RUSTON, La. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/FactsVerse Image Credits :Like this content? 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. Youtube / Kray K News. He took it as a sign to pray and give thanks. 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. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Here was a man who certainly lived by the adage "See a penny, pick it up. Thats what happened to the owner of a 1943-S Lincoln Wheat penny. Believe me, if I had it my way, Id keep these pennies forever. It has long been said that time is the most valuable commodity. 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. The same with coins that hold an error. And with hundreds of thousands of coins, perhaps one had a valuable error. I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful, the 73-year-old told the news site. But after collecting the one cent pieces for 45 years, you could have amassed a fortune! It'll go toward a recent dental bill, the Ruston Daily Leader reported. Market data provided by Factset. "I wanted the inner satisfaction that God and I acquired this collection.". It has long been said that time is the most valuable commodity. He always made sure that his change had pennies in it. How many?, the woman asked. After all, the magic of life is preserved in the ordinary, everyday things, and it is up to us to find it. 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. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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. The coin reminded him to pray and give thanks. You have to find 100 of them to get a dollar it is a lot of work. "I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated," he said. -- 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. 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 and his friends hauled in the containers one by one. Otha Anders has collected over half a million pennies during the last 45 years. The News-Star reports that employees at Ruston . 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. "I would never spend a penny," he said. So he decided it was time to cash in. The extra bonus of income came just in time for him to pay a medical bill.It is said that the world works in mysterious ways, and for Otha Anders and the result of his penny collection, that motto is certainly true! I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.. Anders continued to collect his pennies for 45 years until he successfully filled fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs. 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. or redistributed. 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. Bank Vice President Jennie Cole told reporters that it was not a typical day at the bank when Anders rolled in with his collection of pennies on a dolly. Little did he know, just how many gifts he was going to receive. Their eyes popped as they took in the sight of the sheer amount of pennies. That was the goal, but I couldnt stop. Then he took his jugs to a bank in Ruston, Louisiana to cash them in. He took . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. But after collecting the one cent pieces for 45 years, you could have amassed a . Im not sure exactly, Anders said. Not many people think too much of a penny it is just one cent. To get the pennies to the Ruston Origina Bank in Ruston, LA, Anders needed help.He ended up getting a couple of his friends to help move the five-gallon jugs full of pennies into his truck and then into the bank. This is a staggering number! Anders said he started collecting the coins in the late-1960s. 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. It is said that the world works in mysterious ways, and for Otha Anders and the result of his penny collection, that motto is certainly true ! He never knew just how much money he would make. Otha Ander was a supervisor on the Jackson School Board and was passionate about his job. An error in the coin made it extremely valuable, and its value could only keep growing over time. 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. And as he got older his connection to god only felt stronger for it. Copyright 2021 Obsev.com All Rights Reserved, Man Who Saved Pennies For 45 Years Finally Cashes Out. 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. 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. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.". He said Brown could only redeem his nickels with pennies and he could redeem his pennies only with nickels. However, Anders always made sure that every penny that came his way from others was compensated properly. Photo credit: United News International / YouTube. For anyone who's trying to work it out, that's $114.14 a year, Anders was able to collect by picking up dirty old pennies left forgotten on the side of a street. The News Star reports that thehabit was first ignited when he found a penny lying on the ground. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". This means that on an average day, he had collected around 31 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. Senior vice president of the Origin Bank in Ruston, Louisiana, Ryan Kilpatrick said that they were not prepared for such a huge amount to come rolling through their bank. How would they be able to count all these pennies? Guess Who Her Dad Is. "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped. As it was, the $5,136 worth of pennies took five hours for Origin Bank in Ruston, Louisiana, to count and process. Disclaimer: All content is provided for fun and entertainment purposes only. Otha Anders saved his first penny more than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground. Even over 45 years, its hard to acquire a collection of over 500,000 pennies without a little help. 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. I would guesstimate about half a million pennies?. Cole said a machine counted the coins that saves much time, and Origin Bank's part is to help get the pennies counted, so Anders can get to his destination. "I have not spent a penny in 40-plus years. The process of counting took so much time because the coin bag had to be changed every 20 minutes after it would reach$50. A Louisiana man who collected pennies for almost half a century finally cashed in Tuesday. Employees gathered to see the first five-gallon container being counted. When he finally took his collection over to the bank, tellers were staggered by the amount he had saved. 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. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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. However, with the help of friends and family,Anders made it to the bank with his tremendous collection. "Anders will inform us on where he wants the cashed-in money to be placed," she said. Anders continued to collect his pennies for 45 years until he successfully filled fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs. Coins made of base metals, such as aluminum, have very little worth. Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. This meant that he soon had more pennies than he knew what to do with. The final amount was certainly not small. But the amount he eventually managed to collect was staggering. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Author: Frededreia Willis. Anders also added that his friend,Jack "Domino Kid" Brown, played a significant part in his penny collection. I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.. ", | Special to The (Monroe, La.) 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. Studies have shown that gratitude is a sure-fire way to a path of greater happiness in life. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The machine bags had to be changed for every $50. By. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground. Are you asamazed by this beautiful story as we were? He says he finally cashed in because his insurance policy won't cover the collection, according to the News-Star. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. But now, he was about to find out. Anders didnt know that after he picked up his first penny, more would keep appearing through his love. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Tell us your tales of coin collections if you have any,and don't forget to show this story to your friends as well! Total Savings. That amount was deposited into his account Tuesday to go toward a recent dental bill. 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. If I hadnt turned them in yesterday, I was not going to stop.. 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. 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. That first penny, he told the Star, reminded him that life is a gift from God. 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. The same with coins that hold an error. Thats what happened to the owner of a 1943-S Lincoln Wheat penny. 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. By Christie. It seems like Anders steady patience and consistent well-wishing has paid off for him. But he still had some cash left over which he put towards a family trip and church donations. 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 loved his pennies, they were his prized collection. When he finally took his collection over to the bank, tellers were staggered by the amount he had saved. Man cashes in pennies he's been saving for 45 years. Published: 10/28/2015 8:46:47 AM. He felt that every penny he found was a gift from God, but he had no idea that he would find many more gifts throughout his life. Then all day long, you'll have good luck." And his "luck" came in the shape of a cool five grand. It wasn't easy to transport these jugs to the bank, especially as the total weight was more than 2,800 pounds. Anders sheepishly laughed with her before pleading with her again. He was so serious about his rather unique hobby that he ended up collecting 55 large water jugs filled with pennies. In total, then, Anders had collected 513,614 pennies in 45 years, or 16,425 days. It takes four quarters, 10 dimes, 50 nickels, or 100 pennies to equal a dollar. But why? The manager of Ed's. The bank employees looked at Anders rolling his containers in on dollys and stared at him in utter confusion. Legal Statement. The counting and processing of the coins took a total of about five hours, according to the News-Star. "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. For over 45 years, Anders had been collecting pennies, storing them in 5-gallon water jugs. He had no idea, but clearly, this would result in a fortune. "He did likewise with pennies for me.". The 73-year-old had a family of his own. "If I was at someones house and I found a penny, I would pick it up and I would keep it,"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. The woman stared at him in disbelief. But Anders says that he would never accept a penny from anyone, even his family, without giving them something in return. 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