"The medallions have no monetary value; they come in various shapes and sizes, but most are about the size of a silver dollar, and they carry the symbols and names of military units or commands. Members of those units carry them to give to others as tokens of esteem. (They are called challenge coins because they can be used to prove that you are a member of the unit; sometimes they are called "commander's coins" when they're given out by a senior officer.)"
"The coins are, to put it gently, ridiculous. On one side, they have what appears to be the symbol of the Punisher, a Marvel character. The Punisher is a vigilante who does ... well, vigilante stuff, killing evildoers at will as revenge for the death of his family. The symbol is popular with a lot of people, including criminals, law-enforcement officers, soldiers, and some extremist groups such as the anti-government Three Percenters."
Challenge coins are medallions carried by U.S. military members and other organizations, typically about the size of a silver dollar and bearing unit symbols and names. They have no monetary value and are exchanged as tokens of esteem or used to prove membership; senior officers sometimes issue them as commander’s coins. Organizations inside and outside government also mint such coins. The FBI Director Kash Patel produced a challenge coin that features the Punisher symbol. The Punisher emblem evokes vigilante violence, is popular among criminals, some law-enforcement officers, soldiers, and extremist groups, and traces part of its inspiration to the Nazi SS Totenkopf. The use of that symbol on an official coin is criticized as inappropriate and offensive.
Read at The Atlantic
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