Navy chief challenge coins mark the moments of chief culture: selection, pinning, mess membership, senior enlisted leadership and retirement. Most carry the fouled anchor, the chief’s insignia. Because chiefs order through the mess, one design often serves a whole selectee class or an entire mess, and it’s reordered year after year.
Navy Chief Coins at a Glance
Chief culture produces more coin occasions than almost any other part of the Navy. These are the five you’ll see most.
| Coin | Who presents it | When |
|---|---|---|
| Selectee class coin | The chiefs’ mess | During Phase Two of CPO 365 or at pinning |
| Mess coin | The chiefs’ mess | To new members, guests and Sailors the mess recognises |
| Chief of the Boat coin | The COB, in person | For a specific achievement aboard a submarine |
| Command Master Chief coin | The CMC, in person | For a specific achievement at the command |
| Retirement coin | The mess or the retiree | At the retirement ceremony |
What Makes a Chief Different
The step from first class petty officer to chief petty officer is the biggest in an enlisted Sailor’s career. It’s less a pay raise than a change of job. A chief stops being the best technician in the division and becomes the person responsible for the Sailors in it, and the link between the wardroom and the deckplates.
The rate itself dates to 1 April 1893, when the old rank of petty officer first class became chief petty officer, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command. Commands still celebrate the chiefs’ birthday every year, often with a mess coin.
That sense of joining something larger is why navy challenge coins carry so much weight in the chiefs’ community. A coin is the one object a mess can hand to every member that says, plainly, you belong here.
Old Salt's Chief Mess Coin
A symbol of tradition, honor, and camaraderie. The Old Salt’s Chiefs Mess Coin celebrates the bond and legacy of those who serve.
USS Texas Chief of the Boat Coin
Whatacob design honoring the pride, humor, and leadership of the USS Texas COB.
USS New Jersey Coin
USS New Jersey SSN-796 in full detail, with a dynamic illustration of the sub’s prow cutting through icy waters—honoring naval heritage and modern innovation.
The Fouled Anchor
The chief’s collar device is a fouled anchor, an anchor with its chain wrapped around the shank, with the letters USN across it. Chiefs often say the letters stand for Unity, Service and Navigation, and that the fouled chain represents the trials a chief works through. Both are traditions rather than official definitions, and both get told at every pinning.
For a coin designer, the anchor is a gift. It’s simple, instantly recognised and strong enough to carry a design on its own. It can sit raised at the centre of a round coin, become a cut-out in the metal, or form the outline of the coin. Gold and brushed brass suit it, which is why so many chief coins lean on metal finish rather than colour.
The Goat Locker and the Chiefs’ Mess
The chiefs’ mess is both a place and a group: the quarters where chiefs eat and meet, and the body of chiefs at a command. By tradition it’s also called the goat locker. The usual story ties the name to goats once kept aboard ships, and chiefs tell it with varying amounts of conviction.
Mess coins belong to the mess rather than to one Sailor. They’re presented to new members, guests and Sailors the mess wants to recognise. Three messes show how differently a mess can approach one.
NAVWAR Goat Locker Coin
NAVWAR’s chiefs went for detail. Their Goat Locker coin uses extensive engraving and gradient colour to build real depth, so it rewards a second look long after it’s presented.
Old Salts Chiefs’ Mess Coin
The chiefs of USS Nimitz chose a gold relief of a chief over ocean waves for the front, with the carrier in silver on the back. A small section of the coin is cut away in the shape of a wave.
State-Shaped Chief’s Mess Coin
One Chief’s Mess commissioned a coin cut in the outline of Alabama, made in thick copper with a 3D texture that copies a ship’s deckplate. It’s small, heavy and unmistakably Navy.
CPO 365, Pinning and the Selectee Coin
Chief season starts long before the board. CPO 365 is the Navy’s year-round leadership programme for first class petty officers and chief selectees, run in two phases. Phase One is open to first classes throughout the year and prepares them to compete for selection. Phase Two begins when board results are announced. It runs for about six weeks, with selectees studying heritage, leadership and the standards of the mess, and it ends at the pinning ceremony, usually in mid-September.
At pinning, sponsors fix the gold anchors to each selectee’s collar and the new chief puts on the combination cover for the first time. It’s the most-photographed day in the community and the single biggest reason messes order coins. Each class usually gets a coin with its class number and year. Because a new class comes through every year, keeping the die and changing only the year makes reordering challenge coins faster than starting over.
