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.”

Exhibiting tradition

American Numismatic Association Chief Exhibit Judge Joseph Boling will be presenting an exhibit judges familiarization and certification program on April 22 and 23, where successful participants will become ANA certified exhibit judges. 

On the course, CSNS President Bruce Perdue comments, “I highly recommend Joe’s course for anyone interested in learning how to create a successful exhibit. I took the course at the ANA Summer Seminar in 2008 because I wanted to exhibit and felt the judging course would give me insight into how to exhibit. I can tell you that it did. This year I intend to make time to take the course and become a certified judge. Hopefully, I have learned enough to pass the course. Joe is a great teacher and knows exhibiting inside and out.”

Educational exhibits are a hallmark of the CSNS show, but as Foley notes, it is also an expensive undertaking. He writes, “Our educational exhibit area is a costly undertaking and is the centerpiece of our educational initiatives. It generates direct costs of roughly $50,000 per convention.” The CSNS is seeking sponsorship of various awards, with SilverTowne sponsoring the Best of Show award and Heritage sponsoring three other awards. 

This year will also see new leadership in the CSNS exhibit hall. Fran Lockwood, who served as CSNS exhibit chairperson for 17 years, retired last year, and Jack Huggins, who has served as chief exhibit judge for many years, is stepping in. Foley writes, “He’s well qualified to manage our educational exhibits.” 

Next year’s convention will be April 27 to 30, 2016, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center, 1551 North Thoreau Drive, Schaumburg, IL 60173. 

Keep reading our CSNS preview:

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

Heritage Auctions offers stellar opportunities for collectors

Civil War Forum will be one of many educational presentations at the CSNS show

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