In this modern and fast-paced world, we have ID cards to prove our identity and it’s even responsible for making you a member of specific clubs. Ranging from the club card to driver’s license, these boring ID cards are great for representing ourselves.
On the contrary, if you want a membership to a secret club that offers limited memberships, military coins are used. These coins are also known as challenge coins but are associated with the military. In this article, we are sharing the history of military coins, so let’s have a look at how it all started!
Military Coins
These coins are designed in token size and scream rights. These metal coins will prove membership to the elite and limited clubs. These coins are also named the command coins and some scholars suggest that these coins were used as the awards. The widespread utilization of military coins is trackable to the Vietnam era. On the contrary, some experts couldn’t agree if the earliest predecessors track back to the first or second world war.
However, some people still suggest that the elite societal class was the first class to use the military coins in the modern world. If we look at the history of military coins, ancient Rome has to be the place for it because soldiers started receiving their pay for the battles; yes, the soldiers were paid in coins. On the contrary, some soldiers could also get an additional coin if they outdid themselves on the battlefield.
Some experts suggest that military units were usually minting and reflecting the military coins. During the first world war, one officer was even commissioned with the bronze medallions for the flying squadron. It’s likely that he gave the bronze medallion to his men and they wore it around the neck. However, one of the soldiers was captured by the Germans but went to France. He was perceived as a spy by French people but other soldiers recognized him with the coin around his neck.
However, Colonel Quinn utilized the military coins for his men during the Korean War which was integrated with the insignia while the other side had a buffalo (the colonel was known as Buffalo Bill). These military coins were made with a hole, so it could be worn around the chain. In addition, the frontline fighters in Vietnam used to have personalized bullets for representation purposes but it was replaced by military coins!
As far as today’s world is concerned, the challenge coins are being used for honoring the specific units. All in all, these coins are readily used in bars. All in all, the coins are now being used in motorcycling arenas and more!
