Where Legacy Lands: The Challenge Coins That Honor 100 Years of Flight at Wurtsmith Airforce Base.
- Admin
- Jul 15
- 5 min read
OH, WE’RE FEELING THIS ONE.
You know that moment when the historical weight of a project hits you like a sonic boom across a Michigan sky? Yeah. That. We knew we were in deep the second we opened our first reference photo and someone whispered, “Is that a B-52?” and then immediately teared up. (No shame. We cry over Cold War aircraft now.)
Because this isn’t just a museum. It’s a TIME CAPSULE. A love letter to aviation. A shrine to hometown heroes and high-altitude legacies. The Wurtsmith Air Museum doesn’t just showcase planes—it holds memories in its hangars. Real stories. Real service. Real people who looked at the horizon and launched toward it, knowing they were carrying the weight of national defense on their wings.
Oscoda, Michigan may not be the first place you think of when someone says “epicenter of air power”—but OH, it should be. This little lakeside town watched legends rise. From early biplanes to supersonic interceptors, this sky has seen it all. The Curtiss P-1 Hawk. The Convair F-106 Delta Dart. The B-52 Stratofortress. (YES, THE STRATOFORTRESS. We had to double-check spelling because our fingers were shaking from the aviation goosebumps.)
And it’s not just about the aircraft. It’s the units. The squadrons. The men and women who served in the 94th FIS, the 920th ARS, the 524th BS—whose acronyms may sound like alphabet soup but meant life, death, and national security in the moment. These weren’t just job titles. These were lifelines. The 63rd scrambling jets in the dead of night. The 527th keeping everything flying through snowstorms and stress and sheer grit. The 31st tracking threats we’ll never know about. THEY. WERE. THE. MISSION.
And let’s talk about Wurtsmith itself. It started as Loud Reams Reactivation Field in 1923 (hello, centennial chills) and morphed—through Camp Skeel, through World War II training fields, through decades of Cold War readiness—into a full-fledged Strategic Air Command base. And then? The heartbreak of closure in 1993. But Oscoda didn’t let it fade. They turned it into the Wurtsmith Air Museum, a place where legacy lives. Where the ghosts of aircrews past don’t haunt—they teach, inspire, and STAY.
So here we are, trying to translate a hundred years of bravery and burnout and blue skies into something you can hold in your hand. No pressure.
We’re already spinning. In awe. In research rabbit holes. In Pantone purgatory. But mostly? In deep, deep admiration. Because when a town like Oscoda builds a story this strong—you better believe we’re going to honor every chapter.
Okay, if you’ve ever wanted to hold 100 years of aviation history in the palm of your hand—this is it. Designing the Wurtsmith Air Force Base centennial coin? Oh my heart. We weren’t just illustrating history… we were time-traveling. We had one goal: take a full century of soaring ambition, duty, and evolution, and stamp it into metal that actually feels like legacy. And yes, it required lots of pacing, pantone debates, and one very dramatic Google Doc title: “Wurtsmith. Must. Be. Epic.”
Let’s start with the front. We wrapped it in sleek silver because hello—clean lines and crisp flight paths! The museum’s logo anchors the center: Michigan in bright white, sky-blue behind it, and YES, two planes soaring across like a literal mission statement. Around that dreamy sky, we floated four aircraft legends that once called Oscoda home—the T-33A, the P-1 Hawk, the F-106 Delta Dart, and the big one, the B-52 Stratofortress (seriously, that thing is basically a flying myth). It’s like a greatest-hits tour of Oscoda’s aviation lineup. All of that is hugged by a dramatic black ring, bold white lettering, and stars because we felt the need… the need for heritage (sorry, had to).
And THEN we flipped it—and whew. It’s basically a timeline in technicolor. We traced every era of Oscoda’s military aviation journey through its base names, with colors that meant something: green for Army roots, blue for those glory days of the Air Force, and black for today’s civilian chapter. From the Loud-Reams Reactivation Field of 1923 (what a name!) to Camp Skeel and Oscoda AAF, all the way to the present-day Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport, we built a map of names that whisper stories. On one side? The Army Air Force National Star and Bars—classic and commanding. On the other? The USAF symbol, standing tall and sharp. A perfect symmetry of past and present.
This coin is about commemoration—it’s a connection. Every aircraft. Every base name. Every color. It’s a reminder that behind every plane in the sky was a community on the ground. And now, thanks to this design? That story doesn’t just fly—it soars.
Okay, so THIS one felt like coming home. After creating the 100-year anniversary coin for Wurtsmith, we got the incredible opportunity to go even deeper—this time reimagining the Wurtsmith AFB Air Museum coin itself. And let me tell you, we were already in our feelings about Oscoda’s aviation legacy, so being asked to design a piece that would live in the actual museum gift shop? Cue the emotional tailspin (with happy tears, obviously).
This 2.25” coin packs a serious punch. The front is classic, clean, and totally unapologetic about celebrating the aircraft that made Wurtsmith what it was. You’ve got FOUR raised planes soaring across that dreamy blue-and-white sky backdrop—like a mini air show in your hand. (YES, we geeked out over wing angles. And YES, someone may or may not have made airplane noises during our design meeting.) The deep navy-blue outer ring wraps it all up with raised silver text paying homage to the powerhouse units that defined Wurtsmith’s past: 94th FIS, 63rd FIS, 527th AGS, 75 FIS, 31st FIS, 19th FIS, 920th ARS, and 524th BS. We said ALL the names. Because they all mattered.
Flip it over and boom—there’s that base. We brought in a colorized, textured map of Wurtsmith that doesn’t just mark the land, it honors it. The base isn’t just a location—it’s memory, it’s sacrifice, it’s history that echoes every time a visitor walks those museum halls. Around that map, more silver text shouts its years of operation—1953 to 1993—and roots it right where it belongs: Oscoda, Michigan. It’s bold, it’s grounded, and it makes you want to salute something.
These coins are now sitting proudly at the museum’s gift shop, waiting for the right hands to hold them. And we hope they do what all great coins should—connect people to stories. If you’re lucky enough to visit, grab one. Hold it. Feel the flight paths. It’s not just metal—it’s mission. And we’re so grateful we got to tell this story.
In addition to our designs commemorating Wurtsmith Air Force Base's aviation legacy, we've created another special coin for the Wurtsmith Air Museum. This unique challenge coin celebrates the first B-52H's historic arrival at the base and honors the final departure of the last B-52G.
Stay tuned for more details on this meaningful piece of history!
Contact us today to start creating your own piece of history.
Comments