When he finally took his collection over to the bank, tellers were staggered by the amount he had saved. You know you see pennies all over. Youtube / Kray K News. Anders was hesitant to finally hand in his collection, which he refused to do back in the 1970s, when the government was offering a $25 bonus for every $100 worth of pennies turned in, the News-Star notes. Anders also added that his friend,Jack "Domino Kid" Brown, played a significant part in his penny collection. Total Savings. Man cashes in pennies he's been saving for 45 years. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Ruston resident Otha Anders started saving his first penny more than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground. The News Star reports that thehabit was first ignited when he found a penny lying on the ground. 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. He was so serious about his rather unique hobby that he ended up collecting 55 large water jugs filled with pennies. into his account to go toward a recent dental bill. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Otha Anders started collecting pennies because he became "convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an . But one Louisiana man gathered more than 500,000 pennies over the course of 45 years. A Louisiana man who collected pennies for almost half a century finally cashed in Tuesday. A few people have the profitable habit of collecting coins over a long period of time and cashing them in for good money at the end. He also started making more and decisions that would give him more pennies. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". For Anders, the process of collecting the coins meant more than the money he would make. They seem somewhat worthless, save for the moments when we find pennies on the ground that promise us a day filled with luck. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. But after collecting the one cent pieces for 45 years, you could have amassed a fortune! Studies have shown that gratitude is a sure-fire way to a path of greater happiness in life. And after acquiring over a half million of these coins, he finally cashed them in on Tuesday at Origin Bank. The trolley wheels squeaked as he walked into the bank. Who would have thought a penny a day could someday bring you $5k! While that might not really be much if you count the years, it was already a huge sum considering he was just collecting pennies. Anders, 73, reportedly supervises in-school suspended children for the Jackson School Board. "I would never spend a penny," he told the Star. 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. But now, he was about to find out. We could only imagine how many weeks they would have spent on Othas collection if there was no machine to help them count. The total came out to a whopping $5,136. As the years passed, Anders continued to collect his pennies until he successfully filled fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs with nothing but pennies. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. And as he got older his connection to god only felt stronger for it. And as he got older his connection to god only felt stronger for it. 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. Anders took his haul to the Ruston Origin Bank. Louisiana man cashes in penny collection to the tune of $5,000. "We value his business, as we do all of our customers," she said. "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. The bank employees looked at Anders rolling his containers in on dollys and stared at him in utter confusion. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny. 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! When he found out that his homeowner's policy no longer covered his pennies, he had no choice but to cash in his collection of over 45 years. Otha Anders saved his first penny more 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. How many are there?, she asked. All rights reserved. "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful," said Anders. That first penny, he told the Star, reminded him that life is a gift from God. The 73-year-old had a family of his own. And after acquiring over a half million of these coins, he finally cashed them in on Tuesday at Origin Bank. You know you see pennies all over. According to the . Any penny he receives as change or anything he finds in his walks, he puts inside the 5-gallon water jugs. 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. Believe me, if I had it my way, Id keep these pennies forever. Thats especially true when it comes to coins - but - only certain kinds of coins. The woman stared at him in disbelief. Their worth is even less still if the government issuing the coins no longer exists.But what about Anders coins? 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 says he finally cashed in because his insurance policy won't cover the collection, according to the News-Star. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. He looked at lost old pennies on the floor as his very own personal gift from God. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.. "We value his business, as we do all of our customers," he said. The final amount was certainly not small. After over four decades of this spectacular collection, we wish Anders the very best for his future penny collections as well! The final count: 513,614 pennies, which comes to a little over $5,136, Fox 14 reports. 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. Published: 10/28/2015 8:46:47 AM. 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. By Laurie Hanna. "Our exchange became competitive by each trying to outdo the other and consequently our collections; his nickels, my pennies began to multiply," he said. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Otha Anders started collecting pennies in the late 1960s. But now, he was about to find out. Asian-American Affairs Reporter, HuffPost. It all just started that one day when he found a penny in the street; he went on to collect more. Guess how many pennies were in his 15 5-gallon jugs. Anders saved up an incredible $5,136.14 through collecting pennies for 45 years. Anders saved up an incredible $5,136.14 through collecting pennies for 45 years. It eventually became so much of a hobby that he would deliberately avoid ever spending pennies. We value his business, as we do all of our customers, Cole said. "He did likewise with pennies for me.". These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. They were much heavier than youd think, and not to mention, there were fifteen of them! As a supervisor for in-school suspended children for the Jackson School Board, Anders said his students learned about his penny fascination and would save them up to sell to him. Soon his collection reached a full fifteen of them! We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Legal Statement. It took the bank over 5 hours to count the money and thats through a machine! However, with the help of friends and family,Anders made it to the bank with his tremendous collection. Market data provided by Factset. 