Some Serious Coinage

Subscribers who have been with us since the beginning will find a little something extra in their shipment. Inspired by the challenge coins used by military members, philanthropic organizations and other groups, we’ve created a coin for the founding members of the Blackwing Volumes program.

Side one of the coin features the numbers of the first four Volumes releases (725, 211, 1138 & 24). Side two features a drawing of a Calocedrus decurrens frond. Celocedrus decurrens is commonly known as Genuine Incense-cedar, the best wood in the world for pencil making, and the only wood used in Blackwing pencils.

Coins

 

Challenge coins are traditionally used to prove membership. Some groups and members take it a step further, forcing members caught without their coin to answer any challenge presented to them. We can’t tell you how to use it; how a challenge coin is used is dictated by the members who carry it. But we can give you a few ideas:

  1. General challenge. Like truth or dare, but you can only pick dare. Members caught without their coin must accept any challenge made by the challenging party.
  2. Pencil steal. Members caught without their coin must sacrifice a pencil to the challenging party.
  3. Create-off. Members caught without their coin must create something (doodle, haiku, photo-realistic portrait) for the challenging party.
  4. POG revival. Is it just us, or would this coin make an awesome slammer?

Whether you use the coin to steal pencils and issue challenges, or put it on your shelf alongside your other trophies, we hope you’ll accept it as a symbol of our thanks. Without you, Blackwing Volumes would not have had the success that it has.