speagle

Swedish Police (Note skies on the motor) Ed

Found an old photo of US Air Force Air Police motorcycle officers you might enjoy. Anybody else have any to share? Ed

Here is a picture of my Uncle in his uniform. He was in WW II, 1941-43 Ed

Aberdeen, Maryland

Craig et all: Give me a couple of days and I'll see what I can come up with. All my images are singles so I'll have to put some groupings together. Thanks for the encouragement. In the meantime, here is my home state police patch Ed

Hi Mervyn, I may do that later (ask Nick). Ed

Thought this might be an interesting side comment on a couple of programs we have in the U.S. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_Enforcement_Exploring http://www.ehow.com/about_6631491_police-cadet-job-description.html Ed

Check this out. May be of some help. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirigible_Pilot_Badge Ed

REF #30: The oak leaf cluster on the silver star ribbon bar is upside down. The correct positioning is shown on the medal ribbon itself. Ed

REF #89: I KNOW you're just waiting for a response---so---here it is: We just want to be prepared when we "drop in" and save all those "Jar Heads" and "Grunts" See ya Ed

REF #4: FANTASTIC selections! Thanks for sharing! Ed

As you can see by the items on the coin, this represented acknowledgement to a specific group (Task Force 214) who were involved in the security (land and air) and the transport of Minuteman missles stationed at Francis E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, Wyoming. That's it for now. More in a few days Ed

This one is actually a bottle opener too.

More from Ed:

REF #30: Good explanation Scott. Thanks for your input. Ed

Thanks for the reminder. I haven't used it for awhile. Ed

REF #25: Hi Les, I'll try to answer to your satisfaction. First, their is no REAL way to tell if a coin has been received in an official ceremony, other than to accept the word of the owner (just as we do for military decorations) and we all know sometimes that isn't always true unfortunately. Second, my suggestion to have a general Challenge Coin Forum topic was meant to stand independently, not within the Military or Police areas, yet still be of general interest to all. Again, it was just a suggestion. Thanks for your comments Ed

I am quite amazed with the responses being given about this topic. Rather than trying to determine if a Challenge Coin should be posted in the Military or Police forum, why not run a "Test Forum" for a couple of weeks and just title it "Challenge Coins"? They are literally thousands of coins available that are NOT military or police related that could be posted in this one forum. As an example, please check out this site: http://www.challengecoinusa.com/more-challenge-coin-samples.html It does focus primarily on the military and Law Enforcement as you will see, but if you view the sample page, you'll see MANY other examples. Just a suggestion for consideration by the Powers at the head of the GMIC Thanks for considering. Ed

REF #19: Les, actually these are given out by "official" organizations. The US Military present them to acknowledge superior performance in many cases as well as for a "job well done". When a commander, or senior non-commissioned officer, presents a coin to an individual, or an entire unit, there is usually quite a bit of "Pomp and Circumstance" associated with the presentations as well (and sometimes even an award of a military decoration.) These are highly valued from a personal standpoint and, although not from a monetary standpoint, quite sought after by many. Ed

Here is mine, among the many I have, both military and civilian police departments: Ed

Here's another interesting bit of trivia concerning rank structures-specifically the U.S. Texas Rangers. (From the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum FAQ) http://www.texasranger.org/visitor/FAQ.htm Are there any Ranger privates? Not any more. The rank of private—or just "Ranger"—was eliminated some years ago. The ranks run Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and Chief (or Senior Captain) of the Texas Rangers. One has to have superior credentials to become a Texas Ranger. Some law enforcement personnel with advanced rank had entered the Rangers as "privates." This was a poor reflection on their accomplishments, so it was decided to begin the Ranger ranks with sergeant. Ed

Mervyn: Here is another site that may answer your question. Basically, ANY person, organization, military/police unit, etc can have challenge coins made. I did a quick Goole for Canadian Challenge Coins but did not get a specific hit. http://www.coinable.com/foreign_military_challenge_coins.html Anyway, it may be an interesting opportunity to start a new topic line. I am positive many of our American military members can contribute HUNDREDS of examples. Ed

REF #3: Hi Mervyn, Here is a link about the Challenge Coins. This should answer your questions about them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenge_coin Let me know what you think. Ed

Got this one froma friend that works at the Travis County Sheriff's Department, Austin, Texas Ed