This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. His quirky hobby turned out to be a brilliant reminder of how much little things matter. That led to a huge collection, stored in 15 five-gallon, plastic water jugs, adding up to about half a million pennies, which ultimately converted to $5,136.14. We value his business, as we do all of our customers, she said. It was a problem that left him devastated. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. This 73-Year-Old Man Has Collected Pennies For 45 Years And Now He's Cashing Out For 45 years, Otha Anders saved his pennies. But now, he was about to find out. Guess how many pennies were in his 15 5-gallon jugs. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". He walked into the bank, rolling a dolly behind him. Little did he know, just how many gifts he was going to receive. At the end of the labor intensive counting, the bank informed Otha he had saved a total of $5,136.14 all those 45 years! But his wife couldnt help but question one habit that he had had for the last 45 years. Even over 45 years, its hard to acquire a collection of over 500,000 pennies without a little help. One man, Otha Anders, is one of the rare exceptions in this regard because he's picked up every penny that he has ever come across for the last 45 years! Man Cashes In 500,000 Pennies Collected Over 45 Years. Anders saved up an incredible $5,136.14 through collecting pennies for 45 years.For anyone whos trying to work it out, thats $114.14 a year, Anders was able to collect by picking up dirty old pennies left forgotten on the side of a street. Man cashes in pennies he's been saving for 45 years. Otha Anders of Louisiana had spent the past 45 years picking up pennies he found in the streets and putting these inside his giant piggy banks made of water jugs. Anders says he plans to use the cash to help pay a dental bill. Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. "I became convinced that. While he only deposited them when he found. But Edmond Knowles did. All of the kids love him and he was happy to look after them. Anders saved up an incredible $5,136.14 through collecting pennies for 45 years. Thats why they had so much value to me., If his homeowners insurance policy hadnt stopped covering the pennies, Anders says there wouldve been no turning back. October 28, 2015 at 10:29 pm EDT. Your health is important to us. Man saves coins for 45 years, cashes in over $5,000 in pennies. An error in the coin made it extremely valuable, and its value could only keep growing over time. Author: Frededreia Willis. Otha Anders started collecting pennies because he became "convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an . For Anders, the process of collecting the coins meant more than the money he would make. "Jack saved nickels as I saved pennies and every nickel that passed through my hands I would save for him," he said. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". When he finally took his collection over to the bank, tellers were staggered by the amount he had saved. He says he finally cashed in because his insurance policy won't cover the collection, according to the News-Star. Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. "I would never spend a penny,"he said. After 45 years of saving the coins and storing them in five-gallon jugs, he wheeled his collection in on a dolly to see how much he had. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/FactsVerse Image Credits :Like this content? They were much heavier than youd think, and not to mention, there were fifteen of them! He had no idea, but clearly, this would result in a fortune. Employees gathered to see the first five-gallon container being counted. The pennies were then poured into the coin machine with small plastic buckets. It takes four quarters, 10 dimes, 50 nickels, or 100 pennies to equal a dollar. "But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.". Asian-American Affairs Reporter, HuffPost. Any penny he receives as change or anything he finds in his walks, he puts inside the 5-gallon water jugs. And as he got older his connection to god only felt stronger for it. Then, one day, he decided to turn in the loose change. Published: 10/28/2015 8:46:47 AM. Anders said he started collecting the coins in the late-1960s. After 45 years of saving, Anders was able to put the money to good use and spend it on a dental bill that had just been issued to him. "I have not spent a penny in 40-plus years. And with hundreds of thousands of coins, perhaps one had a valuable error. Scientists Have Linked Selfies To Narcissism, Addiction And Mental Illness, Essential Oils And Brain Injuries: Heres What You Are Not Being Told, Rare Monkeypox Virus Has Started Reappearing, Heres What You Need To Know, Heart Surgeon Speaks Out About The True Cause Of Heart Disease, Kind FedEx Driver Shovels Snow Off Womans Porch When He Learns Her Husband Died, Man Builds A Tiny Blue House At Narrow Alley As Revenge To Stop Neighbors From Using It, I Dont Want To Live Anymore And I Want To Die. Read This First. The extra bonus of income came just in time for him to pay a medical bill. When the manager walked out to see who was causing all the ruckus, his face lit up at the sight of Anders. Otha Anders of Ruston, Louisiana, cashed in a quite a collection of pennies at his local bank earlier this week. A lot of us dont really mind the coins in our pocket, especially the ones with the smallest values but there are those who have proven that even the smallest coins can bring in a lot of cash; although youve got to spend decades to collect a lot to actually give you that much money! Anders and his friends hauled in the containers one by one. -- A Louisiana man recently cashed in hundreds of thousands of saved pennies, rollingthem to the bank on a dolly after collecting them for more than four decades.According to the Louisiana News Star, Otha Anders, 73, started collecting pennies 45 years ago when he spotted one on the ground. Otha Anders turned in a 45-year collection of pennies on Tuesday in 15 five-gallon water jugs. But why? That is a lot of pennies. He never knew just how much money he would make. I would guesstimate about half a million pennies?. But now, he was about to find out. They remind him to stay thankful, he says. Anders collected pennies for 45 years until he had filled up . Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? "Anders will inform us on where he wants the cashed-in money to be placed," she said. The final count: 513,614 pennies, which comes to a little over $5,136, Fox 14 reports. By Laurie Hanna. How many were in there? And as he got older his connection to god only felt stronger for it. Anders collected pennies, not as a sign of greed but as a symbol of faith that he was being looked after by the man upstairs, the universe, the penny gods, or whatever you might believe in! "After collecting the copper for decades, Anders deposited his haul on Tuesday to pay for some recent dental work. Updated: 8:46 AM EDT October 28, 2015 . If I hadnt turned them in yesterday, I was not going to stop.. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. It seems like Anders' steady patience and consistent well-wishing has paid off for him. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. This means that on an average day, he had collected around 31 pennies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. He approached the questionable expression behind the desk and asked them to cash his pennies in. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Otha Anders started more than 45 years ago when he found a penny on the ground and decided to save it. I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.. But when they finally did, the actual amount Anders had saved all these years was incredible!When the manager walked out to see who was causing all the ruckus, his face lit up at the sight of Anders. An error in the coin made it extremely valuable, and its value could only keep growing over time. Which side of value did they fall under? A Louisiana man who collected pennies for more than 45 years has now cashed in 513,614 of them. See a penny pick it up and if you're like this guy who did that for 45 years you could eventually be walking away with a nice chunk of change.literally. This is a staggering number! The News-Star reports that employees at Ruston . But that's not all. Anders got in touch with the bank about a week ago to let them know he was bringing in a large amount of pennies, but senior vice president Ryan Kilpatrick told ABC News that nothing really prepares you for seeing fifteen 5-gallon jugs of copper rolled into your bank. It must have been fun watching the water jugs get filled with so much pennies because Otha decided to continue doing it for the years to come. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. And they werent the only establishment to do so. He was a man on a mission, and when his students at school found out about his strange fascination, they wanted to help.Theyd often come to his class with a handful of pennies to give to him but Anders had principles. But what was he going to do with his saved money? We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. The 73-year-old's homeowner's insurance didn't cover his collection, he told ABC News, that although he long ago surpassed his goal of filling five 5-gallon water jugs with coins, he found himself unable to stop collecting. I never failed to do that. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Many people save spare change to cash in during rough financial times. Photo credit: United News International / YouTube. Legal Statement. He had no idea yet, but that effort resulted in a fortune, and it was all for him. But what was he going to do with his saved money? When he finally took his collection over to the bank, tellers were staggered by the amount he had saved. After all, the magic of life is preserved in the ordinary, everyday things, and it is up to us to find it. Anders continued to collect his pennies for 45 years until he successfully filled fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs. "If I was at someone's house and I found a penny, I would pick it up and I would keep it," he said. What if you collected pennies as a hobby? Change for the better: Man cashes in 45-year penny collection worth $5,000. Uh-oh, overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50% off. It took the bank over 5 hours to count the money and thats through a machine! However, Anders always made sure that every penny that came his way from others was compensated properly. Total Savings. I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.. October 29, 2015 By Coin Update 13 Comments. Im not sure exactly, Anders said. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. But once his penny pile began to grow, he became more and more obsessed.So compelling was his idea that penny's represented a god-given gift that he ultimately decided to stop spending pennies himself. When he finally took his collection over to the bank, tellers were staggered by the amount he had saved. It was actually his religion that started the penny collecting. . Anders sat next to the machine watching his collection go down the counter and the bank workers come in to the change the coin bag every 20 minutes, since the coin machine bags need to be changed after every $50. Thats what happened to the owner of a 1943-S Lincoln Wheat penny. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.". He was so serious about his rather unique hobby that he ended up collecting 55 large water jugs filled with pennies. Back in 2015, he had to finally cash them in because his homeowner's insurance policy no longer covered his pennies, and he needed some extra cash. "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful," said Anders. The Louisiana teacher loved looking at his massive collection so much that in the 70s, when the U.S. government began to offer a $25 bonus for every $100 worth of pennies turned in, he wasnt even a little tempted to take the extra cash. You know you see pennies all over. It was actually his religion that started the penny collecting. The total came out to a whopping $5,136. As it was, the $5,136 worth of pennies took five hours for Origin Bank in Ruston, Louisiana, to count and process. Although Anders collection contains mostly modern pennies, its crazy to think that if he held onto those coins long enough, theyd soon bring him a fortune as big as a million dollars! That amount was deposited into his account Tuesday to go toward a recent dental bill. However, thats not true for all coins. than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground. Thats