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! Otha Anders from Ruston, Louisiana, knows that by being patient and collecting over a long period of time, pennies can amount to a significant paydaythat is sure to surprise anyone. Believe me, if I had it my way, Id keep these pennies forever.The woman gave Anders a long look before calling her manager. 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. The woman stared at him in shock. 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. "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me always to be thankful," Anders told the Star.From that moment on, Anders picked up every penny he spotted. By. So, he paid them for pennies? But when they finally did, the actual amount Anders had saved all these years was incredible! His quirky hobby turned out to be a brilliant reminder of how much little things matter. I know its a crazy amount but this is a dear collection of mine that I need to cash out. It was actually his religion that started the penny collecting. This man had saved pennies for 45 years and just picked them up from the street. He probably would have kept his obsession up if he hadnt figured out some when he had to renew his home affairs. 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. Change for the better: Man cashes in 45-year penny collection worth $5,000. I would never spend a penny, he said. Employees gathered to see the first five-gallon container being counted. How many?, the woman asked. I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful, Anders said. We value his business, as we do all of our customers, she said. But as he speculated, he remembered reading about a coin collection that resulted in a fortune for the owner. It'll go toward a recent dental bill, the Ruston Daily Leader reported. In the end, Anders was always fair about how he came across his pretty pennies. 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! Anders sheepishly laughed with her before pleading with her again. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.". -- A Louisiana man recently cashed in hundreds of thousands of saved pennies, rolling them to the bank on a dolly after collecting them for more than four decades. But now, since Anders homeowner's insurance policy does not cover his collection, he has reluctantly turned them in to Origin Bank. "I have not spent a penny in 40-plus years. But why? Back in 2015, he had to finally cash them in becausehis homeowners insurance policy no longer covered his pennies, and he needed some extra cash. The coin reminded him to pray and give thanks. He couldnt believe it. 'Dream big', 'never give up'; Sen. 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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. Although Anders didnt have time on his side, he did have volume. But what was he going to do with his saved money? Breanna Edwards. However, since his homeowners insurance policy didnt cover the extensive collection, he finally decided to cash in. 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. Specifically, coins made of precious metals like gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and even copper fluctuate in value over time but generally become more valuable. Having collected pennies since the late 1960s, the 73-year-old from Louisiana finally deposited the savings in his bank to pay for a dental bill. 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orav4IyjgtE. "He did likewise with pennies for me." It was a reminder to me to always be thankful," he added. La. He would just find them and save them. "But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.". 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. Anders said, I would never spend a penny, I would break a dollar before giving up a penny. When the children he looked after figured out how important pennies were to him, they wanted to contribute. But that's not all. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Are you asamazed by this beautiful story as we were? Anders had put all the pennies he found into water jugs. . You have to find 100 of them to get a dollar - it is a lot of work. However, Anders always made sure that every penny that came his way from others was compensated properly. "If I would see a penny when on the ground, in the hallway, on the floor, or anywhere, I would automatically and invariably a prayer of thanks and I'd say, well this is God's way of reminding me that I should always be thankful," he told reporters. Subscribe here:https://www.youtube.com/factsverse?sub_confirmation=1. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Anders continued to collect his pennies for 45 years until he successfully filled fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs. Anders and his friends hauled in the containers one by one. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. It all just started that one day when he found a penny in the street; he went on to collect more. Since then, Anders had been piling up the pennies, refusing to spend them and always making sure that whenever he bought something, his change had three or four pennies in it. As it turns out, he knew Anders quite well, Anders was a longtime, loyal customer who never gave them any problems so immediately knew they wanted to help him. This just goes to show that the special meaning he had created with his pennies served him through his life, andstrengthening his relationship with God through this collection was worth more than the money he'd make. The extra bonus of income came just in time for him to pay a medical bill. Anders and his friends hauled in the containers one by one. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. With the help of friends and family, Otha Anders wheeled in 15 water jugs full of pennies to the bank in Ruston. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. He plans to put the money toward a recent dental bill, but he says he hasnt lost the joy that comes with collecting coins. 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 wasn't even a little tempted to take the extra cash. And they werent the only establishment to do so. If Anders had it his way, he would have kept his collection and continued to pick up pennies for many years to come but life would throw him a curveball. Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. In all, Anders had collected enough pennies to earn him over $5,000! And with hundreds of thousands of coins, perhaps one had a valuable error. Man Cashes In 500,000 Pennies Collected Over 45 Years. I would never spend a penny, he told the News-Star. The counting and processing of the coins took a total of about five hours, according to the News-Star. 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.". This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, But what about Anders coins? If Anders had it his way, he would have kept his collection and continued to pick up pennies for many years to come but life would throw him a curveball. N'T cover the collection, he remembered reading about a coin collection that in! Of income came just in time for him to pay a medical bill incentive me! Gratitude is a lot of work this material may not be published, broadcast rewritten! Could have amassed a fortune hours, according to the use of all the cookies in containers. If the government issuing the coins no longer exists.But what about Anders?! 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