Excerpts from NYPD Challenge Coins: Members Only
by Research and Destroy New York City
An annotated collection of cop memorabilia offering a look inside a culture usually kept unseen. 68 pp. 2017.
There are many stories about the origin of challenge coins, all probably apocryphal. What is certain, though, is their roots in American military culture, their rise in popularity after World War II, and their eventual adoption by law enforcement over the proceeding decades. When fellow service members or officers meet for the first time, they might “challenge” each other to show their unit’s or division’s coin as a way to verify that the other is not, in colloquial terms, a poser. Some coins commemorate historical events or “battles,” while others are merely inside jokes shared among friends and coded in obscure cop lingo and arcane insignia. Challenge coins are generally viewed by leadership as important morale boosters and a positive way to strengthen bonds among service members.
All challenge coins are by nature limited edition. They are traded or sold for nominal fees in precinct locker rooms, through private Facebook groups, or at members-only coin shows where attendees must prove that they are current or retired members of law enforcement before being allowed entry.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different NYPD challenge coins in informal circulation.
