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 Replies: 25 / Views: 951 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6108 Posts |
My PCGS registry set of Lincoln Cents, the Tropicalbats Collection, is currently listed for sale at David Lawrence Rare Coins. This is the big set including all business, proof and variety coins. The total set is 585 coins. The Tropicalbats collection is right around 97.5% complete, listed as the current #5 best and #8 all time. It is being sold over two Thursday nights as Red Carpet auctions by David Lawrence. The first auction is coming up soon on April 16 and has all the wheat cents. The second auction is a week later on April 23 and it is everything from 1959 and up. There are a couple other varieties at the end that aren't Lincoln cents. Wheat cents: https://davidlawrence.com/auctions/?auctions=294Moderns: https://davidlawrence.com/auctions/?auctions=296The background on this whole thing is a short story worth telling. In mid-2024 I was looking over my variety collection and realized I had at least some example of most of the Lincoln Cent varieties, and a number of them were nice enough to be top pop. It seemed if I just graded them all at PCGS, all I would need to pick up would be the straight coins and I would have a nice registry. How hard could that be? The hope was to reach the top 10 among the current sets. I set a deadline for building the set for the end of December 2025, so I had about a year and a half. On schedule, the set was pretty much complete as far as I was going to take it by January 1, 2026. At that time it was solidly in 5th place among current sets at 97.5% complete which is where it is at now during the sale. I will retire it the night of the first sale. But I had another goal, not just to put together the set. Ever since I graduated from Penn State some 30 years ago I have wanted to create a scholarship for students in the Wildlife and Fisheries Science program. I benefited from such a scholarship as a student and that memory has never left me. Of course no one in wildlife gets rich, so it was a pipe dream that I would be able to fund such a thing. So a big part of the registry set creation was to build a collection that could be sold off with the proceeds going to endow a scholarship. I did the math and it worked. At this point, the paperwork is all complete and signed with Penn State to endow the scholarship and we are just waiting for the coins to sell so I can write them a check. I am totally thrilled to be able to do this. I've never really had any big money, so giving it all away when I do get it doesn't bother me. Over the last year I have been selling a pile of coins on ebay and Great Collections to fund the buying of the missing coins, and it has paid off. With luck, the check ceremony will be around the end of May. Although I am still doing some work with bats in the field, and still collecting Lincoln cents, this is my way of capping off both of my major pursuits with one swoop. |
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
9862 Posts |
"Dipping" is not considered cleaning...
-from PCGS website
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1227 Posts |
What an amazing gesture on your part T B . When I look around the world and see all the hate and greed it sometimes gets you a little down and then someone comes along and do a great gesture it gives me a small ray of hope. Well done T B . And thanks for your kindness to some unknown person yet to receive your gesture.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5238 Posts |
What a wonderful story. You are a good man and I am blessed to know you.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8724 Posts |
Good luck with the auctions and a fantastic and wonderful thing to do with the proceeds.  -makecents-
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
9149 Posts |
Congrats on your endeavor and good luck on the auction.
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Moderator
 United States
94672 Posts |
wow TB - that is a great thing that you are doing here! Good luck on the auctions.  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
6108 Posts |
Thanks all! It is of course a bit of a nervous time with the auctions coming up and no way to know whether it will be a really good night or not. All auctions were started at $1 mirroring my ebay auctions that start at 99 cents. I do believe the buyers should determine the price so the coins go for what they go for. The scholarship is designed to live on forever, as only the interest on the endowment gets dispersed. So in theory this donation will help students for many, many years to come. Looking forward to getting through the auctions and taking that final meeting to write the check. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7505 Posts |
Quote:
So in theory this donation will help students for many, many years to come I whole heartedly agree, it is a game changer ,it is a LIFE CHANGER. My son caddied for a Golf Club in town for few years and with hard work and ambition earned the Four year EVANS Scholarship, for him and us was a game changer, he got his degree from Miami University of Ohio and now at the age of 28 holds a position at a financial institution that allows him to give back by contributing to the scholarship fund and help changing someone elses life.I admire your endowment. Edited by Chase007
04/07/2026 1:46 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6108 Posts |
Thanks Chase. Happy to hear of your son's success! Everyone with kids who want to attend college understands just how expensive the whole deal is. Just getting accepted is a challenge but paying for it can be the real problem. In wildlife there just really aren't very many high-paid jobs, so not so easy to find alumni who can afford to donate much. I fall into that category as could never have done much of anything even with my career ending as a senior biologist for a consulting firm. I can honestly say that not a single coin was bought with money from my job. It all came from buying, selling, trading and cherrypicking coins. I started years ago by just buying a bag of 5,000 circulated wheat cents, finding some things inside to collect and sell, and then reselling the bag. Made about $50. Just kept doing that until I could move into more expensive buys including cherrypicking more expensive coins. The entire time I have been keeping the top Lincoln cents in my collection, which ended up as the registry set. I still have a huge collection of mostly RAW coins covering nearly 1/2 of all known varieties, and continue to add to that all the time. But with this sale all my top majors are going away to other homes, and I am totally fine with that now.
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Moderator
United States
54280 Posts |
@tropicalbats:
"We are..."
Show your financial support of the Coin Community Family (click here)See my topic on Mexican Numismatic Medals (click here) |
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Moderator
United States
15386 Posts |
This is an amazing endowment you are creating TB, and I join the others in saluting your generosity.
Your decision to 'pay it forward' to future generations of Wildlife and Fishery Science students is a very thoughtful act of kindness.
I'm proud to know you at the CCF.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3634 Posts |
Beautiful set and a wonderful gesture to endow a scholarship. Best of luck with the auction!
Member of SPMC, FCCB, ANA and ANS. My U.S. Classic Commemorative Complete Set: https://www.NGCcoin.com/registry/co...sets/278741/My U.S. Fractional Note Set: https://notes.www.collectors-societ...eSetID=34188 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6108 Posts |
Thanks so much! It's now just a week out before the first round of stuff goes so trying to stay relaxed.
And N.S.S. if you're ever back in town look me up as I moved back after living all over the world for 20 years. Happy Valley is super nice.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1227 Posts |
Through my years have been to many big 10 football stadiums and will say that penn states is easily the most beautiful. Nestled in the mountains. Worth seeing.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5765 Posts |
Congratulations on the set & reaching #5.
It is beautiful and your generosity for setting up the endowment is going to help a lot of young folks. Kudos to you.
So many great varieties. With a 97+ percent of 585 coins in the set, that leaves some slots unfulfilled.
I'm curious which of the missing ones do you regret, the most, not finding?
Words of encouragement are one of the major food groups.
We need to consume them regularly to thrive and grow.
Edited by Petespockets55
04/11/2026 11:10 pm
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Replies: 25 / Views: 951 |
Posted 04/07/2026 04:46 am
