A Navy Chief’s Mess challenge coin is made for the Chief’s Mess, the Chief Petty Officers at a command. The Mess keeps its own space and traditions. Its coins use Mess symbols, goat imagery from the Goat Locker, and in-jokes Chiefs recognize at a glance.
What Is the Chief’s Mess?
The Chief’s Mess is where Chief Petty Officers eat, meet, and mentor junior sailors. It sits apart from the wardroom and the rest of the crew. Chiefs, Senior Chiefs, and Master Chiefs all belong.
A sailor earns a seat by making Chief. A selection board and induction traditions come first. New Chiefs learn the duties of the rank in the Mess. Junior and senior Chiefs look after one another through long careers.
A Mess coin belongs to those Chiefs. Its design reflects their traditions and in-jokes.
What Is the Goat Locker?
“Goat Locker” is the nickname Chiefs use for their own Mess. The name goes back to 1893, when the Navy established the Chief Petty Officer rate. Goats were still kept aboard ship then. The chiefs looked after them, and the pens sat in the chiefs’ quarters.
Chiefs use the name as a good-natured way of calling one another old goats. A goat locker coin puts that humor into the artwork.
We have made goats dressed in Chief’s khakis, coins shaped like a goat’s head or horns, and a goat wearing a lei. Other designs use anchors, Mess in-jokes, and symbols only a Chief would recognize.
Who Orders Chief’s Mess Coins, and When
The Mess may order as a group. A Chief on selection may want a coin to mark the milestone. A departing Chief may commission a retirement piece. A command can also order for its whole Mess.
Pinning and induction season arrives at the same time each year. That leaves time to plan a design before the ceremony. A chief pinning coin or CPO induction coin often marks the day a sailor joins the Mess. Transfers and retirements happen year-round and often mark years of service or a single tour.
Coast Guard Chiefs share much of the same Mess culture. Our Coast Guard challenge coins include Chief designs, and the ordering process matches a Navy Mess.
What Goes on a Chief’s Mess Coin?
Every chief petty officer challenge coin draws on a familiar set of elements. These include the three Chief Petty Officer rank insignia, warfare qualification devices, rating badges, anchors, and ship or command imagery. Mottos and the Mess’s own symbols complete the design. For a closer look at rating badges, see our coins built around a Chief’s rating.
A Navy Chief’s Mess challenge coin starts with what matters to your group. That could be your command, ships, ratings, warfare qualifications, traditions, or a phrase only your Mess uses. We can also work artwork of your ship or command into the design.
About This Ship’s Wheel Coin
A Chief’s Mess at Littoral Combat Ship Squadron ONE asked for a ship’s wheel challenge coin. They wanted several symbols that mattered to their group.
Design a Coin for Your Chief’s Mess
Bring us a rough idea or a handful of Mess symbols. Our artists will shape them into a finished design. Artwork is free, revisions are unlimited, and a digital proof comes before production.
Orders start at 50 coins and ship free within the continental U.S. Most finish 45 to 50 days after artwork approval, and rush production is available. Embleholics is veteran-owned and registered as an SDVOSB in SAM. See more ideas in our custom Navy challenge coins.
Finished Coin (Front)
Finished Coin (Back)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Chief’s Mess?
The Chief’s Mess is the group of Chief Petty Officers at a command and the space they share. Chiefs use it for meals, meetings, and mentoring junior sailors. A sailor joins by making Chief.
What is the Goat Locker?
The Goat Locker is what Chiefs call their Mess. The name goes back to 1893, when the rate was created and ship’s goats were still penned in the chiefs’ quarters. Chiefs also read it as a nod to being old goats.
Why do Navy Chief coins feature goats?
Goats refer to the Goat Locker name and the old goat joke Chiefs share. Designs include goats in khakis, goat head and horn cutouts, and a goat wearing a lei. Chiefs read them as affectionate.
What is a CPO challenge coin?
A CPO challenge coin is made for or by Chief Petty Officers. Typical occasions include pinning, induction, and a command’s Chief’s Mess. The artwork usually draws on the Mess, the command, or a Chief’s career.
When do Chiefs order challenge coins?
Most orders come in around the annual pinning and induction season. Transfers and retirements add orders throughout the year. The yearly season is predictable, so a Mess can plan its design early.
What goes on a Chief’s Mess coin?
Rank insignia for all three Chief grades usually anchor the design. Warfare devices, rating badges, anchors, ship or command imagery, mottos, and Mess in-jokes fill in the rest.
Can a coin be made in the shape of a ship’s wheel?
Yes. A ship’s wheel is a popular cutout shape for Navy coins. The thin spokes need careful design to last, and raised details have to sit over solid metal.
What is the minimum order?
The minimum order for custom challenge coins is 50 pieces. Every project includes free professional artwork, unlimited revisions before production, and free shipping within the continental U.S.
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