Rolling Mill to Strike Souvenir Pine Tree Shillings at Central States Convention
Visitors can see $100 million of historic money and buy and sell rare coins, paper money, and gold and silver bullion with hundreds of professional dealers from the Midwest and across the country at the Central States Numismatic Society (CSNS) convention May 2-4. The annual show will again be held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center, 1551 North Thoreau Drive, in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Ill. “At this year’s convention, you can watch souvenir replica coins struck on a handoperated, century-old rolling mill press,” said Mitch Ernst, Central States president.
Specially crafted pewter replicas of the 1652-dated Pine Tree shilling, one of Colonial America’s most famous rare coins, will be struck during the convention and available for $1 each while supplies last. A limited number also will be struck in .999 fine silver by engraver Joe Paonessa of The Root River Mint in Racine, Wis., with their price based in connection with the spot price of the precious metal. “Using a Samuel Crocker rolling mill that was originally built in the early 1900s and now modified to become a rocker press, I’ll be making 500 replicas in pewter, 100 in silver, and one has been made in .900 gold. The souvenir’s design is similar to the famous 1652 Pine Tree shillings but also with the wording ‘2024 CENTRAL STATES NUMISMATIC SOCIETY’ on the obverse,” explained Paonessa, a member of the Racine Coin Club and a machinist who restored the vintage press and engraved dies for the CSNS souvenir replicas. “Heritage Auctions (www.HA.com) will conduct a public auction in conjunction with the CSNS convention,” said Ernst. There also will be educational seminars and special exhibits, including rare paper money from the Higgens Museum of National Banknotes (www.TheHigginsMuseum.org) as part of the CSNS State Showcase salute to Iowa, one of the 13 states in our organization’s region.”
To honor the 85th anniversary of CSNS, a limited quantity of a special edition of the new 2025 “Red Book,” the annual A Guide Book of United States Coins, will be available for sale at the CSNS table. Editor Jeff C. Garrett will be autographing copies of the book while supplies last at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 3.
Public hours are Thursday and Friday, May 2 and 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday, May 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission at the door is $15 for adults, $30 for a three-day pass, and there is free admission daily for anyone 17 and younger. Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.CSNS.org/convention. Parking at the convention center is free.
More convention information is available on the convention website www. CSNS.org/convention, or by contacting Convention Manager Cindy Wibker by phone at (407) 221-8737 or by email at convention@CSNS.org.