Challenge coins. Do you use them, collect them, or both?

Well, a coin and a dollar should get you a cup of coffee, maybe

I'm pissed. The ones that I had been given by General Petraeus where stolen. Because of my injuries I have LOST memory about the names but clearly remember their appearance. I was with the 526 FSB which later became BSB in Ft Campbell, 2003 TO 2005 and while in Iraq we where given the coins. 1 was in the shape of a dog tag that had a Blackhawk on it, 1 was round that had the Iraq country on it, and the others I have LOST the memory of. It's upsetting knowing they question and not by a fellow soldier but my x-wifes now husband! Yeah very pissed off about it, so much to the point I informed them that if I ever see them I am gonna stomp a mud hole in their ass, so they moved to another state.

I mostly collect them. Some I have been given others I have purchased from bases or deployments that I have been on. I carry one every day I work at my civilian job as a Paramedic. It commemorates one of the worst days or calls I have had in my medical career. It is an EOW for Officer Scott Patrick who was murdered on traffic stop. I was in charge of the crew that responded to and tried to save him. It reminds me how bad a day can be. I have since become a Swat medic since. I also carry a coin whenever some of my firefighters deploy without me.

I carry two in my pocket everywhere I go. One was given to me by a former state CSM who was my mentor when I made E6. He had my promotion date engraved on it. The other was given to me by the then current state CSM for what I did for the unit as the unit's NCOIC as an E5. Both have a lot of significance for me which is why I keep them with me and would never dream of throwing them out. I have a couple I've purchased that have the post names that I've served at. I also have one unit coin that I served in which was a limited production run so there are not a lot of them out there. I don't purchase other coins no matter how cool they look because they don't have any sentimental value or memory attached to them. My son got an NCIS coin from an agent one time and still has that one. It is a pretty neat coin. The agent gave it to him after my son spent some time asking him about his career and what being an agent was like. I'll never have the large collections that many have but the few I have are important to me. When I am an old man and take my last breath, the hospital or my family will find those two coins in my pocket.

Both. It is tradition to have one during formal unit events. I do agree that it should be mentioned to the unit for rules that all agree upon. Collecting them is useful because it tells a more personal story of where someone has been versus the awards that are almost handed out for deploying anywhere.

They sit in a holder on my desk. If I didn't work for the Army, they would be a box with the rest of my military stuff collecting dust.

Nope. Collect dust in a box or drawer somewhere.

I have been given some collector coins which I keep and would give up but I won't say I'm a collector. They are things that represent often units I've been in or people I've met so some of My own History is often tied in with it I sure can't carry them all around and don't but keep them in a safe place, not usually where they can bee seen but where I can access them at any time.

Got any good ones? send them my way!

I keep one in my wallet. Who doesn't love free shots?