Challenge Coin History
11th Special Forces Group 40mm Coin. Bronze
12th Special Forces Group 40 mm Antique silver finish coin
The earliest documented US military unit coin is one made in the 1950s for the 17th Infantry in Korea, 1950-1953. This coin is the size of a nickel and finished in bright silver. There are a number of Internet myths and legends concerning earlier unit coins, though none have yet to be documented with examples or photos. It is absolutely possible that earlier coins existed - considering that the practice of presenting coins to reward achievement dates back to the Roman Empire.
Challenge coins in the size and style we now know them surfaced during the Vietnam War era. The practice of carrying a coin designed specifically for a unit was popular with the Army Special Forces. Carrying the coin at all times and 
presenting it when "challenged" to prove affiliation with that unit resulted in a number of consequences for those who could not produce a coin - the most popular required the coinless soldier to buy a round of drinks, just like the tradition in the 17th Infantry Regiment in Korea more than a decade earlier.
To honor the earliest known coins, Challenge Coin Company has obtained an original (second edition) 17th Infantry Regiment coin from Korea in the 1950's, and an original 101st coin from the Viet Nam war, and reproduced them. Now others can have an accurate reproduction to add to their collection.
Additionally, Challenge Coin Company has secured the original tooling for the earliest Special Forces coins, and now offers those coins in honor of veterans from those heroic units.
