time4me Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 My son and I found these items while metal detecting around a campground that has been used by boy scouts a lot over the years. Can anyone provide any information on either the coin or the pendant? The coin is large and light in weight - probably aluminum. It reads HONOR DUTY SERVICE on the front around a picture of a guy's head in the middle. The guy looks like a fur trader. On the back is an eagle attached to a shield with three stars at the top and 9 vertical stripes. Under the shield is a date of 1837. The pendant has an indian on the front, and on the back it simply says "SOLID COPPER" at the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Winger Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Where did you find them? The pendant has a Saguaro cactus on it which would imply a connection with southern Arizona. None are overly Boy Scout items but that doesn't mean that a local troop didn't give them out to Scouts way back when. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time4me Posted August 12, 2008 Author Share Posted August 12, 2008 They were found in northern California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbandit Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Neat finds. Have no clue though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allangr1024 Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 These look like military challenge coins. You can order them from various companies, usually in a group of 10 to 50 at a time, and the minting companies can engrave anything you like on them. Each branch of the military uses them, and individual military units can make their own commemorative coins for members to use for "bragging rights". I suspect that these were used by the scouts as Eagle challange coins since they were found in a scout campsite, and that some poor boys looked for them frenzily and never found them when they had to present the eagle challenge to younger scouts. I could not find an example of the trapper or hunter on your coin. And the date of 1837 was engraved to commorate some event we do not know of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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