Free Coin Show at Trinity Lutheran

Growing up, one of the most favorite games to play was finding a treasure chest full of coins. Digging through dirt with a wooden sword, hoping to score that perfect coin.

Saturday, November 7th you don’t have to dig any further. The Oak Forest Numismatic Society Coin and Collectible Show will be held on from 9am until 2pm at the Trinity Lutheran School Gymnasium, 6850 W 159th Street in Tinley Park.

Admission is free.

“ Coin collecting is a great hobby,’ said Bill Birk, President of the Oak Forest Numismatic Society. “ Collecting coins has allowed me to learn more about history as I research items I have acquired,” he added.

“ I recently purchased an interesting silver dollar minted in 1883 at the Carson City mint,” Birk explained. “This coin was minted from metal mined from the famed Comstock Lode. I remember an episode from the popular TV show Bonanza where Henry Comstock staked his claim on Mount Davidson, then discovered the mother lode. This bonanza in silver and gold led boom towns like Virginia City and Carson City to quickly grow. A branch mint was built in Carson City to convert the metal into silver coins useful for commerce,”added Birk.

The Oak Forest Numismatic Society was founded in 1977. Birk has served as president of the Oak Forest Numismatic Society since 2009.

“ The object of this organization is to encourage and promote the great hobby of coin collecting through education, Birk said. “Our monthly meetings assist amateur collectors and provide a place to buy, sell, and trade numismatic materials. We celebrated our 38th anniversary in October by holding our 456th consecutive monthly meeting,” he added.

“A wide range of items will be offered for sale,” Birk said. “From ancient to modern US and foreign coins and currency. A wide range of US coins from the popular Lincoln cent to large silver dollars will be in abundant supply as well as interesting and unusual coins such as half cents, silver half dimes, twenty cent pieces and other obsolete coins will be displayed,” added Birk.

A prominent sports card collector will be offering a wide range of Chicago sports memorabilia items and sports cards of popular players from Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Anthony Rizzo, and Jonathan Toews.

If you can’t make the show, you can still join the club.

The Oak Forest Numismatic Society meets the first Friday of the month at the Oak Forest Community Center, 15501 S Kilpatrick, Oak Forest IL. Anyone interested in learning more about the club can email darandwilliam@att.net.