especially true when it comes to coins - but - only certain kinds of coins. It escalated from there. "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped. The 73-year-old had a family of his own. Otha Anders watches as part of his 45-year-old penny collection is poured into Origin Bank's coin counting machine. All of us have random coins lying around thatdon't amount to much and cannot always be used to pay for something when we are out shopping. into his account to go toward a recent dental bill. Could you have the discipline to collect coins for almost 50 years? He would have continued to keep them and collect more if it wasnt for one problem that he encountered when he renewed his home affairs. The trolley wheels squeaked as he walked into the bank. Otha Anders had been collecting pennies for more than 4 decades and had always put his faith in them as he was a religious man. He looked at lost old pennies on the floor as his very own personal gift from God. "We value his business, as we do all of our customers," she said. Cool, isnt it? Which side of value did they fall under? "I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated," he said. You know you see pennies all over. "There have been days where I failed to pray and more often than not, a lost or dropped penny would show up to remind me.". Believe me, if I had it my way, Id keep these pennies forever. The plastic jugs were hacked open by an ax and hammer. Otha Anders cashed in his giant penny collection. Once the first penny was saved, there was no stopping Anders from growing his collection to become the record-breaker that it was in 2015. By this time, he had acquired over 15 5-gallon water jugs full of pennies, which were over half a million pennies in total! It may inspire them to start a collection of their own. "I would never spend a penny," he said. "I would never spend a penny," Anders said. If I would see a penny when Im gassing up, on the ground, or in a store, it would be a reminder to stop right there and say a prayer, he said. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The bank employees looked at Anders rolling his containers in on dollys and stared at him in utter confusion. It was by far the most exciting thing that had happened at the bank in a while! If I was at someones house and I found a penny, I would pick it up and I would keep it, he said. It has long been said that time is the most valuable commodity. He started collecting pennies in the early 1970s. Anders didnt know that after he picked up his first penny, more would keep appearing through his love. And with hundreds of thousands of coins, perhaps one had a valuable error. Who would have thought a penny a day could someday bring you $5k! So, he paid them for pennies? There were simply too many to count so Anders could only guess that his collection contained hundreds of thousands of pennies but really, he had no idea. . Anders also added that his friend,Jack "Domino Kid" Brown, played a significant part in his penny collection. La. In all, Anders had collected enough pennies to earn him over $5,000! I would never spend a penny, he told the News-Star. But Anders says that he would never accept a penny from anyone, even his family, without giving them something in return. Employees gathered to see the first five-gallon container being counted. We value his business, as we do all of our customers, Cole said. Anders saved up an incredible $5,136.14 through collecting pennies for 45 years. Studies have shown that gratitude is a sure-fire way to a path of greater happiness in life. It would go towards his recent dental bill, he told theNews Star. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Its unclear how much his collection weighed, but using the U.S. Mints estimate of 2.5 grams a coin, it might have been around 2,800 pounds. Anders wasa supervisor for in-school suspended children for the Jackson School Board in Louisiana, and when his students found out about his habit of collecting pennies, they would save up their money to sell to him. It was a reminder to me to always be thankful," he added. It was by far the most exciting thing that had happened at the bank in a while!The plastic jugs were hacked open by an ax and hammer. "But I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated,"he told the news outlet. After that first coin, Anders said his penny pile began to grow and he ultimately stopped spending pennies and always made sure whenever he made a purchase, his change contained at least three to four pennies. But after collecting the one cent pieces for 45 years, you could have amassed a . It reportedly took five hours for machines to count all the change. News-Star. He had always been a religious man and his faith had grown stronger as the years passed.His faith was how his penny obsession all started. Although Anders' collection contains mostly modern pennies, its crazy to think that if he held onto those coins long enough, theyd soon bring him a fortune as big as a million dollars! I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful, there have been days where I failed to pray and more often than not, a lost or dropped penny would show up to remind me. Anders said. The bank manager was rather surprised to see this old man carting in the water jugs filled with money. 'Dream big', 'never give up'; Sen. Murray's advice to young girls in the U.S. 'Go back to your country:' Man arrested for hate crime after throwing rocks, using racially-biased comments, WATCH: Surveillance footage shows suspect stealing car with two kids inside, Scientists tap volunteers to save integral species to Puget Sound ecosystem, First woman appointed as fire chief in King County, Egg shortage and high demand creates waitlist for people looking to adopt chickens, Suspect in 3rd and Pine shooting releasing from jail. Market data provided by Factset. The coin reminded him to pray and give thanks. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny. Otha Anders has collected over half a million pennies during the last 45 years. But one Louisiana man gathered more than 500,000 pennies over the course of 45 years. Shop sales in every category.Uh-oh, overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50% off. Anders and his friends hauled in the containers one by one. How would they be able to count all these pennies?