Why This Site Exists
When we started building ChallengeCoinCollector.com, the challenge coin hobby had a problem: the community was scattered. There were forums, Facebook groups, a handful of auction sites, and no shortage of vendors. But there was no single place where collectors could show what they had collected, discover what others were collecting, trade directly, and learn about the tradition in any real depth.
We had been making custom coins at StrikeYourCoin.com for years - military units, police departments, veterans' organisations, corporations. That work put us in daily contact with people who had deep connections to coins: veterans who had earned unit coins they could not find anywhere online, collectors who had accumulated extraordinary pieces with no community to share them with, civilians discovering the hobby for the first time with no accessible starting point.
The gap was obvious. So we built the destination we wished existed.
What You Will Find Here
Community Gallery
Real coins from real collectors worldwide. Every coin in the gallery was submitted by a member - military veterans, law enforcement officers, historians, and hobbyists sharing what they have built.
Trade Board
The Trade Board connects collectors directly with each other. If you have a coin you are willing to trade and something specific you are looking for, this is where the community meets.
Collector Resources
The blog and glossary cover everything from the history of the coin check tradition to storage and display guides, value assessments, and deep dives into specific collecting categories.
Type Guides
In-depth guides to the major collecting categories: military coins, police coins, and federal law enforcement coins - history, what to collect, and what to look for.
Free to Join
There is no paywall and no subscription. Creating an account lets you submit coins, save favourites, message other collectors, and appear in the community directory. The gallery and resources are freely accessible to everyone.
Collector Profiles
Every collector who submits coins gets a public profile page. It is the easiest way to share your collection, connect with people who collect similar coins, and build a reputation in the community.
Our Mission
Give every challenge coin collector a home for their collection online, make the history and tradition of the hobby accessible to everyone, and connect collectors directly with each other.
The challenge coin community is one of the most knowledgeable and generous in the world of militaria collecting. Veterans, law enforcement officers, historians, and civilian enthusiasts all share the same appreciation for the craftsmanship, the history, and the meaning behind these small metal discs. Our job is to give that community the infrastructure it deserves.
We measure success by the quality of the gallery - the depth of the stories behind the coins, the authenticity of the pieces, and the connections formed between collectors who found each other here. A vibrant, active community is the goal; everything else follows from that.
Behind the Site
ChallengeCoinCollector.com is built and maintained by the team at StrikeYourCoin.com - a Canadian custom challenge coin manufacturer. We make coins for military units, police departments, municipal governments, corporations, and individuals across Canada, the United States, and beyond.
Working with the people who order coins every day taught us that collectors and coin makers are more closely connected than it might seem. Both care about quality, both care about the story behind every piece, and both understand that a well-made coin carries meaning that outlasts almost anything else made of metal.
This site is our way of giving back to the community that the hobby has built - and of making sure that the history and tradition behind challenge coins is preserved and accessible for the next generation of collectors.
What Makes a Good Collection
We hear this question often, especially from people just discovering the hobby. The answer is simpler than it sounds: a good collection has a clear focus, documented provenance on the pieces that matter, and a story the collector can tell.
It does not need to be large. A carefully assembled collection of a dozen coins - each one with a real history, each one chosen deliberately - is worth more as a collection than a hundred undocumented pieces accumulated at random. The hobby rewards patience, knowledge, and connection with the people who made and carried the coins.
If you are just getting started, our beginner's collecting guide covers the essentials. The glossary explains the terminology you will encounter. And the gallery shows you what the community is actually collecting.
"A challenge coin without a story is just a medallion. A challenge coin with the right story is a piece of history that fits in your pocket."
Join the Community
Everything on this site is free. Submit your coins to the gallery, browse what others have shared, connect with collectors through the Trade Board, and build your own collector profile. The only thing required is a genuine interest in the hobby.
If you have questions, a coin you want help identifying, or a suggestion for the site - reach out through the messaging system once you have created an account, or contact us directly at StrikeYourCoin.com.