For Anders, the process of collecting the coins meant more than the money he would make. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Seventy Five Gallons By Christie. 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. It squeaked and squawked as the wheels turned in pursuit. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Even over 45 years, its hard to acquire a collection of over 500,000 pennies without a little help. 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. Copyright 2012-2023 Social Sweethearts GmbH. Otha Anders turned in a 45-year collection of pennies on Tuesday in 15 five-gallon water jugs. In total, then, Anders had collected 513,614 pennies in 45 years, or 16,425 days. But that's not all. He watched suspended kids and loved his job. This soon became an obsession until he started saving his own pennies for his hobby. (Fox 14). It all just started that one day when he found a penny in the street; he went on to collect more. Legal Statement. Otha Anders cashed in his giant penny collection. 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 what was he going to do with his saved money? The two men could only redeem their preferred coins with an exchange; Anders got a penny for a nickel and vice versa. They seem somewhat worthless, save for the moments when we find pennies on the ground that promise us a day filled with luck. 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. Im not sure exactly, Anders said. So, he paid them for pennies? He cashed in the coins to the Ruston Origin Bank, in Ruston, La. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". His quirky hobby turned out to be a brilliant reminder of how much little things matter. 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! 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. Believe me, if I had it my way, Id keep these pennies forever. 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. The final amount was certainly not small. 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. Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. Change for the better: Man cashes in 45-year penny collection worth $5,000. But why? The coin reminded him to pray and give thanks. This small event set the path for over four decades of Anders looking out for pennies, be it whatever he may have found on the ground or collecting all the pennies after a trip to the grocers. Author: Frededreia Willis. He started collecting pennies in the early 1970s. 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. What began as something fun turned into a full-blown obsession and an all-consuming hobby. After all, the magic of life is preserved in the ordinary, everyday things, and it is up to us to find it. AREVIK 25.12.2022 1.1k. Anders worried they would turn him away. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. But the amount he eventually managed to collect was staggering. Anders had no idea how much money his collection would amount to. Total Savings. Anders worried they would turn him away. It seems like Anders' steady patience and consistent well-wishing has paid off for him. Pennies are small both in size and worth, but as a popular Indiansaying goes, "Drops of water collected eventually become a flowing stream." It'll go toward a recent dental bill, the Ruston Daily Leader reported. Shop sales in every category.Uh-oh, overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50% off. "But I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated," he said. Thats what happened to the owner of a 1943-S Lincoln Wheat penny. "But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.". than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground. When the manager walked out to see who was causing all the ruckus, his face lit up at the sight of Anders. It was a reminder to me to always be thankful," he added. All of the kids love him and he was happy to look after them. It wasn't easy to transport these jugs to the bank, especially as the total weight was more than 2,800 pounds. Anders saved up an incredible $5,136.14 through collecting pennies for 45 years. 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. Their eyes popped as they took in the sight of the sheer amount of pennies. 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. That was the goal, but I couldnt stop. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. That is a lot of pennies. 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. An error in the coin made it extremely valuable, and its value could only keep growing over time. But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.. 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. "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful," said Anders. 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. Thats especially true when it comes to coins but only certain kinds of coins. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Anders, 73-years-old at the time, said that it quickly became an incentive to pray and give thanks very often. Part of HuffPost News. How many were in there? And as he got older his connection to god only felt stronger for it. -- 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. However, Anders always made sure that every penny that came his way from others was compensated properly. How would they be able to count all these pennies? Anders and his friends hauled in the containers one by one. Believe me, if I had it my way, Id keep these pennies forever.The woman gave Anders a long look before calling her manager. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.". His quirky hobby turned out to be a brilliant reminder of how much little things matter. Otha Ander was a supervisor on the Jackson School Board and was passionate about his job. While that might not really be much if you count the years, it was already a huge sum considering he was just collecting pennies. . He couldnt believe it. 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 News Star reports that thehabit was first ignited when he found a penny lying on the ground. "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped. The counting and processing of the coins took a total of about five hours, according to the News-Star. It took at least 5 hours to process his pennies through a coin-counting machine until the sum was revealed. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, "He did likewise with pennies for me." 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. It has long been said that time is the most valuable commodity. A Maryland Dumping Site Was Actually A Black Cemetery. 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. 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. into his account to go toward a recent dental bill. 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. Wow. 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. "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.". Are you asamazed by this beautiful story as we were? Even opening the jugs wasn't a simple task -- they were hacked open with an axe. 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. Copyright 2021 Obsev.com All Rights Reserved, Man Who Saved Pennies For 45 Years Cashes Out. 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. By this time, he had acquired over 15 5-gallon water jugs full of pennies, which were over half a million pennies in total! 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! He plans to put the money toward a recent dental bill, but he says he hasnt lost the joy that comes with collecting coins. 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. He approached the questionable expression behind the desk and asked them to cash his pennies in. Anders kept his pennies in five-gallon plastic jugs. We could only imagine how many weeks they would have spent on Othas collection if there was no machine to help them count. When he finally took his collection over to the bank, tellers were staggered by the amount he had saved. 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. 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. How many?, the woman asked. It was by far the most exciting thing that had happened at the bank in a while! What if you collected pennies as a hobby? Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. Anders' coin collecting habit started when he found a penny on the street decades ago. 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. 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. Youtube / Kray K News. To him, it was a small and simple quirky habit but over time, it didn't look so small anymore. 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. 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. 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