Hudson River Maritime Museum Challenge Coins
Maintaining the heritage of the Hudson River maritime industry
The best way to prepare for the future is to study the past. History should be honored and displayed for future generations to experience. The Hudson River Maritime Museum is one such place that does just that. It is devoted to the history of shipping and boating on the Hudson.
Preserving River History
Located in Kingston, New York, the museum was founded in 1980 by local Hudson River enthusiasts who wanted to preserve the river’s working history. To achieve that, the museum includes exhibits of small crafts, artifacts of steamships, a research library, and much more. The museum’s collection includes more than a million artifacts of life and commerce on the river in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The museum, two hours north of New York City, welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each year. It features exhibits, on-the-water experiences, and hands-on classes that show how the river’s heritage affects the present.
The museum is also home to the Kingston High School crew team, the Rondout Rowing Club, and the Kingston Sailing Club.
Tucked along Kingston’s historic Rondout waterfront, the Hudson River Maritime Museum contains an entire region’s story inside its brick walls. If you want to understand how the Hudson River shaped New York’s people, industry, and environment, the museum is surprisingly comprehensive.
The museum’s mission is to collect, preserve, research, and share the maritime heritage of the Hudson River and its tributaries. From tugboats and steamboats to brickyards, ice harvesting, and lighthouses, the museum covers it all.
Custom Coins for the Museum
We had the honor of working with the Hudson River Maritime Museum, to create custom challenge coins representing the history and heritage of the extensive collection. We designed two remarkable challenge coins, each with a distinctive appeal.
Classic Coin Design and the Mary Powell
The first is a standard round coin, simple, understated, and clean. The silver coin includes the Hudson River Maritime Museum logo of the steamship, the Mary Powell, in blue. The museum's name encircles the emblem in a bold but crisp font. The coin is an excellent example of something uncomplicated and understated. Its contrasting colors make all the details of the image stand out, and the font is big enough to catch your attention.
The Mary Powell
The Mary Powell was a day steamer licensed to carry 1,500 to 1,800 passengers. From 1861 to 1917, the boat ran to New York City and back every day except Sunday from mid-May to mid-September. Thanks to a perfect record for service, speed, and safety, the Mary Powell earned the title “Queen of the Hudson.”
Custom Shape for the Mathilda
The second coin takes on a much different look. The coin was created in the shape of the 1898 steam tugboat Mathilda, which is displayed in the yard next to the museum.
The Mathilda, built in Canada, worked mostly in the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes before being brought to New York City in 1959. Ten years later, the powerful tug was retired from service and berthed at the South Street Seaport.
In 1976, the Mathilda sank at the pier. It was later raised by crane, and owner McAllister Towing donated it to the Hudson River Maritime Museum. There, the Mathilda has been cosmetically restored and is the museum’s largest exhibit.
On the coin, the details of the tug are clean, including its color scheme. The black and red image is contrasted by a blue background, while the silver base of the coin makes the text pop. The coin provides the museum's name and location, creating something attractive and memorable. This particular coin is an extraordinary model of a custom-shaped coin. It’s engaging, memorable, and connects to the museum.
More Than Just Static Exhibits
The museum goes far beyond just walk-through exhibits. It also offers skills classes. These include:
Riverport Wooden Boat School
The museum’s Wooden Boat School is designed to commemorate and keep traditional boatbuilding skills alive. Visitors can enroll in classes on woodworking, boat restoration, and maritime crafts. Youth boatbuilding programs give teenagers experience in hands-on craftsmanship and teamwork,
Sailing & Rowing School
On the water, the Sailing and Rowing School teaches everyone from children to adults how to sail, row, and handle small craft safely and confidently. The school is home to the Kingston Sailing Club and local crew teams.
The Value of Well-Designed Coins
A well-designed coin tells a story, and provides information. Both of these coins represent the Hudson River Maritime Museum perfectly. The colors, fonts, and imagery blend flawlessly and give information about what the coin represents. These coins represent the area's history and heritage, and serve as a great marketing tool for the museum.
Celebrating the Museum
We’re truly honored to have been chosen to produce these two outstanding coins to represent the Hudson River Maritime Museum. We take pride in presenting great coin designs such as these. With more than 20 years’ experience, we have produced coins of equal quality for thousands of customers worldwide, including every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Our talented artists and design staff will help you create your own first-rate challenge coins. We will work with you every step of the way from design through production and even shipping, to ensure your coins are exactly the way you want them.
Ready to find out more? Email us, or call toll free (855) 272-8451 and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have about how you can order custom coins that are perfect for your team, company, crew or events. Already have a design chosen? Great! Fill out our no-obligation free quote form and we’ll send you a free digital proof of your design. We offer free revisions, so you can revise your coins before production begins until they look exactly the way you want.
When it comes to top quality challenge coins, you can depend on ChallengeCoins4Less.com. If you want custom coins to promote your business, nonprofit, school or other group, give us a call. We look forward to serving all your custom coin needs.
