COAST GUARD COINS
CUTTERS, SECTORS & AIR STATIONS

USCG COIN TRADITION

The Coast Guard runs one of the most active coin programs in the U.S. military despite being the smallest of the six services. Every major cutter has a coin program. Every sector and air station issues unit coins. The Coast Guard Academy, training centers (TRACEN Cape May, TRACEN Yorktown, TRACEN Petaluma, Coast Guard Aviation Training Center), and the various special operations and rescue communities all have established coin traditions.

The visual signature of every USCG coin is the racing stripe — usually rendered in red enamel against the metal background. Most unit coins also feature the Coast Guard seal or the unit's specific insignia. We've built coins across the cutter fleet, sectors, air stations, MSSTs, MSRTs, and HITRON.

CUTTER COINS

Cutter coins center the hull silhouette and the WMSL / WMEC / WPC / WLB / WLM hull designation with the cutter's name spelled out. Backs typically carry the cutter's motto, commissioning date, and sometimes the homeport. Run sizes are usually 150–400 pieces for major cutters (NSCs, WMECs), 50–150 for smaller cutters (FRCs, WPCs), sized to crew plus families and inbound personnel. National Security Cutters (Legend / Bertholf class) have particularly active coin programs because of the large crews and extended deployments.

SECTOR AND DISTRICT COINS

Sector coins represent the regional command — Sector Boston, Sector LA/LB, Sector San Francisco, Sector Honolulu, and the other sectors across the U.S. coast and inland waterways. They feature the sector seal, the AOR identifier, and often a key landmark from the sector's area. Sector commanders use these as on-the-spot recognition coins. District coinsrepresent the higher operational level (Districts 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17) and are usually used at District CC and CCM level.

AIR STATION COINS

Coast Guard Air Stations (CGAS) are spread across the country and up to Alaska. Air station coins feature the unit patch with the aircraft platform prominent — MH-60 Jayhawk for the offshore stations, MH-65 Dolphin for the short-range stations, HC-144 Ocean Sentry for medium-range maritime patrol, HC-130 for long-range patrol. Air station coins lean toward the traditional rescue iconography — orange life rings, the swimmer's mask, the rescue basket — alongside the unit patch.

DEPLOYMENT & PATROL COMMEMORATIVES

Coast Guard cutters routinely deploy on counter-drug patrols (in EASTPAC, CENTAM), Arctic patrols, ALPAT (Alaska Patrol), and joint ops with international partners. Deployment commemoratives mark specific patrol cycles with the operational area, dates, and notable interdictions or saves. Major rescue operations sometimes warrant unit commemoratives — coins built around a specific case number and date.

SPECIALIZED COMMUNITIES

MSST (Maritime Safety and Security Teams), MSRT (Maritime Security Response Team), TACLET (Tactical Law Enforcement Teams), HITRON (Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron) — each specialized community has its own coin tradition. These typically lean tactical (antique bronze, black nickel) with community-specific insignia. Rescue Swimmer and AST coins feature the swimmer wings, and are some of the most coveted personal coins in the service.

DESIGN YOUR COAST GUARD COIN ONLINE

Use the free online coin designer to sketch your cutter, sector, or air station coin. Drop in your unit patch or upload your art, add the racing stripe in red enamel for the essential USCG visual signature, set the plating to antique silver or bronze. Submit when ready — refined proof in 24 hours. See our military procurement guide or other branches.