BOSTON'S WORLD'S FAIR OF MONEY

IN AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, IT MIGHT BE TOUGH TO GET YOUR HEAD AROUND THIS: RARE SHEETS OF $100,000 BILLS, FABULOUS GOLD TREASURES DATING BACK TO THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH ERA, RARE COINS INCLUDING THOSE TIED TO THE FIRST STIRRINGS FOR AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SECURITIES WORTH MORE THAN A BILLION DOLLARS. THAT'S THE BACKDROP OF THE COUNTRY'S PREMIER MONEY SHOW, THE WORLD'S FAIR OF MONEY, WHICH HAS BROUGHT ABOUT 1,000 COIN DEALERS AND HUNDREDS OF COLLECTORS TO BOSTON, SEEKING TO TAP INTO THE SURPRISING RESILIENCE OF THE COIN INDUSTRY. HELD IN A SPRAWLING HALL MONITORED BY ARMED UNIFORMED AND UNDERCOVER POLICE OFFICERS, FEDERAL AGENTS, PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTORS, ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT AND VIGILANT PARTICIPANTS, THE FAIR FEATURES SELDOM-SEN GOLD TREASURES BROUGHT FROM THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION'S VAULTS INCLUDING AMERICA'S FIRST $20 GOLD COIN, VALUED BY INDEPENDENT EXPERTS AT $15 MILLION TODAY, AND ITS LAST $20 COIN. IT ALSO INCLUDES SHEETS OF AMERICA'S LARGEST DENOMINATION CURRENCY, THE $100,000 BILL, WHICH IS SAID TO BE WORTH $1.6 MILLION TODAY. THE GOLD CERTIFICATE NOTE, WHICH BEARS PRESIDENT WOODROW WILSON'S PORTRAIT, WAS USED ONLY FOR OFFICIAL TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN FEDERAL RESERVE BANKS. IT WAS NOT CIRCULATED AMONG THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND CANNOT BE LEGALLY HELD BY CURRENCY NOTE COLLECTORS. THE SHOW, WHICH ENDS, SATURDAY, INCLUDES A COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF US PAPER MONEY THAT HAS NEVER BEFORE BEEN EXHIBITED. IT HAS COINS FROM THE MEXICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE AND MEXICAN REVOLUTION THAT ARE BEING SEEN OUTSIDE OF MEXICO FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1970. THERE ARE ALSO RARE COINS WORTH SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS. THE SS CENTRAL AMERICAN, WHICH SANK IN A 1857 HURRICANE OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA WITH MORE THE 400 PASSENGERS AND 30,000 POUNDS OF GOLD FROM THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, MADE ITS INAUGURAL APPEARANCE IN BOSTON. THE EXHIBIT FEATURES MORE THAN $10 MILLION IN GOLD TREASURES RECOVERED FROM THE SHIP, ALSO KNOWN AS THE SHIP OF GOLD. OTHER HISTORIC ITEMS INCLUDE ONE OF A FEW KNOWN SURVIVING COPIES OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE PRINTED IN BOSTON CIRCA 17.JULY.1776, AND SILVER SPOONS CRAFTED BY PAUL REVERE.