It is clearly known that challenge coins originated in the military. However, with their adoption and widespread use in various industries and departments, especially in the corporate world, people may get a little confused about their evolution and their future. Many people ask if corporate challenge coins are any different from traditional military challenge coins. Let’s see what each coin is about.
Corporate challenge coins are as a result of the evolution of military challenge coins. Therefore, it goes without saying that they have inherited features and design procedures from their predecessors. Worth noting is that both corporate and military challenge coins are used for similar purposes: enhancing teamwork, boost morale, recognizing and awarding exceptional performance, among others.
And how are they different?
Initially, except for now that things have changed, military challenge coins were only made in a round shape. Corporate challenge coins inherited the round shape, but with the creativity in the business world, the shape was only left to a few players, and today, a challenge coin can be modeled into any shape.
Another notable difference is in the way the two are issued. Senior officers exclusively issue military challenge coins either during a military ceremony or during daily duties. On the other hand, corporate challenge coins are issued by departmental heads or organizational managers to employees or loyal customers. In either case, the challenge coins are a sign of allegiance, but with the military challenge coin, they can be issued to award devoted soldiers.
Who is responsible for the design?
Military challenge coins are often designed by service members belonging to the division for which they are intended. However, there are a few exceptional cases where military challenge coins are outsourced. This is the complete opposite for corporate challenge coins, where organizations depend heavily on third-party challenge coin makers to find the best fit between insignias and corporate colors. In the corporate world, members of an organization are rarely consulted or involved in the design process. The theme, design, and intended use remain solely in the hands of the top management. Corporate challenge coins are often unveiled during meetings.
Coin check
Somebody might ask if you will be required to buy drinks for others in the case that you forgot your corporate challenge coins. But can you conduct a coin check with an organizational challenge coin? There is a general rule that requires that all challenge coin receivers be informed of the rules of the respective coins beforehand. It is in these rules that a corporation must tell their employees/customers if they can initiate a coin check and what is expected in such a scenario.
However, most organizations avoid the aspect of coin checks and instead accompany the challenge coin with a token of appreciation.
Does a challenge coin have value?
Traditionally, challenge coins do not have any monetary value and cannot be exchanged for goods or services. However, different challenge coins can be exchanged between military personnel ranks.
In the corporate world, an organization may require customers to produce their challenge coins to benefit from discounted prices or gifts. This cannot be equated to value but is sometimes classified as a coin check.
Ready to go?
While these are some pointers to the differences between military and corporate challenge coins, it should be known that the two have more similarities than differences. However, looking into the finer details of each category will let you see things differently. Military challenge coins are related to police collectibles, and Police Brand has several of these in stock. Visit our store now to buy police memorabilia.
