Custom Coin of the Month August 2019
United States Marine Corp Recruiter Bottle Opener Coin
Custom Marines Challenge Coins
Sometimes it’s hard to say “thank you” as emphatically as you might like to. Thanking someone for years of service to their country and community is about more than just words. It’s about recognizing the commitment it takes to do a hard job over the long haul, no matter what the personal cost or professional implications. Those men and women who pour their entire lives into their service careers deserve a “thank you” that will stand the test of time. They deserve a permanent place in a thriving collector culture. They deserve a custom challenge coin from Unit Coins.
A Challenge Coin for A Challenging Job
Keeping America’s military stocked with the best and brightest candidates is no small task. Given recent conditions, it has been a monumental undertaking recruiting for every military branch, and the Marines are no exception. This could surprise some, given the Marines’ sterling reputation as expert front-line fighters and paragons of martial virtue. Nonetheless, the cry of battle and the call of honor seem to have less of a hold on the young people today. They need to be given a vision of how their service benefits themselves and leads to a benefit for the whole community, a vision that could take them to every corner of the world and train them in skills that will last a lifetime. That’s where the USMC Recruiter comes in.
Very rarely is recruiting as simple as setting up a table at a high school senior career fair. Often, acquiring top candidates is more akin to recruiting a star athlete than it is giving out job applications. The best recruiters are intimately familiar with their projects, and want to show them how services presents opportunities not available elsewhere. There are the obvious benefits to consider: college tuition, free healthcare, and generous retirement plans… but then there are the ephemerals: experiences, friendship, sacrifice, brotherhood, heroism. Even though a potential recruit might buy into the perks, the true essence of service goes far beyond just getting something out of it. It’s really about what you put into it. There are few better examples of this idea than this week’s featured challenge coin, which is emblematic of a life spent ensuring the safe and peaceful future of our Country.
This Custom Challenge Coin is Extraordinary!
Most of us think of a circle when we hear the word “coin,” but this coin is a square! Unit Coin’s can create coins in any shape you can imagine, and we can add custom features if the client so desires. In this case, our coin is outfitted with a sturdy and functional bottle-opener, indicative of the intentionally social nature of the recruiting mission. Breaking the ice over a couple cool drinks can be the beginning of a life-changing relationship… it just depends on what you bring to the table. The lucky hero who was the recipient of this coin definitely sports a unique conversation-starter: there is no doubt the observant onlooker will ask just what sort of bottle-opener he is using when he cracks the top off a refreshing beverage.
The obverse face shows off the red and blue bars of the 12th Marine District, a field upon which the District’s emblematic eagle swoops regally over the earth’s sphere, the number 12 superimposed. “US” and “MC” in bold polished lettering announce the provenance of this particular piece. Around the raised rim of the coin are four service stations the recipient served at: Los Angeles, Orange, Portland, and Sacramento, set off by an embossed star on each corner.
The reverse repeats the pattern with four more service stations: San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City. The field in this case is black, with (clockwise) the Airforce colonel rank insignia, the Great Seal of the Marine Corp, and the sargent major rank insignia of the Marine Corp, with “Presented for Excellent” underneath. All these insignias are rendered in painstaking detail, each tiny figure hand-finished with astonishing precision. Not every manufacturer can offer these features. Unit Coins can.
Designing Your Own Custom Challenge Coin With Us
If you have been inspired by this month’s featured challenge coin, we encourage you to begin thinking about your own challenge coin ideas. This coin was born out of a lifetime’s worth of personality and character, all condensed into a permanent reminder that will continue to tell the story for years to come. Holding history in your hand means more than just words, and here at Unit Coins, we can help you find just the right way to say “thank you” to those who deserve it the most.
With over ten years in the military challenge coin business, we have an extensive library of military heraldry and imagery ready to bring your idea to life ready to go according to your exact specifications. Often, what we are saying with a coin comes down to details only the coin-holder truly understands. Indeed, that is why so many people are starting to come into the challenge coin community. Every coin comes with a story, and preserving that story is just as important as preserving a beautiful custom-designed military challenge coin.
If you are ready to begin you challenge coin design process, there are just a few things you need to think about: what will the coin look like? Will it have a special shape, or be traditionally round? Will it be a solid face, or will it feature cut-outs? Will the coin feature color, be all metallic, or perhaps bi-metallic? If it features color, will it use the traditional palate of imagery associated with the branch of service the recipient hails from, or will a new idea enter the scene? What words or phrases are going to tell the recipient’s story in as few words as possible? What will have the maximum impact? Fill out our request a quote form or give us a call. Our expert coin designers will walk you through the whole process of making your “thank you” one they will never forget.