Navy Chiefs Wood Grain and Deckplate Coin
One selectee-season design pairs realistic wood grain with a deckplate pattern. The chief’s anchor sits over the wood grain on the front, and the back uses the cross-diamond deckplate every Sailor knows underfoot. Two textures and almost no colour give the two faces two different moods.
Chief of the Boat and Command Master Chief Coins
Some coins come from one senior enlisted leader rather than the mess. On a submarine that leader is the Chief of the Boat; at a command it’s the Command Master Chief. Their coins are carried personally and given by hand, which makes them some of the most valued coins a Sailor can receive.
USS Texas Chief of the Boat Coin
USS Texas marked its new COB’s appointment with a shield-shaped coin rather than a round one. The Navy anchor and fine lettering run across both faces, machined so the small text stays readable.
Master Chief Coin
Master Chief Brannon’s coin puts her portrait, rating and master chief device in 3D relief. Wave imagery honours her as one of the first women to serve on ships, and a rope edge frames it all.
USS New Jersey Commanding Officer’s Coin
It’s worth comparing these with a commanding officer’s coin. A chief’s coin comes from the enlisted side and the mess; a CO’s coin comes from the command itself. The commanding officer of USS New Jersey carries a coin showing the submarine’s prow cutting through icy water, with the command star, anchors, dolphins and the CO’s name and rank on the reverse.
Rating Chiefs and Retirement Coins
Many chiefs want their rating on the coin as well as the anchor, and rating badges appear on many Navy chief coins. Retirement is the other big occasion. A retirement coin usually carries the chief’s name, years of service, last command and rating, whether it comes as a chiefs’ mess coin or from the retiree.
Boatswain’s Mate Chief Coin
For boatswain’s mates, a brushed-gold coin with machined anchors and almost no paint does the job. It looks expensive because it’s restrained.
How to Order Coins for a Mess or Class
Embleholics is a veteran-owned custom challenge coin maker founded by a U.S. Navy veteran, so chief culture isn’t new to us. Every order includes free professional artwork, unlimited revisions and a digital proof you approve before production. Most orders are complete 45–50 days after artwork approval, and rush production is available. That matters for pinning: start the design as soon as board results are out. The minimum is 50 coins, and shipping is free within the continental US. Deployed messes can receive their coins through APO and FPO addresses.
To get an accurate quote, send:
- The mess crest, class logo or a rough sketch
- The quantity, and the pinning or ceremony date
- The text you need: class number, year, command, motto
- Ideas for shape, finish or texture
We make military challenge coins for every branch, from ship’s crews to squadrons. Start your mess’s free design today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Navy chief challenge coin?
A coin made for chief petty officers, a chiefs’ mess, a selectee class or a senior enlisted leader. Most carry the fouled anchor, the chief’s insignia, along with the command name, class year or rating. Messes give them to new chiefs, guests and Sailors they want to recognise.
How much do Navy chief challenge coins cost?
Embleholics’ published prices for a standard 2-inch coin run from $10.90 each at 50 coins to $5.70 each at 500 or more. Custom shapes, 3D relief, textures and extra colours change the final price. Artwork, revisions and continental US shipping are included.
What is the goat locker?
The goat locker is a traditional name for the chiefs’ mess, meaning both the chiefs’ quarters aboard ship and the chiefs at a command. The name is usually tied to goats once kept aboard ships, though that story is tradition rather than documented history.
What does the fouled anchor on a chief’s coin mean?
The fouled anchor is the chief petty officer’s insignia. By tradition, chiefs say the USN letters stand for Unity, Service and Navigation and that the fouled chain represents the challenges a chief works through. Officially, the letters stand for the United States Navy.
Do CPO selectees get a challenge coin?
Most selectee classes receive a coin during or at the end of Phase Two of CPO 365, often around the pinning ceremony. It usually carries the class number, year and command. Messes often reorder the same design each year with an updated class year.
Who presents a Chief of the Boat coin?
The Chief of the Boat, the senior enlisted leader on a submarine, presents it personally. These coins are carried by the COB and given by hand for something specific, which is why Sailors value them so highly.
When should a mess order coins for pinning?
As soon as board results are announced. Most orders are complete 45–50 days after artwork approval, and Phase Two runs about six weeks, so starting the design early gives time for proofs. Rush production is available if the timeline is tight.
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