As the Central States Numismatic Society preps for it’s 76th annual convention in Schaumburg, Illinois, Coin World  will take you through the ins-and-outs of all things CSNS. The show will include a full slate of activities for dealers, collectors, and numismatists alike. We will break down each event over a series of posts that will cover everything you need to know. 

This year’s installment will be held April 22 to 25 at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg, Ill. The busy schedule includes a suite of auctions by Heritage, educational presentations and hundreds of dealers. 

About the 300-booth bourse floor, show General Chairman Kevin Foley wrote in the CSNS quarterly publication The Centinal, “One thing that we strive for is to have a mix of dealers in our convention bourse so that our attendees can find items available for sale for less than a monthly mortgage payment, or in many instances the price of a pretty spiffy new car or a home that might be the envy of what President Theodore Roosevelt referred to as ‘malefactors of great wealth.’ ”

Foley added that CSNS works hard to make sure that its annual show is relevant, despite challenges. He notes, “Not the least of these challenges is the growth of Internet-based transactions as well as long-term wage stagnation in the traditional middle-class base of the numismatic collector market.”

Civil War Forum

April 24 also sees the CSNS Civil War Educational Forum, which starts at 10 a.m. as the always-popular Dennis Boggs inhabits the character of President Abraham Lincoln and presents “Meet Mr. Lincoln.” 

At 11:30 a.m., Robert I. Girardi follows with a presentation titled “Illinois in the Civil War — The Civil War After the Civil War: Emancipation and the Long Road to Freedom.” 

At 1 p.m. Ted Karamanski will speak on Chicago in the Civil War, followed by Battlefield Balladeers performing musical compositions of the Civil War period. 

The Civil War forum closes with Lawrence Schuffman’s presentation of “Confederate Commerce Raiders and the Post War Geneva Awards.”

The Civil War Forum continues April 25, starting at 10 a.m. with Daniel Weinberg’s discussion of “Current Lincoln Literature” followed by Robert I. Girardi’s presentation, “The Murder of General ‘Bull’ Nelson.” At 1 p.m. Boggs will return with a presentation titled “1865 — Peace at last.”

Keep reading our CSNS preview:

CSNS prepares for 76th annual Schaumburg Convention, April 22 to 25

Heritage Auctions offers stellar opportunities for collectors

Traditions will continue to reign supreme at CSNS convention