Coin check.

[Cletus]

I think the term challenge coin was coined by the "media."

I think it was done by some marketing team for companies that produce them or sell them online. A lot of people collect them, even those of units in which they never served. If you look, you'll see them now for all kinds of things. They have become so widespread that I think for most people, calling them "Commemorative coins" would be more appropriate since a lot of them today commemorate specific events rather than military units. "Challenge coins" may be the popular term for them at the moment, but I would be willing to bet that the majority of people who collect them will never get caught in a "coin check".

[Cletus]

Thinking about this brought back memories of a place that has long since ceased to be. It was a little hole in the wall bar simply called "The Pub" It was in Fayetteville, NC, outside of Ft. Bragg (soon to be renamed Fort Liberty )

It owned and run by an old retired SF Sergeant Major. You never heard him referred to by name or "Barkeep" or anything other than "Sergeant Major". You would walk in the door and the walls had photos covering them, the SGM's HALO rig was hanging from the ceiling. It was easy to tell what kind of clientele the place catered to. When you walked into the bar the first time, you were going to get coin checked. It was unavoidable. If you didn't have your coin or even worse, if you were a civilian or a Leg, it wasn't going to be pretty. You wouldn't get tossed, but the Sergeant Major could make it very clear you weren't welcome with just a look.

One of the things I remember most about the place was the Sergeant Major's jukebox. It had 5 songs on it. That's all, just 5 songs... The Ballad of the Green Berets, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, Scotland the Brave. Waltzing Matilda, and Amazing Grace. Guys would go up to the jukebox and yell out to the house, "What do you want to hear?" like there was a whole lot of choice.

It was a good place. Good people.

When the Sergeant Major died, his family took the place over and tried to appeal to a wider audience. I get that it was probably a good business decision, but it totally changed things. It was the end of an era.

[Peter1469]

I think it was done by some marketing team for companies that produce them or sell them online. A lot of people collect them, even those of units in which they never served. If you look, you'll see them now for all kinds of things. They have become so widespread that I think for most people, calling them "Commemorative coins" would be more appropriate since a lot of them today commemorate specific events rather than military units. "Challenge coins" may be the popular term for them at the moment, but I would be willing to bet that the majority of people who collect them will never get caught in a "coin check".

Right.

I only saw coin "challenges" in the JAG Corps- were a majority of the officers are direct appointments with no prior military service.

I ignored them.