Custom Political Coins and Their Role in the 2020 Race
Most people who know about challenge coins know that the tradition started in the military. What a lot of people don’t know is that the challenge coins have also grown popular in government. Over the years, we’ve made several different types of coins for senators, members of congress, and even presidential candidates. And it doesn’t stop there. We’ve also designed coins for Political Action Committees and all kinds of peripheral organizations involved with the government.
Elected officials don’t use taxpayer money to fund challenge coin orders, but the coins are sometimes sold to raise money for campaigns or public programs. With the election season underway, we thought it would be a good time to share a few of the political challenge coins we’ve designed over the years and talk about the roles they serve in Washington.
The Home Depot’s PAC Challenge Coins
Before jumping into the coins designed for our nation’s lawmakers, let’s take a look at a political coin designed for a private organization outside of government: tThe Home Depot.
We’ve created several coins for the Home Depot over the years, but this one stands out from the rest. Usually, the Home Depot orders coins for staff members as a morale booster or commemorative item, and these are no different in that regard. However, instead of being made for employees working at different store branches, they were created for the Home Depot's Political Action Committee.
In their Political Activity and Government Relations Policy, the Home Depot says, “In an effort to ensure that the federal, state and local governments of those countries in which we conduct business act responsibly and in the best interest of our customers and associates, Home Depot actively participates, and encourages its associates to participate, in the political process.”
These coins aren’t used to raise money or raise awareness like many of the political coins we help design. Instead, they’re awarded to members of the company’s PAC as a token of gratitude for all of their efforts in the organization. And while they may not play a big role in the actual political process, they’re carried by the people that give the Home Depot a voice in the political world.
From Campaign Coins to Presidential Challenge Coins
Neither of these coins were ordered by the actual campaign staff of President Trump or Elizabeth Warren. They were designed and ordered by supporters of each candidate as commemorative items. The Elizabeth Warren coin, for example, is a campaign coin ordered by a private group that hosted a fundraiser for her 2020 presidential bid. They were delivered in clear coin capsules to everyone that attended the fundraiser as a special keepsake to take home and share with others.
Every United States President since Clinton has had a presidential challenge coin, including President Trump. He frequently hands out his presidential challenge coins to soldiers, veterans, and anyone else he wants to honor. We’re not sure if these President Trump coins ever made their way into his hands, but we certainly hope to create a coin for an acting president one day.
The president isn’t the only member of the U.S. government that has a personal challenge coin. We designed this coin for Congressman John Curtis. Just like any other personal challenge coin, Congressman Curtis trades these challenge coins with other politicians, supporters and members of the armed forces as a symbol of respect and honor.
The design references the natural beauty of his home state, Ohio, as well as the capitol building in Washington. Many of the political coins we help design reference national landmarks and state heritage, but there is always room to add a unique twist to the design.
When Andre Vasquez was running for 40th Ward Alderman, he chose a different route for his campaign coin design. Instead of referencing local landmarks, his coins look more like a personal brand. The red star superimposed over the overlapping “V” and “A” (for Andre Vasquez) creates a striking effect.
For anyone hoping to get elected, it helps to be memorable and meaningful, and these campaign coins provide a striking visual that will leave a lasting impression.
Challenge coins show forethought and can be especially impactful when given to servicemen and women, first responders, and volunteers where you want to do more than just say "thank you".
A Common Source of Goodness in the Divided World of Politics
Custom made political coins like these are becoming a more prevalent part of our government every day, but their role has little to do with lawmaking. Instead, politicians, political action committees and other groups involved with governing our country use challenge coins to share their message, leave a lasting impression, and to show respect and honor to the people they meet along the way.
Almost all of the political challenge coins we design are paid for out of pocket by the politician that will be handing them out. The rest are paid for by private organizations that want to support different candidates or raise awareness about specific happenings in government.
Political challenge coins are designed for republicans and democrats, liberals and conservatives, and every other affiliated party you can imagine. And even when members of different parties disagree, custom coins like these are traded as a sign of good faith and respect.Sharing challenge coins today is very much like sharing and listening to stories while trading small tokens of respect.
