Tag: Military Challenge Coin History

5 Unique Design Tips for Military Challenge Coins

Have you been wondering how military challenge coined are designed? Here are some fantastic design tips for crafting Military challenge coins.

It is believed that the first examples of the challenge coin took place in ancient Rome for a soldier performing well in battle.

Today, military challenge coins aren’t just for soldiers. They are actually a great way to commemorate other significant events and connections in your life.

They are not only a quality keepsake but can also be personalized with a unique design that is specific to your requests.

Have you been wondering how military challenge coined are designed? Here are some fantastic design tips for crafting Military challenge coins.

How to Use Military Challenge Coins

Military challenge coins have a long history in the military. They were originally offered by unit commanders as recognition for special achievements by someone in the unit.

High-ranking officers and retirees are known to display their collection of challenge coins with just as much pride as their patches and ribbons.

This continues to be an honor that the individual holds onto with pride. In modern times, challenge coins have become part of other circumstances and memorable events.

Businesses, units, and individuals carry on this tradition to commemorate people, special events, or causes. If you are looking for a unique way to reward attendees or promote your company, then challenge coins are an impressive way to do it.

You can even present military challenge coins to specific employees who go above and beyond in their work. This is a great way to thank employees and show you appreciate their efforts.

What You Need to Know

When creating a design on a military challenge coin, keep in mind that it is a small space to work with. You can most likely fit a small logo or image and a few words around the edge.

You may want to include a specific date to make it extra special and feel exclusive to your event. Keep in mind that this may mean you will have to print more coins for future events. You can also include a business motto or a person’s name.

Challenge coins can also represent a group of people or support a cause. You may want to put a short mission statement or the title of your cause.

It may be best to work with a graphic designer to reshape images into a round frame so the images and lettering look its best. If you can’t fit the whole design on one side you can also put a separate logo or phrase on the opposite side.

Choose Your Material

Challenge coins come in a variety of materials. This can affect the quality of the coin as well as the printed image so it’s probably one of the most important parts in your design.

Make sure the color, weight, and quality of the material complement the design on both sides of the coin. You may want to ask for proofs of each material to really determine what will look and feel best.

Maximize Space & Color

As with any marketing tool, a military challenge coin can act as a great advertisement for your brand and business. Therefore you should make sure your coin is consistent with your branding.

This could mean matching colors and logos. Be sure that the imagery is effective at that size before printing all of the coins. Also, when it comes to a small space, sometimes less is more.

Try to narrow down your messaging to only the most vital information. If you try to add too much to the coin it could look crowded and unprofessional.

Be sure to maximize the two sides by putting different information on each side. For example, you could put your company logo on one side and then use the other side to put the event information on.

Who Is Your Audience?

When it comes to creating the perfect piece of memorabilia for your event, you should also keep your audience in mind. Who will be receiving the coin? What would appeal to them? Does the coin have enough meaning that they will want to hold onto it for years to come?

If the coin doesn’t hold value to your target audience they may end up losing it or leaving it behind. Perhaps the coin has a special reminder on it that brings someone joy. Maybe it commemorates an event that the individual feels lucky to attend.

The reason for hanging onto the coin can be different for each demographic. So it’s important to determine what that incentive is while designing the coin.

Reach Out for Help

If you are working on a design and find yourself running into an issue, you can always reach out for help. Usually, the company producing your challenge coin will be able to help you with your design.

They are knowledgeable and experienced in challenge coins so they can offer design tips and know what will look good on the final product.

Not everyone can predict whether or not a certain logo or imagery will translate well onto a coin. So utilizing the help from experts can save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

Ready to Start Your Military Challenge Coin?

Are you excited to get started on creating your very own military challenge coin? If you want to create your own unique design then we can help! We offer a wide variety of challenge coin designs to inspire you.

We also provide a range of prices and sizes to meet your budget and expectations. Create a keepsake they will be proud to hang onto! Check out our site to learn more.

6 Facts About Military Challenge Coins You Didn’t Know

Military challenge coins have an interesting history and can be used as reminders of special events or friends. Here are some facts you need to know about them.

