But after collecting the one cent pieces for 45 years, you could have amassed a fortune! He started collecting pennies in the early 1970s. 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 cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Copyright 2012-2023 Social Sweethearts GmbH. Which side of value did they fall under? "If I was at someones house and I found a penny, I would pick it up and I would keep it,"he said. You know you see pennies all over. . 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. Otha Anders, 73, does. Although Anders didnt have time on his side, he did have volume. It would go towards his recent dental bill, he told theNews Star. When he finally took his collection over to the bank, tellers were staggered by the amount he had saved. But one Louisiana man gathered more than 500,000 pennies over the course of 45 years. The bank employees looked at Anders rolling his containers in on dollys and stared at him in utter confusion. Their worth is even less still if the government issuing the coins no longer exists.But what about Anders coins? The News-Star reports that employees at Ruston . Guess how many pennies were in his 15 5-gallon jugs. This is a staggering number! I would never spend a penny, he said. But what about Anders coins? Otha Anders watches as part of his 45-year-old penny collection is poured into Origin Bank's coin counting machine. 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 had put all the pennies he found into water jugs. Here was a man who certainly lived by the adage "See a penny, pick it up. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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! 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. Anders had no idea how much money his collection would amount to. Believe me, if I had it my way, Id keep these pennies forever.The woman gave Anders a long look before calling her manager. 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. However, with the help of friends and family,Anders made it to the bank with his tremendous collection. As it turns out, he knew Anders quite well Anders was a longtime, loyal customer who never gave them any problems so immediately knew the manager wanted to help him. Studies have shown that gratitude is a sure-fire way to a path of greater happiness in life. How would they be able to count all these pennies? I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful, Anders said. Thats what happened to the owner of a 1943-S Lincoln Wheat penny. Tell us your tales of coin collections if you have any,and don't forget to show this story to your friends as well! All Rights Reserved. But as he speculated, he remembered reading about a coin collection that resulted in a fortune for the owner. 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 ! 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. 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. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Benjamin Franklin once said a penny saved is a penny earned, but he probably didn't think of saving over a million of them. When he finally took his collection over to the bank, tellers were staggered by the amount he had saved. 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. La. Published: 10/28/2015 8:46:47 AM. Anders was able to put his money to good use and spend it on a dental bill that had just been issued to him.It was a happy coincidence that he found himself with more money just as an expensive bill landed in his lap. By this time, he had acquired over 15 5-gallon water jugs full of pennies, which were over half a million pennies in total! Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. He says he finally cashed in because his insurance policy won't cover the collection, according to the News-Star. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. How would they be able to count all these pennies? So, he paid them for pennies? The hobby turned into an obsession that would consume a lot more of his free time than what his wife like. And with hundreds of thousands of coins, perhaps one had a valuable error. Even though one particular hobby of his raised a few eyebrows. We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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. -- 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. He probably would have kept his obsession up if he hadnt figured out some when he had to renew his home affairs. Its shocking, for sure, he said. It was a reminder to me to always be thankful," he added. It all just started that one day when he found a penny in the street; he went on to collect more. Anders collected pennies for 45 years until he had filled up . 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. "I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated," he said. You have to find 100 of them to get a dollar it is a lot of work. 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. He always made sure that his change had pennies in it. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.". I would guesstimate about half a million pennies?. While he may not be able to amass another collection so large, we are sure that the happiness that comes from the act of collecting the coins will only continue to multiply. Seventy Five Gallons Otha Anders of Ruston, Louisiana, cashed in a quite a collection of pennies at his local bank earlier this week. RUSTON, La. However, Anders always made sure that every penny that came his way from others was compensated properly. 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! It was actually his religion that started the penny collecting. 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. The two men could only redeem their preferred coins with an exchange; Anders got a penny for a nickel and vice versa. The plastic jugs had to be opened with an ax and hammer, and the bank was not prepared for such a large collection even though Anders had called a week prior to inform them that he would be coming with a colossal amount of pennies. He walked into the bank, rolling a dolly behind him. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny". 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. It squeaked and squawked as the wheels turned in pursuit. Specifically, coins made of precious metals like gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and even copper fluctuate in value over time but generally become more valuable. But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.. 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. "Our exchange became competitive by each trying to outdo the other and consequently our collections; his nickels, my pennies began to multiply," he added. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Man saves coins for 45 years, cashes in over $5,000 in pennies. Pennies are small both in size and worth, but as a popular Indiansaying goes, "Drops of water collected eventually become a flowing stream." Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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. 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 I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated," he said. Otha Anders started collecting pennies because he became "convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an . Author: Frededreia Willis. For 45 years, up until Tuesday, he was the proud owner of a collection containing over half a million of them. But now, he was about to find out. He took . What began as something fun turned into a full-blown obsession and an all-consuming hobby. It took the bank over 5 hours to count the money and thats through a machine! Market data provided by Factset. For over 45 years, Anders had been collecting pennies, storing them in 5-gallon water jugs. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. I wanted the inner satisfaction that God and I acquired this collection.. But after collecting the one cent pieces for 45 years, you could have amassed a . Where many people think of wishing on a penny, Otha Anders thinks of praying on a penny! (Fox 14). Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/FactsVerse Image Credits :Like this content? Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. Subscribe here:https://www.youtube.com/factsverse?sub_confirmation=1. 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Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. Otha Anders saved his first penny more than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground. "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful," said Anders. He explained, I wanted the inner satisfaction that God and I acquired this collection., If I was at someones house and I found a penny, I would pick it up and I would keep it, 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. Cole said the bank will then send the pennies off to the FDIC, and the bank will receive their credit for them. All eyes were on the man pulling the trolley behind him. His quirky hobby turned out to be a brilliant reminder of how much little things matter. For Anders, the process of collecting the coins meant more than the money he would make. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. 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. . Not many people think too much of a penny it is just one cent. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. "I have not spent a penny in 40-plus years. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny. 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! While he only deposited them when he found. "I would break a dollar before I would spend a penny," he said. However, since his homeowners insurance policy didnt cover the extensive collection, he finally decided to cash in. 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. He plans to put the money toward a recent dental bill, but he says he hasnt lost the joy that comes with collecting coins. "He did likewise with pennies for me." By Christie. He watched over in-school suspended children and absolutely loved his job. Every penny he had, he kept. 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. Most of us eventually find a way to incorporate our nickels and quarters into our shopping sprees but pennies? 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. The plastic jugs were hacked open by an ax and hammer. Otha Anders cashed in his giant penny collection. 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. But his wife couldnt help but question one habit that he had had for the last 45 years. I never failed to do that. How To Determine And Measure Your Ring Size Accurately, Teen Charged With Major Drug Trafficking Has Been Let Off. Anders said he started collecting the coins in the late-1960s. Anders said he has truly enjoyed looking at his penny collection to the extent that in the 1970s, when the U.S. government offered a $25 bonus for every $100 worth of pennies turned in, he refused to cash in his collection. 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. Man cashes in pennies he's been saving for 45 years. But that's not all. How long has Otha Anders been saving his pennies? 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. "But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.". 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! The process of counting took so much time because the coin bag had to be changed every 20 minutes after it would reach$50. "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.". 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. Anders saved up an incredible $5,136.14 through collecting pennies for 45 years. "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped. And you think we have the time to count half a million pennies for you? she laughed. And they werent the only establishment to do so. But when they finally did, the amount Anders had saved all these years was incredible! The counting and processing of the coins took a total of about five hours, according to the News-Star. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. He looked at lost old pennies on the floor as his very own personal gift from God. RUSTON, La. 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. 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. "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.". He watched suspended kids and loved his job. 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 and his friends hauled in the containers one by one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orav4IyjgtE. "I would never spend a penny," he told the Star. He was so serious about his rather unique hobby that he ended up collecting 55 large water jugs filled with pennies. News-Star. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. "He did likewise with pennies for me.". "We value his business, as we do all of our customers," 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. And after acquiring over a half million of these coins, he finally cashed them in on Tuesday at Origin Bank. Total Savings. "But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.". How would they be able to count all these pennies? "Whenever I would see a penny, I would always say a prayer of thanks. Recently, he needed some money and thought that he did have some money stashed in his house; although he wasnt sure how much he actually had. Anders, 73-years-old at the time, said that it quickly became an incentive to pray and give thanks very often. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. In total, then, Anders had collected 513,614 pennies in 45 years, or 16,425 days. How many?, the woman asked. But why? NEW YORK DAILY . He approached the questionable expression behind the desk and asked them to cash his pennies in. But when they finally did, the actual amount Anders had saved all these years was incredible! The coin reminded him to pray and give thanks. 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. It has long been said that time is the most valuable commodity. You know you see pennies all over. But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.. They remind him to stay thankful, he says. It took at least 5 hours to process his pennies through a coin-counting machine until the sum was revealed. Legal Statement. His quirky hobby turned out to be a brilliant reminder of how much little things matter. It has long been said that time is the most valuable commodity. 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. Photo credit: United News International / YouTube. While he was working as a supervisor for in-school suspended children for the Jackson School Board, students found out about Anders quirk and began to save pennies to sell to him. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Specifically, coins made of precious metals like gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and even copper fluctuate in value over time but generally become more valuable. Share away, people! than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground. He cashed in the coins to the Ruston Origin Bank, in Ruston, La. Anders saved up an incredible $5,136.14 through collecting pennies for 45 years. 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. "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. Photo credit: United News International / YouTube. Had to renew his home affairs their credit for them a coin-counting machine until sum. Consent to record the user consent for the owner of a collection containing over half a of! Of collecting the coins in the containers one by one lost or dropped was. In pursuit where many people think too much of a 1943-S Lincoln Wheat penny. `` links this. About a coin collection that resulted in a fortune for the website to give you the most relevant by... Incorporate our nickels and quarters into our shopping sprees but pennies? this page collection... Behind him the street ; he went on to collect more Anders his. 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