“Fill the Barge” Challenge Coins with Display Card (Celebration Chicago Exclusive)

These challenge coins were sponsored by Star Wars collectors clubs and organizations from around the country and were given away at Celebration Chicago 2019. If you collected enough of the coins, you could also get one of the cardboard display cards as well. I really love items like this — they represent some of the best parts of Star Wars fandom. They’re made by fans, for fans, and for free (at least originally — I had to pick it up on eBay for a price that was definitely NOT free).

The coins themselves are very nice indeed. They are made of thick, heavy metal with embossed designs and lettering, as well as enamel paint. Each of the coins is based on a vintage Kenner Star Wars figure from Jabba’s Palace, and has the name of the person/organization that sponsored it on the back.

The cardboard display card was a little disappointing in the sense that the cutouts for the coins were just slightly too small — enough that coins wouldn’t actually fit. I ended up taking a pair of pliers and enlarging the cutouts but a fraction of a millimeter, and then they fit as intended.

In addition to the 15 coins from the main set, there were also two special coins made: a Sarlacc coin that was only available to sponsors, and a coin for Lando that read “Infiltrate the Barge” rather than “Fill the Barge.” These were going for pretty hefty prices on the secondary market, so I had to pass on these, but I’m glad I was able to get the main set of 15. After all, it’s pretty unusual for there to be new collectibles themed after vintage Kenner Jabba’s Palace toys.