Every year, Colonel Steven Ellsworth of the Butternut Company analyzes security at dozens of coin shows nationwide. He ranked the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo one of “The Best Secured Coin Shows for 2011.”

Ellsworth personally attended 46 shows during 2011, paying particular attention and evaluating the kinds of security provided for both dealers and the public. In addition, he received many reports from coin dealers, collectors, and the media. “We not only took into account the show security itself,” said Ellsworth, “but in addition the awareness and concern of the sponsors as it pertains to security.”

This is the fifth year in a row that the Baltimore Expo has been named to Ellsworth’s list. “Security in Baltimore is continually provided by private security and uniformed Baltimore City Police,” he notes. “Unloading and loading is in a gated section of the convention center and provides better-than-average security for dealers unloading and loading. Registration and nametags are required for all attendees.”

Whitman Expo General Manager David Crenshaw said, “We want everyone to have a wonderful experience at our shows, both dealers and collectors, and we take security very seriously. Our security firm, Postive Protection, Inc., is highly trained and they’re always working to ensure safety, both in public and behind the scenes.” Ellsworth is a retired Army colonel with more than 32 years of service, including in the Special Forces, and specialized training in anti-terrorist, physical, intelligence, and personal protective security. He is also a fulltime coin dealer and a collector and serves on a number of numismatic boards.