A majority of military veterans report missing the camaraderie and special social network that enlisted service members leave behind after their tour. One of the special ways that veterans and active members connect with one another is through challenge coins.Military challenge coins play a unique role in the social aspect of service duty after veterans return.

Challenge coins can be offered by superior officers to members who are participating in a specific program or mission. These medallions are typically two inches wide and made of metal. It’s not uncommon for them to be traded between personnel and have seen an increasing popularity to commemorate events outside of the military.

If you’re new to the concept of challenge coins or if you’ve just received your first one, you should get to know what they’re all about. Here are six facts about military challenge coins that you probably didn’t know.

1. Military Challenge Coins Are Collector’s Items

Go to any flea market or military supply show and you’re sure to come across a few display cases worth of challenge coins. Every coin has its own story and they are often tied to the history of a particular mission, unit, or organization. Because they’re fairly easy to produce, offices can produce enough to distribute to every member.

While there are rare coins are made of solid gold, while others are made of cheaper brass or zinc.

Some coins will be rarer than others. This is fairly easy to discern from the content of the coin itself. If the coin commemorates an event or a unit you’ve never heard of, there might have been only a few produced.

Coins that are rarer will yield a higher value and carry a special premium to any collector who receives one.

If you know of anyone who was in the military, they might have a coin or two that are sitting and collecting dust under the bed. Ask around so you can start building your collection.

2. History Buffs Love Challenge Coins

If you or anyone you know has a deep love of history and military campaigns, challenge coins can be great centerpieces for conversation.

History buffs might know that military challenge coins were given out in ancient Rome after a soldier returned from a particularly serious battle. They were replaced with other symbols until the first World War where one rich lieutenant made them for his own unit.

During that war, one soldier rescued by American allies was assumed to be German or to be a spy. The only piece of identification he had was the bronze coin his lieutenant had offered him.

By presenting his coin, he was supposedly spared from death at the hands of his own country’s allies. This is what gave them the name “challenge coins” and made them a practical and powerful instrument in the fog of war.

3. They Are Expected To Be Presented

The instances of being presented with a challenge where you have to show your coin are rare and specific. To increase morale, troops decided to find other reasons to have to present them. One is a game where the last person to put down their military challenge coin on the table needs to buy the next round of drinks.

This comes from a German drinking tradition where one person calls for everyone to put a penny or pfennig on the table.

While there were still some instances where the coins would need to be used for identification, over time it became more of a morale booster. You could be a bar and suddenly hear a cacophony of slams and realize it’s time to slam your own on the table.

4. Coins Can Be A Recruiting Tool

Inside and outside of the military, challenge coins can be used to recruit new members. They are passed during a handshake to tell new members that they are one of the in-crowd.

They provide a symbolic representation of achievements and alliances to be made by joining a group. It could be something as clandestine as a secret society or something as important as a fire department.

Even though they were created to acknowledge the service of military staff, they are now used in civilian life for all kinds of recruitment efforts.

5. They Commemorate Civilian Events

Military challenge coins no longer need to be tied to war and conflict. They can be used by companies to recognize the achievements of their best sales staff. As the price to produce them has decreased, they can even be used for something like commemorating a stag trip or family reunion.

Even within the military, the exchange of coins is more tied to camaraderie and social networking than for their identifying purpose. You will still find some groups keeping up the tradition of the drink-buying challenge.

You now find interesting custom logos from organizations, corporations, and social clubs all throughout the challenge coin world. They can now be found honoring people who reach a special executive or cultural achievement as often as they’ll be given out within the military.

6. Most Presidents Have a Special One

Since the 1990s, presidents have been creating and handing out their own challenge coins. They will make one version available in gift shops and for the general public. A special version is reserved to honor the achievements of some civilians.

The last few vice presidents have also produced their own challenge coins to hand out in honor of some civilians.

If you ever get recognized by the president for your contributions to the country, expect to be handed one directly from them.

Military Challenge Coins Create History

When someone commissions a challenge coin for their company, association, or military group, they are creating a marker of history. Each person who receives one is known to have a special connection to the event or the organization depicted on the coin. This makes everyone involved feel uniquely tied to an elite group of people.

If you’re interested in learning more about military challenge coins, contact us for even more history and facts.

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