His quirky hobby turned out to be a brilliant reminder of how much little things matter. Their eyes popped as they took in the sight of the sheer amount of pennies. I wanted the inner satisfaction that God and I acquired this collection.. . But why? He probably would have kept his obsession up if he hadnt figured out some when he had to renew his home affairs. Employees gathered to see the first five-gallon container being counted. Studies have shown that gratitude is a sure-fire way to a path of greater happiness in life. It all just started that one day when he found a penny in the street; he went on to collect more. 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. Employees gathered to see the first five-gallon container being counted. In all, Anders had collected enough pennies to earn him over $5,000! Otha Anders cashed in his giant penny collection. But after collecting the one cent pieces for 45 years, you could have amassed a . It eventually became so much of a hobby that he would deliberately avoid ever spending pennies. He couldnt believe it. That is a lot of pennies. It escalated from there. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Anders kept his pennies in five-gallon plastic jugs. It does not store any personal data. Thats especially true when it comes to coins but only certain kinds of coins. And they werent the only establishment to do so. But as he speculated, he remembered reading about a coin collection that resulted in a fortune for the owner. He told USA Today, "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "I became convinced that. 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. He also always made sure that whenever he made a purchase with cash, his change contained at least three to four pennies. Fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs and half a million pennies later, Anders on Tuesday deposited $5,136.14 into his account to go toward a recent dental bill. Over a few years, a random collection of coins can amount to a fancy night out or give you the exact amount to buya beautiful outfit. An error in the coin made it extremely valuable, and its value could only keep growing over time. 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.. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.". We may earn a commission from links on this page. A Maryland Dumping Site Was Actually A Black Cemetery. Wow. We could only imagine how many weeks they would have spent on Othas collection if there was no machine to help them count. Anders new home insurance didnt cover his penny collection, so he reluctantly decided it was time to visit the bank and cash in his most prized possession. He was reluctant to give his years of work away, but Anders also said that he has not lost the joy that comes from collecting coins. "Whenever I would see a penny, I would always say a prayer of thanks. All of his friends and family got so used to him behaving this way around pennys that they didn't even see it as odd anymore. How long has Otha Anders been saving his pennies? But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.. A Louisiana man finally decided to cash in hundreds of thousands of pennies that hed been saving for more than half his life, raking in more than $5,000 total, the News-Star reports. Could you have the discipline to collect coins for almost 50 years? Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Most of us eventually find a way to incorporate our nickels and quarters into our shopping sprees but pennies? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. 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. 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. And with hundreds of thousands of coins, perhaps one had a valuable error. Otha Anders turned in a 45-year collection of pennies on Tuesday in 15 five-gallon water jugs. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Anders continued to collect his pennies for 45 years until he successfully filled fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs. 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! Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. He took . Copyright 2021 Obsev.com All Rights Reserved, Man Who Saved Pennies For 45 Years Cashes Out. Anders worried they would turn him away. Though he reached out to the bank to notify them about the pennies, the bank's senior vice president Ryan Kilpatrick told the outlet he was shocked at the actual number. Thats especially true when it comes to coins - but - only certain kinds of coins. Disclaimer: All content is provided for fun and entertainment purposes only. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Many people save spare change to cash in during rough financial times. It'll go toward a recent dental bill, the Ruston Daily Leader reported. 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. 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. He cashed in the coins to the Ruston Origin Bank, in Ruston, La. All Rights Reserved. The half million pennies Anders collected amounted to $5,136.14 in cash.The bank where Anders cashed in his change told the Star they were more than happy to help the longtime customer, though it took more than 5 hours for a machine to count through the change.Anders maintains he will continue to collect pennies, but likely turn them in at the bank more often since his collection is not covered under his homeowner's insurance. Otha Anders cashed in his giant penny collection. Cool, isnt it? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. "But I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated,"he told the news outlet. "I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated," he said. But as he speculated, he remembered reading about a coin collection that resulted in a fortune for the owner. Here was a man who certainly lived by the adage "See a penny, pick it up. "Jack saved nickels as I saved pennies and every nickel that passed through my hands I would save for him," he said. Since Anders could have collected a small fortune, he made it a point to have his collection covered under his house insurance, but when he renewed it, they turned him away. How many were in there? How many?, the woman asked. You have to find 100 of them to get a dollar - it is a lot of work. The 73-year-old had a family of his own. How would they be able to count all these pennies? Anders sheepishly laughed with her before pleading to her again. The plastic jugs were hacked open by an ax and hammer. Then, one day, he decided to turn in the loose change. This is a staggering number! 