The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 14, April 8, 2007, Article 25

ARTICLE DETAILS MILITARY CHALLENGE COINS

A reader forwarded a lengthy article on military "challenge coins" 
published March 30 in The Leavenworth Lamp, a publication of the U.S. 
Army's Ft. Leavenworth base.

"When talking about military coins, challenge coins or award coins, a 
practice steeped in tradition comes to mind.

"Commanders have been handing them out for years as a way to acknowledge 
a job well done. In the 1980s, this tangible "attaboy" boomed in 
popularity.

"Now, nearly every organization and Army group has a coin used to 
acknowledge the good work of its members.

"The coins vary in size (usually from 1 1/4 inches to 2 inches in 
diameter) and color (antiqued bronze, silver, gold). Some are colorful, 
some are not and some have plain edges while others have serrated or 
scalloped edges."

"Tracing the exact roots of the military challenge or award coin is 
difficult, said Jefferson Reed, who now serves as deputy curator for 
the Army in Atlanta Museum. He helped to develop an exhibit on 
challenge coins while at Fort Stewart, Ga.

"Stories surrounding the historical birth of 'challenge coins' in 
the military are as varied as the coins themselves."

"These challenges served as a precursor to "The Jolly Sixpence Club," 
a club started by Capt. Jim Harrington of the 107th Infantry, New York 
National Guard in 1954. Harrington and others in the group carried exotic 
or unusual coins and were required to produce them upon request. The 
rules were similar to the short snorter and pfennig checks.

"n 1966, Harrington was stationed in Ethiopia with the National Guard 
19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and started a new tradition, 
building upon the groundwork laid by "The Jolly Sixpence Club." The 
"Maria Theresa Thaler" was presented to deserving Soldiers as an award 
for their hard work."

"Regardless of its origins, the military coin is here to stay. It's a 
symbol of status, travel and accomplishments. And it makes for a pretty 
nice decoration.

"'You'll notice them as you go into people's offices,' Crow said. 'There 
will be this huge rack with hundreds of coins from all over the place. 
It's sort of like collecting service stripes in a way, a way of saying, 
'Look at all the places I've been.' "

To read the complete article, see: Full Story 

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization 
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor 
at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum