Century-Old Challenge Coin: The American Legion's 1927 Paris Convention
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The American Legion was founded in 1919 as a veterans service organization for soldiers who served in World War One, and they chose the 10th anniversary of America's entrance into the war to make a mass pilgrimage back to France. Calling themselves the Second American Expeditionary Force, some 20,000 Legionnaires traveled to Paris in September 1927 for the Legion's 8th annual conference. Far more than just formal organization business, it was a chance for veterans to see the battlefields again, meet with their French counterparts, and generally have a really good time. The event was coordinated years in advance, and one small element of it was the minting of commemorative medallions - aka challenge coins. This example was sent to me by a viewer, who got it from the widow of an American WWI veteran who attended the event.
The American Legion has two very cool pieces or history relating to the 1927 Convention in their digital archive. One is a compilation of 16mm film taken of the event, including festivities on Coney Island prior to embarkation and footage of the transit over. You can see that here:
• 1927 American Legion P...
They have also digitized the original program for the event, which includes a lot of information about the battlefield tourism available and general advice for Americans overseas. You can download it (26MB PDF) here:
archive.legion.org/handle/20....
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My great-great-grandfather went over for that convention, from what he wrote his wife he seemed heavy-hearted with being back in France and walking the battlefields.
He and his cousin(from Yugoslavia) had arranged to meet in Paris during the convention with the intention of bringing his cousin to the U.S. it must have worked as his cousin became a U.S. citizen in 1928.
That sounds like it would be fascinating to read. I imagine many of the men had rather mixed feelings about their experience.
ah, another fine example of universal disassembly tool.
from left to right on the coin, Eiffel Tower, the Invalides, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and the Sacré Coeur.
The convention would be a good setting for a mystery novel
Or a Call of Cthulhu campaign
Nicolas FOURNIER I’ve been thinking about running a CoC game so thanks for giving me the idea to use this
The real-world mystery was the 1976 one, where many veterans that attended the convention grew very ill and died shortly afterwards.
Spoilers: It was bacteria in the air conditioner.
My grandfather's war. Harold H. Sweetser, Corporal, MG Company, 110th Regiment (amalgamated 3 & 4th Pennsylvania Infantry), 55th Infantry Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, AEF .
Oh my goodness I own one of these. Someone donated it to my surplus store. I was literally talking to the commander of the local American Legion I am a part of about donating it. Such a coincidence.
I see what ya did there.....
@@SolidSioux1987 I didn't even realize, it took me like 5 minutes reading your comment 😂. It's just how I talk. I swear this really did happen.
I would probably even watch a video of Ian explainging the different kinds of rocks and pebbles in his garden.
_Now, this garden gnome has an interesting feature: If we rotate his head like this_ [rotates gnome's head and removes] _we have a hidden compartment where you could hide a spare house key..._
It would be a perfect companion to the Chieftain's narration of
watching paint dry.
We watched almost a half hour of his hat collection... So basically, yeah we would.
4:00 "...the French set up a whole extra bureaucracy..." ; Colour me surprised...
(Yes, I'm French).
Very cool.
One other thing the troops who were waiting to come were dealing with in 1919 was the second year of the 1918 flu pandemic.
It is one of the reasons some of them had been kept in France.
First thing that came to mind was the Spanish flu and how people were dealing with that
@@Gordonseries385 Apparently much like today from what I have read. Start, stop, each bunch doing different things.
At the time nobody knew what a virus was.
They had seen bacteria in a microscope but not a virus they are too small.
So nobody really knew how the disease spread.
The first virus ever seen was in 1941 by a new invention called an electron microscope.
Another TH-cam channel TheHistoryGuy does a good episode on the 1918 Flu Pandemic.
@@shawnr771 Thank you for that
Thanks, Ian. There is a lot of forgotten history, not just weapons. This episode was cool.
Dig the historical background, more of this!
I used to have one of the guidebooks for this convention. It was a fascinating snapshot of Jazz-age Paris with lots of advertisements for nightclubs and cabaret shows. One big ad was for Josephine Baker performing several nights a week singing and doing things like the "black bottom" dance which was all the rage then.
Thanks Ian, I just like watching you talk about anything.
Couldn't agree more
The greatest weapon is the soldier, so this is very much Forgotten Weapons material.
1:56 *Clone Wars Theme blasts out your eardrums*
Was wondering if anyone else caught that😂😂😂
The people that used the forgotten weapons should ALSO not be forgotten. Good on yah, mate!
Ian, that was very cool, please think about doing similar gun adjacent content in future. Thanks
Agreed! :)
I second this
This isn't completely novel, he's done things like battlefield tours on this channel in the past. But yes, I'd like to see more.
You bet 20k US vets would go to France during the prohibition. Any occasion is good to be able to drink a good wine (or any other drinks). Thank you Ian for this video, it's nice to have some stories like this on the channel 👍❤️
"To go back... and meet with... their French wives, who... by that point, hand still retained much of their attractiveness, and not aged to the point of being hideous or old crones"
Yeah, I'd call off work for a month too!
And this is, History that Deserves to be Remembered.
The History Guy approves
Weapons that deserve to be forgotten?
I see what you did there
@@Bender_B._Rodriguez thanks for reminding me
Nothing better to wake up to, thank you Ian!
Hi Ian. Just to let you know your book mailed to me in March finally arrived. It’s great. When’s the next on coming out?
Very glad to hear that!
I really enjoy your "forgotten history" videos like this, you should start a second channel to do these kinds of videos!
Props to the viewer who sent this cool coin.
Near and dear... my grandfather was a Great War vet and a lifelong member of the legion.
I grew up reading his Legion magazines and pestering him about his stories from the war.
My fate was determined from a young age that I was bound for the service and a membership to the AL.
Bringing back memories of a time long ago and the man who most influenced my young life. Thank you for this.
Lovely bit of history again! I was interested to see that the US started its own Legion too , as here in Britiain the British Legion did the same function, and was also was the bunch that made the poppy on Armistice Day a big thing plus - backed very much by Earl Haig - sought to make sure all ex service personnel could get a job, no matter if they were fully able or not. I also recall reading that in the 1920s that many relatives of those lost in the war would go to Flanders and France to see the cemetery where their loved one was laid to rest, or more sadly, the cenotpahs to those who could not be identified. Nice to see something positive Ian from such a horrid history - thank you as always.
Do you know when the British legion was started? I wonder if there was any cross pollination of ideas between the American and British officers at the time.
Intriguing. Many thanks, Ian.
Thank you, Ian. The History Guy (on TH-cam) recently did an episode about challenge coins and this made a nice addition.
Nice to see you digging into that piece of history. Well done, Ian.
I am not a veteran, but I am an acquaintance of the Veterans Services Officer of our local post. I have sent 2 or 3 veteran friends to him when they have run into issues with the VA or DOD post service. These people are an asset to every veteran, member of the Legion or not!!!
Interesting change-of-pace presentation, Ian. The video you linked to of the 1927 American Legion Convention was definitely worth a look. The changes that have occurred during the past 90-plus years are mind-boggling.
Cool. As a Legion Member myself I really enjoyed this video and will have to check more of this out. I like study history of some of these events. Thank you Ian :)
Ian, i watch your videos for the entertainment YOU bring, not just the guns. This was interesting, thank you.
Admittedly, I mostly come here for the guns but I also find related stuff like this interesting. I don't mind at all if you throw in these things sometimes.
That is some really classy and well done art deco design.
One of the interesting things about "Challenge Coins", I am an Army brat, 18 years in the Army with my Dad, than 22 years in the US Air Force, stationed from Alaska to south Florida. A year in Iceland with the AF and 2 years in Germany with the Army. After I retired from the AF I worked for AF contractors in various locations for an additional 16 years. And until about 3 years ago I had never heard of Challenge Coins. If they have been around since WWI where were they hiding for those 56 years?
Well, that isn't really so much a "challenge coin" as a commemorative medallion. Having said that, I've never served in the military, and I must have first heard of challenge coins around 15 years ago.
Ha, my coin! Thanks a ton Ian for showing off for the world to see! Your the man. Keep up the great content!
As a member of the American Legion post 118 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico- I greatly appreciate your presentation.
My dad was a WW 1 vet and a Legion member as long as I remember. I do know he didn’t go to this but he never talked about it. My younger brother and I were in their youth group (Sons of The America Legion) when we were kids. I need to look thru his medals and stuff and see if he had one. Thanks for this!
Enjoyed every second of the video. Great subject Ian !
The History Guy did a pretty cool video on challenge coins.
I love that guy. I’d love to see a collaboration between these two guys.
@@travisinthetrunk For sure!
Howard Taylor of the webcomic "Schlock Mercenary" did an "unofficial anecdotal history of challenge coins;" link to the PDF can be found on the Schlock Mercenary home page.
Actually, that was just a month ago: th-cam.com/video/t1LNx1pgMeY/w-d-xo.html
First thing I thought of, too.
What a great video. Thanks for posting.
Love these types of videos Ian!
Loving all the different content .its so much than one kind of weapon keep up the great work
I saw this video immediately after it was posted and was able to snag one of these in the original case for $19, when all the others there were priced at $80 & $100. I think this is the ONLY time that I’ve ever beaten the rush to find a Forgotten Weapons featured goodie post video.
Thank you , Ian .
Ah, challenge coins. I have a few that I collected while in the service, and even a few that are for fictional organizations.
But the one I carry every day is for Submarine Squadron 19.
Thehistoryguy just recently did a video on challenge coins. It's super neat
@@BruceLortzHI What about c&rsenal? Surely you've had some history dropped in chunks of at least an hour at a time...
Very cool item, Ian. It proves that things can be interesting solely because of the history surrounding them.
Ian, this was a great segment.
Nifty bit of history. Thanks for this.
It's a fantastic story. I had no idea about challenge coins. Thanks for bringing this to us.
Great video, as always.
Ian, all of your videos are interesting.
History Guy is doing challenge coins right now. These coins have a really cool history.
Loving the content sir 🤙🏼
Thanks, a nice bit of history and fun.
My Grandfather joined the American Legion at Post Number 1, Paris France in 1919
Interesting story! Thanks Ian
As much I enjoy seeing a new forgotten weapon every day, these non-weapon historical videos are wonderful. They make an excellent "change of pace" every now and then.
Nice!, a bit of history knowledge it's always good.
It's a good thing your viewer didn't send the coin to Taofledermaus, although that would have made for an interesting video as well.
As a vet this is very cool. Couldnt even imagine 20k veterans doing anything similar in our time.
Very interesting an thanks for the history lesson of The American Legion , Ian !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is still very cool, Nice bits of history. I'll give those videos a look, Thanks for the look into the past Man.
Will be going to an antique weaponry store in Brighton soon, will comment in future what I find and purchase. Hopefully I can find something nice that Ian has done a video on or one that he hasn't
I just spent half an hour looking to buy one of my own because the history behind this coin is just to cool. I couldn't find any on ebay currently but a coin dealer had 1 in stock and i was lucky enough to snag it. If anyone else is looking to add an amazing piece of history to their collection then i would hurry!
These officers were also trying to figure out how to keep Soldiers from doing things like sticking their rifles together inextricably.
Wow, I can't imagine the organisational nightmare of trying to arrange a field trip for 20k people, and to do it by boat. I still laughed though when you said the French invented a new bureaucracy - I think they are as known for that as their cheese.
The American Legion predates its British counterpart which copied its name style, The British Legion (later The Royal British Legion).
There were four different ex-service associations formed for Great War veterans in the UK, one each associated with the three main political parties plus another for officers. They were merged thanks mostly to the efforts of a former lance corporal and also Field Marshal Haig.
For some reason the Scottish branch is actually a separate organisation though the Welsh, Irish, and Northern Irish parts aren't.
THX for this one. Nice piece of WWI history that's certainly "forgotten." (Paging Mark Felton!)
I never got caught up in the challenge coin thing when I active duty the only Squadrons I ever got was a fighter Squadron and later when I cross trained I got one with a Security Police Squadron (I'm retired Air Force)
For those that don't know if you have one of these and you are in a NCO or Officers club, you pull out your coin and tap it on the bar, you are challenging the others in the club to see if they have theirs if someone does not have theirs they buy a round, but if everybody has their coin you buy the round.
I didn't hang out in the NCO club, I much preferred to spend my off time hiking and fishing, I was stationed at Travis AFB near the Sacramento Delta and loved being close to Fishing and a hour to the Sierras for some hiking and bicycling.
I can't find my coins I put them in such a safe place even I can't find them, they will show up one day when I'm looking for something else I can't find.
The original program was very interesting. I even found the town near where my grandfather and namesake earned his Distinguished Service Cross and Croix de Guerre.
Hi, Ian. This event and its history are very interesting. America and France have a long shared relationship. Many of the philosophies that motivated the American Revolution were conceived in France. The successful revolution in America helped to motivate the French Revolution. Hopefully, America and France can build a stronger friendship in the Future. Thanks for sharing! Stay healthy!
De L'American Legion is actually technically correct French grammar for using a foreign word or expression in a French sentence. The rule of thumb in French is that foreign words are automatically conjugated using the masculine rules, with a few exceptions here and there if the pronunciation using French phonemes proves too awkward. American, beginning with a vowel, uses the contraction De L', as you would if it were a French word beginning with a vowel or h. So the more unusual this is that the French are using the actual American name, not the grammar with which they render it.
Hi guys welcome to Forgotten Coins
A few months ago on vacation I found a bookstore that had a (partial) set of 1931 American Legion published books entitled Source Records of the Great War. My favorite recent addition to my collection, with excellent insights from the time of the war and summaries from shortly after this convention, which gives excellent contrast to more modern sources to show what more we know and how our views evolved.
I wonder if the family this is “registered” to ((I presume) a veteran and his wife presented it to their two sons), in whole or part, attended this convention a few years prior?
Thinking of Charles Lindbergh landing at Aéroport Le Bourget in 1927 the roaring 20`s in the states the war to end all wars
Thanks for sharing that Ian take care
Wow they had a PDF in 1927? America rocks!!!!!!
This was amazing. Anything to do with history and in particular WW1 entralls me.
I enjoyed the heck out of that.
Very interesting
Thank you
Wonderful story. Thank you.
The History Guy did a video about the history of Challenge Coins a month ago. fun topic.
As someone who has been involved with the American Legion via Boys State in Texas, this is a really interesting story!
Wow that Challenge Coin actually shows the Bellemy Salute.
I'd like you to do a piece on how The American Legion was used almost as militia, national guard, police auxiliary in the 1920's and 1930's.
honestly ian if you started making any other type videos i would watch them. you are a very entertaining person and a great historian and narrator.
I love coins and guns! Convenient!
Interesting video... Successful digression!
God bless you brother
This is really good, do you think you could do this more often?
thanks
Now I believe you are a scholar!!!
Forgotten weapons is now crossing over into History Guy territory, My youtube subscriptions box is filling with challenge coin videos
Visit the "National World War I Museum and Memorial," also known as the "Liberty Memorial," in Kansas City, Missouri. It's amazing.
thank you... i didnt know that
i was looking for info on one of these - but different design - Washington and Lafayette busts on obverse, & stumbled on this. thanks for the deets - now to sell mine (was my late partner's grandfathers i think - no one left in family)
Such a great story, Thanks Ian. You make history fun. I hope you have kids. I can just see them in class when the teacher gets something wrong. "Well actually it was in 1734 when......."
I'm not sure it's fair to call every commemorative coin with a military connection a "challenge" coin.
any chance you could review the 1916 Spanish carbine Mauser in 7x57? I hear so many different things but they are the cheapest Mauser i can find locally and seems to be built very well, I know the re-bored ones seem to have issues with modern cartridges but just cant understand the bad hype. Aside from that, it would be a great addition to the historical Rolodex that is this channel.
My Great Grandfather’s ( that’s him in my Avatar)war too he was T.P.I. And the Returned Services League here in Australia taxied him to lunch once a week for free of charge for over 60 years