Group III Challenge Coin

     It is an old military tradition to issue a coin commemorating an achievement, action, or campaign. At the birth of modern armies – exemplified by Napoleon's devastating war organization – most countries provided very few medals for their military. The obvious reason was that these were usually made of precious metals and often contained gems as part of their design, so they were seldom awarded below the position of commander. Also, since commanders were almost always titled, having an award made of base metal would have been an affront to a nobleman. In search of a substitute, in lieu of medals, coins took their place, and they were either offered for sale, or a rich commander would buy them for those deserving of distinction not gallant or meritorious enough to deserve a rare medal.

The custom endures to this day, and the decision to strike a coin normally rests with larger unit commanders (group and above in the USAF). In continuation of this tradition, Group III will soon issue a "challenge coin" – mint proofs of the obverse (heads) shown at left, and reverse (tails) at right. Around the edge, the following will be inscribed, separated by small bullets, shown as (o): TERTIA SEMPER PRIMORIS (o) SEMPER VIGILANS (o) COME FLY INTO THE BLUE (o). These denote the mottos of Group III, CAP, and USAF.

The coin is available for sale.