# What's the deal with challenge coins? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 10, 2019, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552 "2019-01-10T20:37:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/21 "2019-01-11T21:35:21Z")
If I wanted to hand out challenge coins is there someplace that makes them? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/22 "2019-01-11T21:40:27Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > If I wanted to hand out challenge coins is there someplace that makes them? If you Google “challenge coins” you will find companies that will make them to your specification, or you can buy collections of them on eBay. ---
**Author:** ![JB99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JB99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JB99)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/23 "2019-01-11T21:46:26Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > If I wanted to hand out challenge coins is there someplace that makes them? Yes. Just do a Google. There are many companies that will design custom coins. There’s often a minimum batch size, but it’s not very large. When my friend got some made, it was something like 50 coins for the minimum order. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/24 "2019-01-12T00:07:00Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > If I wanted to hand out challenge coins is there someplace that makes them? Yes, all over google. For Chinese imports, prices are in the 15 cents to 1 dollar range, depending on specification. US pricing can range from about $1.50 to $5.00 each. And higher. (And a little lower.) Batch sizes start at 50. Colors can be on neither side, one side or both sides. Sizes offered might range from 1.5 inches to 3 inches across. Yes, this concept has leaked into the non-military world. Example from the Long Now Foundation: [The Interval: Long Now's Challenge Coin - Long Now](http://blog.longnow.org/02013/06/27/long-now-salon-challenge-coin/) Separately, there was a kickstarter for the Tempus Spin Coin: [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jllawsonco/tempus-spin-coin](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jllawsonco/tempus-spin-coin) ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/25 "2019-01-12T14:35:20Z")
These coins have migrated into law enforcement. Specialized units (in my case, Homicide) would distribute them to new members. There was no ranking of coins. Either you had it or didn’t when challenged at the bar. If you didn’t, you bought a round. If you issued the challenge and everyone had their coin, you bought the round. As others have have said, they became tokens of appreciation and I haven’t seen a challenge issued in ten plus years. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/26 "2019-01-12T14:49:23Z")
challenge coins are just that. A coin recognized by a fraternity that they carry with them. When in a group of the same fraternity it’s slammed on a bar counter as a challenge. If someone doesn’t have their coin they pay for a round within the fraternity. If everybody has a coin then the challenger pays the round. the coin type is determined by the fraternity. ---
**Author:** ![RollOutTheBarrel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rolloutthebarrel/32/1649_2.png) [@RollOutTheBarrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RollOutTheBarrel)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/27 "2019-01-15T00:24:35Z")
Even though I’ve been out of the Air Force for several years, I still like to carry a coin with me. I don’t know why; it just makes me happy. 🙂 I have a small collection of about a dozen coins. Three of them were awarded to me and the others I bought. I never carry the ones that were awarded because they mean more to me and I’d be afraid of losing them. I’ve never heard of coins being ranked in any way. It was always you either had one or you didn’t for us. There was a rule, though, that the coin had to represent you in some way. For example, I have a C-5 coin and a C-17 coin. Those would be legal for coin checks because those were planes that I worked on (I was a jet engine mechanic). I couldn’t use a B-52 coin, for example, because I have no connection to the B-52. You can only carry another unit’s coin if you can show a connection to that unit (such as if you exchanged coins with someone from the other unit when you were deployed). There was also a rule that if a coin hit any surface (including the ground) it counted as a coin check even of you dropped it accidentally. ---
**Author:** ![RollOutTheBarrel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rolloutthebarrel/32/1649_2.png) [@RollOutTheBarrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RollOutTheBarrel)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/28 "2019-01-15T00:42:49Z")
I just remembered a funny moment related to challenge coins. One morning, we were standing in formation, listening to our squadron commander. He called someone up and congratulated him on something he did. The commander said he wanted to give him a coin, but he didn’t have any on him. As the honoree walked back to formation, we heard a loud clang as something hit the hangar floor. The commander looked in the direction of the noise and asked, “What was that?!” “It was a challenge, sir,” came a voice from the back. “You said you didn’t have any coins…” ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/29 "2019-01-24T01:15:10Z")
[Secret Service challenge coin in the news](https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/426701-secret-service-personnel-sharing-special-challenge-coins-over). ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/30 "2019-01-24T01:48:33Z")
90s kid here, my generation had these, they were called pogs. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/31 "2019-01-24T18:11:41Z")
What about completely unrelated coins? For instance, suppose that a serviceman is a police officer in his civilian life, but he’s currently on military duty, and someone at the bar issues a challenge with his Army coin, can he answer the challenge with a police coin? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/32 "2019-01-24T18:45:53Z")
