Get ready, get set….whoooa. Hold on now. You seen a great collection or some video online and now you are ready to dive head deep in building your own collection. Let’s take a look at what challenge coins are first of all. They are brass, bronze, or some alloy blank that is die struck or cast (yuck) just like a country’s currency. They symbolize a place, event, person, or thought. For the most part each is pretty awesome. They are handed out by a person which is what many collector’s say are earned. They can be purchased, and certainly can be traded.
Now real quick as a note: There are a certain amount of people that call foul about buying coins. They say they must be earned. We appreciate the dedication on the level they play but completely disagree on the basis that it is impossible to a wide variety coins based on that criteria. Many people after 20 years of service would boast a 5 coin collection if that was a rule.
Ok back on target now. Where can you find coins to buy, trade, or earn? Well if you are reading this then U.S. Challenge Coins is the biggest place to start. We have more coins listed than eBay or anything other site out there. Next you can find many sellers on eBay to include us as well. Amazon is very slim with only two sellers and we are one of them. You can try trading boards which we have setup for our members to trade away. Currently there are no other trading boards that exist. There are several other online stores like Mall of Coins, Challenge Coin Auctions, and other listed in our link section.
Ok so you have the basic information on where to find them. Next let’s see how to display them. You can make your own wooden racks or take a look at a challenge coin display from elsewhere on the internet. There are wide varieties to choose from and I am confident in writing this you will find the right one. You can also box them in protective cases, or put them in a velvet bag or something.
Once you figure out your display situation you are probably going to ask somewhere down the line how much they are worth. Well some people seek out Delta or SEAL coins, perhaps high ranking official coins. To them those coins are worth the most because that’s what they collect. Some people might value NSA coins more than a Presidential coin. The point is there really is no coin value to speak of. Mostly it’s loose guides and hearsay that drives the sellers and buyers. People decide what they coin is worth by buying the coin and at what price.
So going through this we gave you some ideas of what a challenge coin is, where to find them, how to find a display, and how much they can be worth. This is meant as a very basic overview of the coins and make sure you check out our other articles on challenge coin collecting.
