The expanded Central States Numismatic Society Convention, scheduled for April 27 to 29 in the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center, west of Chicago, will include an exhibit of 1796 coins of the United States that are together valued at $15 million.

The convention will be the largest CSNS show staged since the society’s founding in 1939, according to organizers.

The assemblage of coins to be put on display — loaned from the collections of three separate numismatists — is being hosted by GreatCollections President Ian Russell.

“1796 is one of the most important years in U.S. numismatics,” Russell notes. “It was the first year of production for every authorized denomination specified in the Mint Act of 1792. At the request of GreatCollections, three collectors of early American rarities are loaning superb-quality items from their collections to form this one-of-a-kind display at the Central States convention,” said Russell.

The “Rarities from 1796” display showcases more than a dozen 1796 coins, from half cents to $10 eagles.

The display will include:
➤ 1796 Liberty Cap, With Pole half cent, Professional Coin Grading Service Mint State 66+ red and brown, stickered by Certified Acceptance Corp. (finest CAC known).
➤ 1796 Liberty Cap cent, PCGS MS-66+ red and brown, CAC verified (finest known).
➤ 1796 Draped Bust, Small Eagle quarter dollar, PCGS MS-66, CAC verified (second finest verified by CAC).
➤ 1796 Draped Bust, Small Eagle half dollar, PCGS Specimen 65 (finest of two known examples).
➤ 1796 Capped Bust, No Stars $2.50 quarter eagle, PCGS MS-63+, CAC verified (second finest verified by CAC).
➤ 1796 Capped Bust, With Stars $2.50 quarter eagle, PCGS MS-65, verified by CAC (finest known).

GreatCollections will also display another historic early American coin, a 1795 Capped Bust, Small Eagle, 9 Leaves $10 eagle, previously in the Pogue and Simpson collections, graded PCGS MS-63+, CAC verified, and alone valued at more than $3 million.

Expanded floor space

The CSNS convention will boast more than 600 dealers, and offer extensive educational seminars organized by the Newman Numismatic Portal (nnp.wustl.edu).

The CSNS show will now span two floors of the convention center.

According to CSNS convention manager Larry Shepherd, in addition to adding 100 tables to the regular bourse floor space, an entirely new area called Collector’s Coin Shop on the second floor will be devoted specifically to lower-priced items for beginning collectors and young dealers. A main floor bourse space will be devoted to merchants who are only doing wholesale dealer-to-dealer business, Shepherd said.

Shepherd emphasized that new security and safety measures will be in place in the convention center and adjoining hotel.

The Newman Numismatic Portal, located at Washington University in St. Louis and funded by the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society, will present its 2023 Spring Symposium at the convention with the sessions also on live streaming.

Among the speakers will be the chairman of the Citizens Coin Advisory Committee Dr. Lawrence Brown, Heritage Auctions resident Greg Rohan, and award-winning numismatic author Roger W. Burdette.

PCGS will offer on-site grading and have Meet The Expert sessions with PCGS director of numismatic education and grading team leader Steve Feltner from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, April 27 and 28.

At the PCGS booth (#103), visitors can see a Set Registry Showdown, with two of the top sets of classic U.S. commemorative coins, the J&L and Escalante collections.

The Professional Numismatists Guild will host its 2023 PNG Day at the convention site on Wednesday, April 26.

Public hours for the CSNS convention are Thursday, April 27, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, April 28, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, April 29, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, April 30, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (with fewer dealers on-site).

Admission for a day costs $15; a four-day pass costs $25. Admission is free for anyone 17 and younger and also free for PCGS Collectors Club and Set Registry members.

The Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center is located at 1551 N. Thoreau Drive in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Parking for convention visitors and hotel guests is free. That hotel is now completely booked for the convention, but CSNS has arranged for additional rooms and shuttle service at nearby hotels.

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