My cousin was in the Air Force in the 80s and 90s and he told me that the challenge was like some others have said here: if you challenge, and someone in the group doesn’t have it, they buy the round. If you challenge and they all have it, you buy. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/33 "2019-01-24T18:49:32Z")
IIRC, Tony on _NCIS_ never has to pay for drinks again. He got the Secretary of the Navy’s coin. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/34 "2019-01-24T19:29:58Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Secret Service challenge coin in the news](https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/426701-secret-service-personnel-sharing-special-challenge-coins-over). That’s a cool-looking coin. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/35 "2019-01-24T20:14:22Z")
> **[A Brief History of Challenge Coins](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12630/brief-history-challenge-coins)** > > There are many examples of traditions that build camaraderie in the military, but few are as well-respected as the practice of carrying a challenge coin—a small medallion or token that signifies a person is a member of an organization. Even though... > **[Silver Dollar Salute Tradition](https://firstsalute.com/pages/the-tradition)** > > By tradition, the "silver dollar" is the only coin given in exchange for the "first salute". While the coin may be just one dollar in denomination, it represents a value far greater. Learn more about the "silver dollar salute" tradition! History of the military using coins goes way back. In addition to challenge coins, it’s also a tradition for new officers to present a silver dollar for their first salute to an enlisted person. I assume the two are nominally related to each other. In my experience, I didn’t get a coin until I was stationed at an Airborne unit at Fort Bragg. Once there, it was expected that I have and carry my unit’s coin at all times and the coin challenge was a real thing though it didn’t actually occur very often. Soldiers assigned to “high speed” units like Airborne, Rangers, and Special Forces are expected to have a unit coin and be ready for a challenge but I have never seen a situation where one coin trumps another one like mentioned upthread. I imagine it could happen though. There was one occasion when I was drinking with an Air Force Combat Controller and I asked him if I could obtain one of his unit’s coins. I was perfectly willing to buy it but he swapped me straight up coin for coin (I got a new coin from my own unit to replace the one I swapped). He forgot about it and when he was later challenged by his teammates, they said “What the fuck is 112th Signal?” and made him buy the beer. After I got off active duty, I went to 12th SFG in the Reserves and bought a coin there, then the unit was closed in the mid 90s and everyone in the Group was issued one more coin to commemorate that. I’ve never actually witnessed this but I’ve heard the story that one soldier was challenged while showering and he answered the challenge by dropping his coin from between his cheeks. I still keep one of my coins in my wallet but I really don’t get into situations where I’m challenged anymore. It’s a great memento though and it occasionally gets pulled out as a conversation piece. Several years ago, [Keni Thomas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keni_Thomas) spoke at my work and I showed him one of my coins – I wasn’t going to “challenge” him but I wanted to show it off a bit. He responded by pulling out one of his own coins that was about 3 inches in diameter. I admit that I had a bit of coin envy after seeing that. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/36 "2019-01-25T03:06:12Z")
I liked **Intergalactic Gladiator** ’s mental floss link, because it distinguished between hard fact and less certain legend. It noted that starting with Bill Clinton, every President has had challenge coins. I take this as evidence that the fad really took off during the 1980s, given that Presidents tend to be a little behind the curve. Thanks to all above for the replies. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/37 "2019-01-25T15:01:48Z")
> [@CharmaChameleon](#): > > I received my first challenge coin, a standard US Navy crest on front and “Fair Wind and Following Seas” on the reverse, in 1972 when I left ship’s company of _USS Amberack_ (SS-522) for another assignment. It was a gift from my division’s leading chief petty officer. Huh. I was in the Navy from 1972 - 1978 and I never heard of a challenge coin until a few years ago. I was figuring it was some kind of Army thing. Accordingly, the only one I have is from a meet-up to World of Warships players a year ago in Corpus Christi. It is pewter, not enameled, and has the wrong date on it. Originally scheduled for November, 2017 the event was delayed until January so the debris from Harvey could be cleaned up. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/38 "2019-01-25T15:22:49Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > if you challenge, and someone in the group doesn’t have it, they buy the round. If you challenge and they all have it, you buy. I heard a story about how one soldier finally received his unit’s coin, and they all went out for drinks to celebrate. Of course a challenge was issued, and he brought out his new coin along with the rest. But he ended up having to pay anyway, because he couldn’t prove the coin was his. Their tradition said coins needed to be engraved with the owner’s name. I was in the Army for one hitch back in the 80s; I never got a coin, probably because I didn’t go out drinking with those that did. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/39 "2019-01-25T17:39:16Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > US pricing can range from about $1.50 to $5.00 each. And higher. (And a little lower.) This price range of less than $1.50 to more than $5 dependent on ones geographical shoe size? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552/40 "2019-01-25T20:26:30Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > This price range of less than $1.50 to more than $5 dependent on ones geographical shoe size? Size of the coin. Shape of the coin. Material type. Number of colors. Complexity of engraved artwork. Amount ordered. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-challenge-coins/827552.md?page=1)