All eyes will be on Chicago as the 15th annual Chicago Paper Money Exposition, sponsored by Bank Note Reporter, takes over the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare hotel in Rosemont, Ill., March 5-8. A bourse of nearly 80 booths and a packed schedule of events will greet showgoers.
CPMX kicks off on Wednesday, March 4, with the first round of lot viewing for the Lyn Knight Currency auction at noon in O’Hare Ballroom 4. Viewing will run until 6 p.m. and reopens on the Thursday, March 5, at 9 a.m., continuing until 9 p.m.
At 10 a.m., Thursday, the bourse opens to booth holders, and at 2 p.m. Professional Preview participants will gain access for a $50 registration fee.
Friday morning will feature a closed meeting of the Professional Currency Dealers Association’s board of governors at 8 a.m., followed at 9 a.m. by the opening of the bourse to booth holders.
The bourse opens to the general public at 10 a.m. and remains open until 6 p.m. Auction lot view runs from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., with the first session of the auction starting at 6 p.m. in O’Hare Ballroom 4.
From 11 a.m. until noon, Bank Note Reporter editor Robert R. Van Ryzin will be at Krause Publications booth as part of a “Meet the Expert” program. He will be followed by George S. Cuhaj, editor of the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, from 1 to 2 p.m.
On Saturday, March 7, the bourse opens to booth holders at 9 a.m. and to the public at 10 a.m., running until 6 p.m.
This year marks the first-ever, invitation-only exhibit area, headed up by Tom Casper, a past president of the Milwaukee Numismatic Society. At 1 p.m. there will be a meeting of the Chicago Coin Club, with a presentation by Casper and Fred Schwan, after which they will lead attendees into the exhibit area to see Casper’s awarding-winning exhibit, “U.S. Government Bonds.” Schwan co-authored World War II Remembered and he wrote Military Payment Certificates.
At 3 p.m. the International Bank Note Society meets. At that meeting, Neil Shafer will speak on Philippine guerilla and emergency currency from World War II. After the presentation, Shafer will lead attendees on a private viewing of his display on the topic. Shafer is the author of Philippine Emergency and Guerrilla Currency of World War II.
Krause Publications Numismatics Publisher Scott Tappa said that though the exhibit space is small, it will be high quality and “we think that this interactive approach with the exhibitors and show attendees will make for a pretty good educational experience.”
Auction lot viewing will run from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. that day, with the second session of the Knight auction beginning at 6 p.m. in O’Hare Ballroom 4.
On Sunday, March 8, the bourse opens to booth holders at 9 a.m. and to the public at 10 p.m. The bourse will close at 2 p.m.
Successful auction bidders will be able to pick up their lots from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. in O’Hare Ballroom 4.
“While this is an especially challenging time for our economy and price levels are clearly down from what might have prevailed generally at the 2008 CPMX, transactions are taking place at the lower levels that have prevailed recently, as astute buyers are using recent declines as an opportunity to acquire items that remain every bit as desirable as in the recent past, but are now available at prices they find more comfortable,” convention chairman Kevin Foley said. “If hotel reservations at our event site, the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare, are any indication, some buyers who were priced out of the market are returning to the collecting world, as the hotel surpassed its final 2008 booking levels a full two months in advance of our 2009 event.”
To reserve a hotel room, contact the Crowne Plaza O’Hare, 5440 N. River Road, Rosemont IL 60018 by calling 847-671-6350. A special room rate of $112 can be obtained by mentioning rate code “KF1,” providing rooms remain available.
Admission to the show during the Friday and Saturday public hours is $5 for a two-day pass. Children 16 and under are admitted free. Admission is free to all on Sunday.
For additional information, contact Kevin Foley, CPMX Bourse Chairman, Heartland International Trade Shows, 700 E. State St., Iola WI 54990; telephone 414 421-3484; e-mail kfoley2@wi.rr.com; or visit www.banknotereporter.com.
