HISTORY OF THE Challenge Coin

HISTORY OF THE Challenge Coin

 

The challenge coin, usually a bronze medal, is said to have originated with the United States Air Corps and has become a favorite medium of proof of a person's membership in a military unit. Take the badge of the unit. If a person is challenged to produce the coin, it should be shown.

The exact origins of the Challenge Coin is unknown, but one of the versions is that the rich university men who joined the US Air Corps. to fight in the First World War there were coins minted to give to the companions, as a gesture of fraternity. When a young fighter pilot was shot down behind the enemy lines, he managed to escape danger, proving his belonging to a French officer, showing the coin bearing his military insignia.

The current Challenge Coin is part of the game of the bar among military personnel. When questioned, the staff must show the coin or buy a round of drinks for the house.

The Challenge Coin is often given after graduation, as the Bull Dog awarded to the era-era gunners of Korean B-52 aircraft at the end of training.

The Challenge Coin is now seen in all branches of the armed forces and police and firefighters and several fraternal organizations have adopted to establish a brotherhood among the members.

Some challenge coins include Police Department logos in combination with an element specially designed to illustrate the owner is a member of the Special Tactical Weapons (SWAT) team, or that a firefighter belongs to a specific fire station with the image of the structure in relief on the coin.

The challenge coin is easily recognizable by its military design, but if it has been erased or altered, such as having a hole drilled in it to accommodate a chain, then it has no value or importance.

The World Series of Poker issues own challenge coins.

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