This year's ANA 108th anniversary convention held from August 11-15, 1999, at the Rosemont Convention, Chicago, was a successful week for the American Numismatic Society. The floor of the convention was packed with tables, and the attendance was large. Council members Donald Partrick, Arthur Houghton, Cliff Mishler, Eric Newman, as well as Executive Director Ute Wartenberg and Development Officer Arlene Jacobs attended the convention. One of the major attractions was a morning-long debate between Michael Hodder and T.V. Buttrey on the question of authenticity of a group of Western assay bars. Eric Newman presented a well-attended talk on the theft of large cents from the ANS's collections by Dr. Sheldon in the 1960s, whereas Ute Wartenberg spoke to the Numismatic Bibliomania Society about the plans for the new ANS building at 140 William Street. The new ANA President, Robert Campbell, was sworn in at the ANA banquet which was one of the highlights of the convention. As every year, the Numismatic Literary Guild entertained its members and other guests at an evening dedicated to events from the numismatic world. The ANS was specially honored in a song performed by Executive Director Ed Reiter, which featured ANS members like Eric Newman, Ute Wartenberg, John Ford and Michael Hodder. On the Wednesday of that week, many joined Cliff Mishler to celebrate his 60th birthday. Another memorable event was an evening reception at the home of ANS Fellow, Harlan Berk, at which many ANS members were present. As in previous years, the ANS’s table on the bourse floor attracted many members and visitors. Thanks to the continuous help of many ANS volunteers, the ANS staff was able to help visitors and members with enquiries. Many new members joined thanks to the superb recruiting efforts of the staff and the volunteers. We are very grateful to George Cuhaj, Bob Julien, Richard Lansky, Bob Leonard, Russell J. Logan, Charles Menard, Drew Michyeta, Peter Pallas, Doris Sayles, Wayne Sayles, Warren Schultz, Tom Sheehan, Thurman L. Smith and Bill Warden for their hard work and effort during that week.

Day in the Country at Krause Publications
After a long week on the bourse floor of the ANA convention in Chicago, many numismatists were given the chance to relax in the beautiful surroundings of Iola, Wisconsin. Krause Publications had invited several hundred people to visit their headquarters in Iola. Ute Wartenberg and Arlene Jacobs had accepted the invitation to spend a “Day in the Country.” On August 15 almost 100 people, among them many ANS members, boarded a private train in Chicago. The train ‘Silver Rail’, pulled by a locomotive from the 1960s, consisted of several different cars, among them a Vista Dome observation car and a beautiful dining car. For most of the people on the train it was the first time that they had been in 1940s railway cars, with their original fittings. Staff from Krause Publications, among them Chet Krause, the founder of the company, and KP President Cliff Mishler, made everyone feel at home. Thanks to plenty of food, drink and very enjoyable company, the long train ride to Iola passed very quickly.

The next morning, a tour of Krause Publications offered fascinating insight into this extraordinary business. The group was shown how the publications of KP are produced: the writers, cataloguers, journalists, and editors were present to explain their work, the advertisement department, distribution and sales departments, warehouses and much more were shown to the visitors. In the afternoon, over three-hundred visitors enjoyed various activities that included golf, fishing, or a visit of the collections of vintage vehicles owned by Chet Krause and Krause Publications. After these two days everyone was most grateful to Krause Publications, and especially Chet Krause and Cliff Mishler, for two very special days.