Challenge coin
Outside the military
Outside the military
--------------------

Challenge coins are also exchanged outside the military. [NASCAR](/wiki/NASCAR "NASCAR"), the [NFL](/wiki/NFL "NFL"), cadets of the [Civil Air Patrol](/wiki/Civil_Air_Patrol "Civil Air Patrol"), [Eagle Scouts](/wiki/Eagle_Scout_%28Boy_Scouts_of_America%29 "Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)"), Canine Companions, and [World Series of Poker](/wiki/World_Series_of_Poker "World Series of Poker") all have their own challenge coins. They are also becoming popular with [police departments](/wiki/Police_department "Police department"), [fire departments](/wiki/Fire_department "Fire department"), [labor unions](/wiki/Trade_union "Trade union"), and [fraternal organizations](/wiki/Fraternal_organization "Fraternal organization"). In 2007, the [Utah Symphony and Opera](/wiki/Utah_Symphony_and_Opera "Utah Symphony and Opera") gave challenge coins to all of its staff and musicians, making it the first symphony organization in America to do so. Franklin Public School in Ontario has a coin that is given to graduates, featuring its mascot 'Frankie'. Many non\-profits, especially those with connections to the military, give challenge coins to donors to acknowledge their support of the organization.
The FBI's Crisis Response unit was the first unit in the FBI to issue coins to unit members in late 1980s. Memorial coins can be used to commemorate fallen officers.

### New York City Police Department

Coins have been created by the Police Benevolent Association for NYPD precincts. One of these coins, which was used as a fundraiser dedicated to an officer in the 67 Pct. who was injured in the line of duty, has been criticized for containing racist imagery despite the officer being of Afro American West Indian descent.

### Motorcycle Clubs

[thumb\|Members of the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Club must earn their challenge coin.](/wiki/File:Challengecoin.JPG "Challengecoin.JPG")
Another organization in which challenge coins have gained popularity is the "National Association of Buffalo Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Club" (NABSTMC), which has over 85 chapters totaling over 2,000 members. The coin must be earned by the members for a noteworthy accomplishment.

In 2009, the Harley Owners Group (HOG) created and made available its own challenge coin to Harley\-Davidson motorcycle owners.

### Science

In the [International Genetically Engineered Machine](/wiki/International_Genetically_Engineered_Machine "International Genetically Engineered Machine") competition (iGEM), participants that won the 'Grand Prize' are given a challenge coin from 2016 on.

[Varian Medical Systems](/wiki/Varian_Medical_Systems "Varian Medical Systems"), a medical device manufacturer, awards challenge coins for notable accomplishments by its service personnel. A significant number of Varian's employees have military backgrounds, where many of them learn the electronics and mechanical skills needed to support Varian equipment.

### Media, Business, and Education

[thumb\|Front and back of the 30th Anniversary Commemorative MST3K Challenge Coin from the 2018 "Watch Out For Snakes!" Live Tour](/wiki/File:MST3K_30th_Anniversary_Challenge_Coin.png "MST3K 30th Anniversary Challenge Coin.png")[thumb\|Challenge coin](/wiki/File:BATC_Challenge_Coin-min.jpg "BATC Challenge Coin-min.jpg")
Numerous examples illustrate challenge coins handed out in the media industry:

In 2020, a challenge coin went viral when America's largest challenge coin retailer released a coin about an incident that occurred with Connecticut state trooper Matthew Spina.

In 2020, the Secretary of the State of Virginia sent a cease and desist to Louis "[Uncle Louie](/wiki/Uncle_Louie "Uncle Louie")" Gregory regarding a challenge coin he created.

In 2022, the President of the United States announced that the U.S. Government would investigate the origins of a Border Patrol Challenge coin. The coin was later debated on the House Floor by the U.S. Congress.

In his [audio commentary](/wiki/Audio_commentary "Audio commentary") for the DVD release of *[Iron Man 2](/wiki/Iron_Man_2 "Iron Man 2")*, film director [Jon Favreau](/wiki/Jon_Favreau "Jon Favreau") notes that he had *Iron Man 2* challenge coins made to distribute to [United States Air Force](/wiki/United_States_Air_Force "United States Air Force") personnel as a gesture of thanks for their cooperation while the production (and its predecessor, *[Iron Man](/wiki/Iron_Man_%282008_film%29 "Iron Man (2008 film)")*) filmed on location at [Edwards Air Force Base](/wiki/Edwards_Air_Force_Base "Edwards Air Force Base").

[Bill Prady](/wiki/Bill_Prady "Bill Prady"), executive producer of *[The Big Bang Theory](/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory "The Big Bang Theory")*, gave the *Big Bang Theory* "executive producer's challenge coin" to the crew of the last space shuttle.

On the "Rockets" episode of *[Lock N' Load with R. Lee Ermey](/wiki/Lock_N%27_Load_with_R._Lee_Ermey "Lock N' Load with R. Lee Ermey")*, [R. Lee (Gunny) Ermey](/wiki/R._Lee_Ermey "R. Lee Ermey") presents a challenge coin to Second Lieutenant Carr as a reward for being the "top gun" in his class with the Javelin Portable Rocket Launching System.

Members of the American Radio Relay League who are volunteer examiners may carry the VEC (volunteer examiner coordinator) challenge coin. These members are responsible for administering Federal Communications Commission sanctioned examinations that allow successful applicants to qualify as amateur radio operators in the three different license categories of: technician, general, and amateur extra.

The crew of *[Breaking Bad](/wiki/Breaking_Bad "Breaking Bad")* were given challenge coins designed by show creator [Vince Gilligan](/wiki/Vince_Gilligan "Vince Gilligan") for each new season. Another challenge coin was also included in the Blu\-ray set of the entire series of the show.

Video game companies like Treyarch gave these coins with certain packages for the release of *Black Ops 2*.

The [crowdfunded](/wiki/Crowdfunding "Crowdfunding") movie *[Lazer Team](/wiki/Lazer_Team "Lazer Team")* gave challenge coins to its backers as an optional perk of funding the movie.

A challenge coin is presented in a handshake to Gerard Butler's character in the 2018 film Hunter Killer.

[Mystery Science Theater 3000](/wiki/Mystery_Science_Theater_3000 "Mystery Science Theater 3000") had challenge coins available for purchase commemorating their 30th anniversary on their 2018 30th anniversary "Watch Out For Snakes" Live Tour.

Meanwhile, examples can also be found in the realms of business and education. Many businesses are using corporate coins to recognize staff achievements, improve employee morale and reduce turnover,

For example, the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC) issued a challenge coin highlighting their core values: "recruit, retain, grow."

Also, St Mary's University issued a coin honoring the Public Safety Administration.

### Labor unions

Many labor unions, including the [International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers](/wiki/International_Brotherhood_of_Electrical_Workers "International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers") and the [International Association of Firefighters](/wiki/International_Association_of_Fire_Fighters "International Association of Fire Fighters"), have adopted the practice of selling and/or disseminating challenge coins.


Is a challenge coin typically sold or given away for free?