Posted 11 years ago
BHock45
(807 items)
Found this coin in its original plastic for a few dollars. I thought it was interesting, and in good condition, so...I took a chance. Not sure if it has value or not.
I would like to know what is the reward actually for. In other words, how does one earn this coin? Thanks!
thanks mustang! Yeah it is really nice, I am glad you think it is too because this morning I thought I had a bad outing. Turns out the few really really inexpensive things I snagged were the best ones!!! Thanks bellin68!
Coins are really big in the military, and typically given as a reward or sign of respect for a job well done - and not always just within military ranks. I received one from the Joint Forces Staff College and the Army for organizing some programming as part of a training session. There is also a specific way they are given - during a hand shake, the coin is hidden in the hand of the giver who rotates the receiver's hand in the middle of the shake so the coin falls into the palm of the receiver.
USAFE stands for US Air Force Europe which is comprised of the Air Force bases throughout Europe. I have worked with USAFE in the past, but am not familiar with the designation this coin indicates. Some of the USAFE bases are in Turkey and Portugal which do not seem to be part of this group, but their main location in Germany is on the coin map (along with the flag). I'm also not familiar with the term "Third Air Force". But I don't know the history of the bases - maybe this coin pre-dates the addition of some of those other bases (???)
To my knowledge, they are not particularly valuable, because they are usually printed in bulk and handed out over a period of years. But I assume there would be collectors of them for their art and variety. (Yours is way cooler than mine)
NOTE - I am not actually in the military, so all of this is simply picked up from doing business with the US military as part of my job.
trustyhuckster, thanks so much for the info! Very interesting!
Nice unit coin-- the command decides on the criteria for awarding and it varies with the unit as does the technique for presentation.
A nice example!
scott