The ANA's 2011 Anniversary convention will be held in suburban Chicago on August 16-20, Tuesday through Saturday -- next to O'Hare airport, at the same venue as in 1991 and 1999. The ANA has some information already on their web site, including hotel information.

The Exhibits Area will be one of the highlights of the annual convention. Although there is a separate class for numismatic literature, there were no entries in 2009 at Los Angeles, and an equal number of entries in 2010 at Boston! (Okay, an NBS member did enter a VERY nice exhibit on colonials at Boston, and the side trip to the Massachusetts Historical Society was appreciated ...) The Exhibits Local Committee is looking for new, lapsed, and returning exhibitors. Send all questions to us atANA2011Exhibits@ChicagoCoinClub.org.

The key ingredient for an exhibit is information. Think of your favorite area in numismatics. You have acquired some interesting pieces, a few stories, and have an idea of how it all goes together. All the makings of an interesting exhibit! The URL for the main ANA exhibiting page is www.money.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NumismaticEvents/ConventionExhibits/.

Direct links to useful pages at ANA can be found on the page of the Local Exhibits Committeewww.chicagocoinclub.org/events/2011/ana/lo/collector_gallery.html.and that page will be updated as more information becomes available.Exhibiting does take a commitment of time -- the exhibits must be in place by the early Tuesday afternoon opening of the convention, and the exhibits cannot be removed until very late on Saturday afternoon (when the convention closes). It is possible to use an agent for setup or takedown, but that option has been little used during the last few years. If you cannot stay all week, but do live not too far away, maybe you could make two trips -- on PNG-day (or that evening, after work) for setup, and on Saturday for the takedown.

Do not despair if you have a great idea for an exhibit but will visit for only a day or two -- have you considered speaking at the Numismatic Theatre? Each program typically starts on the hour and lasts about 30-40 minutes, and is followed with a time for questions from the audience. Send your questions to the Numismatic Theatre Local Committee atANA2011Theatre@ChicagoCoinClub.org.