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. But what was he going to do with his saved money? For over 45 years, Anders had been collecting pennies, storing them in 5-gallon water jugs. 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! The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. How would they be able to count all these pennies? 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. Anders said he would be truly remiss if he did not acknowledge his friend, Jack 'Domino Kid' Brown, for helping him with his penny collection. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The coin reminded him to pray and give thanks. Five of Anders' closest friends and family helped him and bank employees load the coins from the back of a pickup truck into the company's coin room. The trolley wheels squeaked as he walked into the bank. The man who collected coins for 45 years took it to the bank with a truck and counted how much money he managed to collect during this time. They were much heavier than youd think, and not to mention, there were fifteen of them! How To Determine And Measure Your Ring Size Accurately, Teen Charged With Major Drug Trafficking Has Been Let Off. It was actually his religion that started the penny collecting. If I was at someones house and I found a penny, I would pick it up and I would keep it, he said. It wasn't easy to transport these jugs to the bank, especially as the total weight was more than 2,800 pounds. But now, since Anders homeowner's insurance policy does not cover his collection, he has reluctantly turned them in to Origin Bank. 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. 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! It took at least 5 hours to process his pennies through a coin-counting machine until the sum was revealed. Little did he know, just how many gifts he was going to receive. However, Anders always made sure that every penny that came his way from others was compensated properly. RUSTON, La. I will always tell the person that if it was a quarter, I would give it back, but since it is a penny, Im keeping it., Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude. Which side of value did they fall under? But collecting pennies was more than a hobby for Anders. Total Savings. Author: Frededreia Willis. Anders didnt know that after he picked up his first penny, more would keep appearing through his love. Bank Vice President Jennie Cole said it was not a typical day at the bank when Anders had his collection of pennies rolled in on a dolly, but Anders is a longtime customer who they wanted to help. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". I would guesstimate about 400-500,000 pennies?. "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.". "But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.". I would say hes done a lot of collecting over the years., Vice President Jennie Cole also said that Anders was a long-time customer whom they wanted to help. Photo credit: United News International / YouTube. "Our exchange became competitive by each trying to outdo the other and consequently our collections; his nickels, my pennies began to multiply," he added. He had no idea yet, but that effort resulted in a fortune, and it was all for him. Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated. And that he did, he paid them for the pennies they gave him. Every penny he had, he kept. If I hadnt turned them in yesterday, I was not going to stop.. The bank employees looked at Anders rolling his containers in on dollys and stared at him in utter confusion. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. "I wanted the inner satisfaction that God and I acquired this collection.". The bank employees looked at Anders rolling his containers in on dollys and stared at him in utter confusion. Ruston resident Otha Anders started saving his first penny more than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground. 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. He plans to put the money toward a recent dental bill, but he says he hasnt lost the joy that comes with collecting coins. Even over 45 years, its hard to acquire a collection of over 500,000 pennies without a little help. -- 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. They were much heavier than youd think, and not to mention, there were fifteen of them! Breanna Edwards. In the 1970s, when the government was offeringa $25 bonus for every $100 worth of pennies turned in, he still refused to cash in his collection, as per USA Today. How many are there?, she asked. Have you ever felt bogged down by the change in your wallet that feels like extra weight that you'll never get rid of? Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "I will always tell the person that if it was a quarter, I would give it back, but since it is a penny, I'm keeping it. However, with the help of friends and family,Anders made it to the bank with his tremendous collection. So, he paid them for pennies? It took five hours to count the pennies; the plastic jugs were hacked open and then the coins were poured into the coin machine bit by bit. The same with coins that hold an error. His quirky hobby turned out to be a brilliant reminder of how much little things matter. Who would have thought a penny a day could someday bring you $5k! After over 5 hours of counting and processing pennies in a machine at the bank, Anders had a total of$5,136.14 worth of pennies. The same with coins that hold an error. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The extra bonus of income came just in time for him to pay a medical bill. Since Anders could have collected a small fortune, he made it a point to have his collection covered under his house insurance, but when he renewed it, they turned him away. With the help of friends and family, Anders had been collecting pennies was more than 45 years, had... Least 15 minutes a prayer of thanks collection of over 500,000 pennies without compensated... Earn him over $ 5,000 they werent the only establishment to do so... Reminder of how much little things matter mention, there were fifteen them... To store the user consent for the owner Major Drug Trafficking has been Let.! Would they be able to count all these pennies until the sum was revealed up. Change to cash in during rough financial times have spent on Othas collection if there no... 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