Have you received a Gansgtead coin?
You sure are lucky. Probably good looking too. Only the best and brightest get this honor.
What do I do with it?
Possibly you can redeem it as currency for unspeakable deeds in the Gangstead underworld, John Wick style. No one has tried. So maybe? Official Challenge Coin etiquette dictates that you must always have the coin on your person and if you fail to produce it when “coin checked” you must buy the next round of drinks. If you prove your metal then the meddler must instead buy the round. You can also leave it on your desk or in your sock drawer and reflect on your worth and mettle every time you see it. After the medal is awarded you can do as you wish.
What do the images on the back mean?
They are special icons of the Gangstead family lore, circa 2017, when I was bored at work. This knowledge is too precious for the internet. You’ll have to ask me in person what each one means.
Why coin?
I listened to a podcast https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/coin-check/ and thought it was cool.
But how coin?
There are challenge coin websites. You upload a design, fork over a sum of money, and months after you’ve forgotten about it some very heavy boxes arrive from China. The per-coin cost is very high unless you order a lot (a few hundred got me down to about $3 per coin back in 2017).
Other coins?
I also 3D printed a coin, form, made a high temp silicon mold, and cast coins in a low-temp tin-bismuth alloy. It was more work per-coin than ordering from the internet, but the incremental coin cost was less than a $1 worth of metal. The alloy is very soft though so you they have to be treated with kid gloves.
https://www.printables.com/model/21667-metal-cast-challenge-coin-and-mold
