The First ANA Convention

This week thousands of attendees will descend on Oklahoma City, where a numismatic cornucopia awaits, replete with social gatherings, formal presentations, auction lot viewing, and a several-hundred dealer bourse. The first ANA convention, held October 7-8, 1891, at the Commercial Hotel in Chicago, was a considerably calmer affair.

Coverage of the event in the Numismatist was sparse. The October 1891 Numismatist reminded readers to send in their voting proxy cards and noted that the editor would be encamped at the Commercial Hotel in Chicago (Lake & Dearborn Streets) between October 1 and 7. The November issue contained no related news, as the editor indicated the issue went to press on September 30. There was no December issue that year, and the January 1892 issue mentions the convention only in passing.

Another periodical, Plain Talk, contained a bit more information. At the time, the ANA did not have its own official publication; this came later. In any case, Plain Talk reported 31 attendees, representing over half the membership at the time. The convention was completely focused on organizational matters, with the ANA constitution and by-laws formally adopted. Plain Talk makes no mention of commercial activity, except to say that board member J. A. Heckelman "showed his patent exchange trays," possibly a reference to a coin holder.

Link to The Numismatist on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/550647

Link to Plain Talk on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/543571