Navy Maritime Weapons School Coin

Both faces carry a submarine inside a crosshair. The shape is conventional, precisely cut from a high quality metal, with images, lines and lettering engraved in fine detail and premium enamel paint completing the piece for a sharp, shiny finish. Concept illustrations were worked up for both sides so neither would be the weaker face. This Navy maritime weapons school coin was made for the Helicopter Maritime Strike Weapons School and the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Weapons School.

Using the Same Motif on Both Faces

Repeating an image across both sides is unusual, and when it is done deliberately it is one of the more confident choices available.

It commits to one idea. A coin with two different subjects asks the viewer to connect them. A coin with one subject twice states a single thing and states it twice as hard.

It fits two organizations sharing a mission. Where two schools teach the same thing from different platforms, a shared motif on both faces says the mission is common and the platforms differ, which no two unrelated images could say as cleanly.

And it removes the weak back problem. Most coins have a face that received less attention. Working up concept illustrations for both sides, as this one did, is the discipline that prevents it.

The requirement is variation. The same image twice, identical, makes a coin that feels like a printing error. The motif has to be treated differently on each side, whether through composition, angle or which elements carry the enamel, so the repetition reads as a theme rather than a duplicate.

Maritime Patrol and Helicopter Maritime Strike

These two communities do related work from different aircraft, which is why they appear on one coin.

Maritime patrol and reconnaissance operates long range fixed wing aircraft over open ocean, searching very large areas for surface and subsurface contacts and conducting surveillance missions that last many hours. Helicopter maritime strike operates from ships, working closer in and able to prosecute a contact directly from a deployed detachment.

A weapons school in either community is the advanced tactical training organization: the place that develops tactics, trains the instructors and sets the standard for the rest of the community. The people who pass through are already experienced, which makes a weapons school coin a credential of a particular kind.

Anti-submarine warfare is the thread connecting both, and that explains the design. A submarine in a crosshair is the problem both schools exist to solve, stated in one image that needs no caption to anyone in either community.

See also a helicopter squadron challenge coin and Navy challenge coins.

Fine Engraving Under Enamel

Combining detailed engraving with premium enamel is a specific combination, and it is harder than either alone.

Enamel fills recesses. Paint goes into the cut areas, which means engraving that is too fine simply disappears under the fill. Detail intended to show has to be kept clear of the colored areas or cut deep enough to survive.

Every color needs a metal wall. Adjacent colors are separated by a raised metal ridge, and that ridge has a minimum width that does not scale down with the artwork. A design with many small color areas runs out of room for the separators before it runs out of ideas.

Gloss raises the standard. A shiny finish reflects light evenly across the surface, which makes any unevenness in a fill visible. Matte hides more.

And the two have to be planned together. Deciding where the color goes after the engraving is designed produces a coin where the two fight. On a piece like this they are one decision.

See engraving and enamel options and soft enamel vs hard enamel.

Weapons School and Instructor Coins

A training organization at the advanced end has a particular coin profile worth knowing.

The audience is already senior. Students at a weapons school are experienced operators, not trainees. A coin for them is peer recognition rather than encouragement, which argues for a serious register.

It functions as a credential. Completing an advanced course is a mark that follows someone through a career, and the coin becomes a shorthand for it.

The group is small and renews slowly. A handful of classes a year means a modest, steady requirement, which favors an undated design that can be reordered from one die indefinitely.

And accuracy is scrutinized. A tactics organization is the least forgiving audience for a loosely rendered aircraft, weapon or emblem. Reference material should come from the command rather than from stock imagery.

Order a Weapons School or Training Command Coin

Professional artwork is free with unlimited revisions, and nothing goes into production until you approve a digital proof. The challenge coin minimum is 50 pieces, standard production runs about 45 to 50 days after final artwork approval, rush production is available on many projects, and shipping within the continental United States is included. Embleholics is veteran-owned, SDVOSB and registered in SAM.gov.

Two suggestions. Plan the engraving and the enamel as a single decision rather than adding color to a finished engraving, because fine detail inside a colored area disappears under the fill. And if the course runs a few classes a year, leave dates and class numbers off so one die serves the school indefinitely. Request a free quote to begin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can both faces of a coin carry the same image?

Yes, and done deliberately it is a confident choice. It commits the coin to one idea rather than asking a viewer to connect two unrelated subjects.

How do you keep a repeated motif from looking like a duplicate?

Vary the treatment. Change the composition, the angle or which elements carry the color so the repetition reads as a theme rather than as the same face printed twice.

What is a weapons school?

The advanced tactical training organization in a community. It develops tactics, trains the instructors and sets the standard, and the people attending are already experienced operators.

What is the difference between maritime patrol and helicopter maritime strike?

Maritime patrol flies long range fixed wing aircraft over open ocean on extended surveillance missions. Helicopter maritime strike operates from ships, working closer in from a deployed detachment.

Does enamel hide fine engraving?

It can. Paint fills the recesses, so detail that is too fine disappears under the color. Engraving meant to show has to stay clear of the fills or be cut deeper.

Why do adjacent colors need separating?

Because a raised metal ridge holds each color in place, and that ridge has a minimum width that does not shrink with the artwork. Many small color areas run out of room for separators.

Is a glossy finish harder to execute?

Yes. Gloss reflects light evenly across the surface, which makes any unevenness in a fill visible, where a matte finish conceals small variations.

Should a school coin carry a class number?

Usually not, if the course runs only a few classes a year. An undated design can be reordered from one die indefinitely, which suits a steady modest requirement.