The challenger would have to pay for the drinks if everyone had pfennigs. This was somewhat altered by the Americans, who substituted one of their unit's specially marked coins for a pfennig and, in keeping with American custom, slammed the coins down rather than just showing them.

The Vietnam War saw a rise in this practice. Bullet clubs were established by Special Forces soldiers, whose members always carried an unfired bullet. Officers quickly started to worry since soldiers frequently smash down live ammo when given a task, perhaps resulting in a deadly accident. They stopped selling the bullet clubs and started giving out valuable Special Forces coins. Each unit soon got its coin.

What is a Challenge Coin?

A challenge coin is a little metal coin with a special pattern that has been coined into it. Enamel paint may have been applied to coins by the design to add a burst of color. Although challenge coins can have several shapes, the presidential coin for Donald Trump is a well-known example. Challenge coins normally have the round shape of a standard monetary coin.

Challenge coins, as previously mentioned, have a long history and connection to the military, but in recent years, they have begun to appear in organizations that are not related to the military. First responders have embraced the custom of recognizing contributions to the community, frequently for putting themselves in harm's way while performing their duties. Some businesses use them in place of business cards, offer them to employees as rewards for a job well done, or distribute them as advertising materials.

A challenge coin's function extends far beyond simply honoring an accomplishment. They symbolize oneness among people who hold them, and those who receive them can discover themselves as part of an exclusive community. Veterans of the military who are highly proud of their challenge coins are frequent, and some of them proudly exhibit their sizable collections. Challenge coins among service members can help preserve the relationships between individuals who experienced a significant event together.

Different coins have different amounts of weight. The President of the United States frequently reserves those given out by handshakes for military troops and very exceptional occasions, making them highly treasured. The Vice President is only one of several military and governmental figures who have challenged coins.

What is a challenge?

Although each group's challenge coin has a different meaning, drinking is often included. The following is the most typical version:

One participant (the challenger) starts the game by announcing a "coin check" aloud or by audibly setting the coin on the closest available surface.

Anyone around the challenger is required to present a challenge coin.

You are required to buy a round of drinks for those who can present a challenge coin if you are unable to.

A round of drinks must be purchased by the challenger if everyone can provide a challenge coin.

It is claimed that the challenge's initial intent was to require participants to produce a coin for security reasons because those who were unable to do so were assumed to be frauds. It served as a method of member identification for the 10th Special Forces Group in the late 1940s because many of its men were of various nationalities. The challenge coin lost its official status as more effective security measures were implemented, but it is still a cherished tradition.

Last Words

Receiving a challenge coin is a great honor because it demonstrates both your deservingness of recognition for your deeds and your membership in an exclusive society. They can sustain the links between those who suffered together by connecting those who hold them beyond distance and time. Therefore, it is understandable why so many veterans proudly and honorably exhibit their challenge coins.