The people who run coin shows and conventions face unenviable challenges that are increasingly difficult to overcome in a community where the population is aging, the costs of running the event rise every year, and more and more business is conducted online rather than on the bourse floors or auction rooms of traditional shows. Sometimes tough decisions have to be made, though some changes are not welcomed by the people they most affect.

The decision by officials of the Central States Numismatic Society to begin charging exhibitors a $75 application fee per exhibit is a textbook example of a change in policy that, while it may help offset some of the costs of running its annual convention, may also alienate the very people who share their collections with the public, as Paul Gilkes reports in this news article. 

The annual CSNS convention is traditionally held in the Chicago area and offers collectors and dealers a centrally located venue to buy, sell, and discuss coins.

It is a decent, well-respected mid-size show, smaller than the annual shows of the American Numismatic Association and Florida United Numismatists, but still offering a good-sized bourse of dealers and an expansive exhibits area. 

Educational exhibits are an important part of the CSNS convention, which is why exhibitor reaction to the recent decision to charge an application fee will likely be watched closely by other show promoters. Will the decision result in fewer exhibits than at past shows? We will see in April. 

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