Using Challenge Coins Among Your Clubs

Corporations and Military Aren’t the Only Groups Benefiting From Challenge Coins

Challenge coins are the perfect way to increase team unity and help everyone feel that they belong. They’ve been used to these ends for years and years in the armed forces and among law enforcement agencies. Even corporations have adopted them into their regular practices for these same reasons. 

If you aren’t a member of the groups who are already making use of challenge coins, don’t let that stop you from implementing challenge coins into whatever group or team you do belong to. Everyone from groups, clubs, lodges, teams and hobbyists have all ordered challenge coins from Signature Coins. 

Boy Scout Challenge Coins

With its over 100 year history, the Boy Scouts of America is an organization that’s brought people together time and time again. The merit badge system is ultimately one of individual achievement. Boy scout challenge coins, on the other hand, are created for specific troops as signs of solidarity amongst the members of the troop. These coins represent some of the happiest and most remarkable times in the lives of the people carrying them. And due to their increased perceived value, they make a great gift for young scouts looking to commemorate their time spent scouting. 
The Boy Scouts of America aren’t the only scouts getting in on the challenge coin game. This coin was created by the Swedish Contingent in preparation for the 2019 World Scout Jamboree being held in West Virginia this summer. The Contingent got an early start, ordering their coins in January to make sure they’d have them well in hand before the July 22 Jamboree start date. And they pulled from classic Scout symbols and their own unique history and heritage for the design. 
Some of the Boy Scout coins we create celebrate the important and enterprising work the Scouts do. This coin from the BSA draws specific attention to their National Youth Leadership Training initiative. Young men all across the world leave the scouts with very important skills which take them through the rest of their lives. Coins like these show off personal achievements while also solidifying a person’s place within a group. And the reverse side shows just how impressive a coin without colorfill can be. 

Another great use for Boy Scout challenge coins, as well as any challenge coins designed for these types of groups, is fundraising. With the average cost per coin of our orders falling somewhere around $3 - $4, selling those coins to interested individuals for $10 leads to a significant profit. Certain fundraising participants have been known to sell their coins for as much as $40 or more!

Scout fundraisers are a very common sight around the country. Instead of selling baked goods or popcorn, a troop selling custom coins is likely to stand out and earn more money during their efforts. 

Motorcycle Club Challenge Coins

Official and unofficial motorcycle clubs have existed for an indeterminable amount of time. Wherever people can get together and partake in their passion for riding, these groups will inevitably spring up. Clubs tend to be organized around specific types or brands of bikes or a certain type of riding. Touring groups, for example, tend to be made up of riders interested in riding through different parts of the world and seeing the sites these places have to offer. 
Motorcycle club challenge coins create a quick and easy way to distinguish members of specific chapters from one another. Complete with the emblems, colors and mottos of the club in question, these challenge coins also perfectly showcase who the members of the club are and what your motorcycle club is all about. 
The Gold Coast Wheelers are a motorcycle club based out of California. They ordered this coin from us in antique gold plating. The design makes use of the popular winged tire symbol that has become a staple amongst motorcycle clubs and police units around the country and the world. Of particular note is the bike on the reverse side of the coin. It really shows how much detail can be created on a 1.75” coin with just a 2D mold. 
For motorcycle clubs looking to push their designs a little more, you could always take a page out of the Nam Knights playbook. The Nam Knights of America Motorcycle Club is comprised of 69 chapters in 16 states, Washington D.C. and two Canadian provinces, with hundreds of members made up of veteran's of all eras as well as law enforcement personnel. For one of their coins, they decided to have their logo presented with cutouts in the center. It’s a really cool look at how you can keep both faces of your coin similar, but still different. Also, something about the cutouts reminds us of the feeling of wind whipping by as you ride your bike along some of the most beautiful roads the country has to offer. 

Because your club or organization is your own, you're not confined by company standards of best practices or traditional artwork and brand specific colors. Custom coins representing your personal club, organization or hobby are truly custom in every sense of the word because you don’t have to answer to anyone else in their design and creation. 

Using Challenge Coins for Your Club

Book clubs, chess leagues, bird watching meetups, yacht clubs and any other collection of people are all prime places for custom coins. Not all groups or clubs require fundraising efforts, but all of them can benefit from designing a way to signify a person’s belonging and inclusion. After all, belonging to a special and exclusive group is made all the more fun when you can represent that belonging with a physical marker of your inclusion. 

If you’re looking for a way to honor the members of your club, whatever that club might be, give us a call today, or shoot us an email, and let our artists get to work designing a completely unique and custom coin for you.