|
|
Shortly after acquiring the medallions, the pilots’ aircraft was severely damaged by ground fire. He was forced to land behind enemy lines and was immediately captured by a German patrol. In order to discourage his escape, the Germans took all of his personal identification except for the small leather pouch around his neck. In the meantime, he was taken to a small French town near the front. Taking advantage of a bombardment that night, he escaped. However, he was without personal identification. He succeeded in avoiding German patrols by donning civilian attire and reached the front lines. With great difficulty, he crossed no-man's land. Eventually, he stumbled onto a French outpost. Unfortunately, saboteurs had plagued the French in that sector. They sometimes masqueraded as civilians and wore civilian clothes. Not recognizing the young pilot's American accent, the French thought him to be a saboteur and made ready to execute him. He had no identification to prove his allegiance, but he did have his leather pouch containing the medallion. He showed the medallion to his would-be executioners and one of his French captors recognized the squadron insignia on the medallion. They delayed his execution long enough for him to confirm his identity. Instead of shooting him they gave him a bottle of wine. Back at his squadron, it became tradition to ensure that all members carried their medallion or coin at all times. This was accomplished in the following manner - a challenger would ask to see the medallion. If the challenged could not produce a medallion, they were required to buy a drink of choice for the member who challenged them. If the challenged member produced a medallion, then the challenging member was required to pay for the drink. This tradition continued on throughout the war and for many years after the war while surviving members of the squadron were still alive. We proudly continue this tradition of the challenge coin. Reprinted from a Kelly AFB Dining Out Presentation How do I place an order? Once you have received your quote and are ready to place your order, follow the steps below:
There is no cost for us to evaluate your design or make suggestions to produce a better coin. If your coin requires a special die we will tell you up front. We will always be honest with you and tell you the total price before you place your order, and if you are interested in a quote before you order, you can contact us and we will email it to you. What is the difference between "die struck" and "die cast"? All of our coins are DIE STRUCK not die cast. Casting is a cheaper form of making coins where they melt down the solid metal and pour it into a mold. DIE CAST coins can actually break if you drop them because they have tiny air pockets all through the metal as a result of melting the metal and pouring it into the mold. DIE STRUCK coins are created by first designing two sides of the mold from solid steel. Then, using the metal type requested, the mold sides close together essentially "stamping" the design into the raw metal surface. There are two things that happen when you place an order. The first thing is that your order receives a Temporary Customer ID Number (ex. tmp01310601) to distinguish it from other customer orders. The second thing is that your Temporary Customer ID Number gets assigned a name which is referred to as a Customer ID once the artwork is created. When you're ready to reorder your coin, just follow the same process as when you first ordered your coins. We request that you fill out our online order form, print it out and fax it in to us. On the form, just check the "reorder" box and enter your CUSTOMER ID in the space next to the box. If you are unsure of your CUSTOMER ID, you can email us an image of the coin or original artwork and we can locate your CUSTOMER ID for you. You needn't fill out any other information at the top of the form, other than the quantity desired. Minimum reorder is 100 coins and shipping charges are the responsibility of the customer for all reorders, but you will not be charged a die fee again. What is the "die fee" and why do I have to pay it? When you place an order, the die fee is charged up front. The "die fee" is not a fee at all, but is the cost of carving the mold to design your coin and the materials used. We charge you this fee up front to cover the time spent designing your artwork, but the die itself is what will be used to stamp your coins. When you approve the artwork and production is started, the remainder of the balance is charged. Nothing is done without your satisfaction and approval. The coin can't be sold to another customer without your approval. Patented Challenge Coin Display Case Satisfaction Guarantee and Return Policy We offer a 30 day money back guarantee (less shipping and handling) on all display case orders. If you are not happy with your display case for any reason, you may return it within 30 days of the date of purchase for a refund on the product price. In order to return the display, the display must be returned in re-sellable condition with the individual coin holders unopened. Include a letter with your return stating the reason for your return and a copy of your receipt which was e-mailed to you at the time of purchase. The display must be shipped back to our office via UPS or USPS with signature confirmation and insurance to cover any damage during shipping. Once we receive your return and verify the product is re-sellable, we will issue a credit for the cost of the display or add on sections. If you have any questions about the display, please call before placing an order! If you have an order that you need to rush, we can produce your coins and get them in the mail (normally) within 30-35 days. We do this by moving your order to the front of the job queue for production. During
high production periods this may be slightly longer. March - October
is the busiest time of the year for most coin companies so plan
ahead and allow yourself enough time to complete the job before
you run out of time. * Please keep in mind, the Rush service moves your project to a High Priority. Our graphic designers will place your order first in the artwork queue. Actual minting time for your coin will decrease to 30 days but it does not guarantee that the coins will be completed and shipped out by that given time frame. |
||
During World War I, American volunteers from all parts of the country filled the newly formed flying squadrons. Some were wealthy scions attending colleges such as Yale and Harvard who quit in mid-term to join the war. In one squadron, a wealthy lieutenant ordered medallions struck in solid bronze and presented them to his unit. One young pilot placed the medallion in a small leather pouch that he wore around his neck.
Your coin design can be e-mailed to us in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, .Tif, .JPG or .pdf format. We use Adobe products including Illustrator, Photoshop, and GoLive! to design and upload your coin to the web, so .ai, and nonmerged .psd files work the best, BUT other formats work as well. The only thing we DO NOT recommend are faxes. 