These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. 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. 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. Otha Ander was a supervisor on the Jackson School Board and was passionate about his job. RUSTON, La. 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. Copyright 2012-2023 Social Sweethearts GmbH. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. "But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.". 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 was a problem that left him devastated. Believe me, if I had it my way, Id keep these pennies forever.The woman gave Anders a long look before calling her manager. 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. The manager of Ed's. 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. Shop sales in every category.Uh-oh, overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50% off. into his account to go toward a recent dental bill. 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. Any penny he receives as change or anything he finds in his walks, he puts inside the 5-gallon water jugs. He took . He had no idea yet, but that effort resulted in a fortune, and it was all for 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. Asian-American Affairs Reporter, HuffPost. "I wanted the inner satisfaction that God and I acquired this collection.". -- 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. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Then, one day, he decided to turn in the loose change. It all just started that one day when he found a penny in the street; he went on to collect more. This means that on an average day, he had collected around 31 pennies. Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. Otha Anders cashed in his giant penny collection. That was the goal, but I couldnt stop. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Total Savings. He also always made sure that whenever he made a purchase with cash, his change contained at least three to four pennies. It would go towards his recent dental bill, he told theNews Star. And with hundreds of thousands of coins, perhaps one had a valuable error. 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. Seventy Five Gallons "But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.". 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 woman behind the counter looked at him in disbelief. It does not store any personal data. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. This meant that he soon had more pennies than he knew what to do with. In total, then, Anders had collected 513,614 pennies in 45 years, or 16,425 days. 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. 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.Im not sure exactly, Anders said. Copyright 2021 Obsev.com All Rights Reserved, Man Who Saved Pennies For 45 Years Finally Cashes Out. But what about Anders coins? "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. 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. Otha Anders was a 73-year-old who worked with the Jackson School Board. It wasn't easy to transport these jugs to the bank, especially as the total weight was more than 2,800 pounds. Anders continued to collect his pennies for 45 years until he successfully filled fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs. Guy Who Saved Pennies For 45 Years Just Cashed Out. Legal Statement. A Louisiana man who collected pennies for more than 45 years has now cashed in 513,614 of them. Pennies are small both in size and worth, but as a popular Indiansaying goes, "Drops of water collected eventually become a flowing stream." Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. We value his business, as we do all of our customers, Cole said. They were much heavier than youd think, and not to mention, there were fifteen of them! This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I wanted to fill five five-gallon water jugs. 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 total came out to a whopping $5,136. Its shocking, for sure, he said. Man saves coins for 45 years, cashes in over $5,000 in pennies. For Anders, the process of collecting the coins meant more than the money he would make. 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. 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. 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! But now, he was about to find out. But after collecting the one cent pieces for 45 years, you could have amassed a . The hobby turned into an obsession that would consume a lot more of his free time than what his wife like. 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. Jul 2, 2018. (Fox 14) A Louisiana man who collected pennies for almost half a . It was a reminder to me to always be thankful," he added. Otha Anders started more than 45 years ago when he found a penny on the ground and decided to save it. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Otha Anders saved his first penny more than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground. You know you see pennies all over. Thats especially true when it comes to coins but only certain kinds of coins. "Anders will inform us on where he wants the cashed-in money to be placed," she said. 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 took his haul to the Ruston Origin Bank. "I would never spend a penny," he said. Man Cashes In 500,000 Pennies Collected Over 45 Years. 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. Who would have thought a penny a day could someday bring you $5k! But as he speculated, he remembered reading about a coin collection that resulted in a fortune for the owner. Coins made of base metals, such as aluminum, have very little worth. The woman gave Anders a long look before calling her manager. He explained to the outlet the coins hold meaning for him. Then, one day, he decided to turn in the loose change. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Otha Anders of Ruston, Louisiana, cashed in a quite a collection of pennies at his local bank earlier this week. When the 77 year old man from Louisiana was asked what motivated him, he said that finding a penny on the ground was akin to a sign from God, reminding him that he should always be thankful. Market data provided by Factset. 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. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. 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. 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. In the early 70s, Ota Anders took up an unusual hobby: he began to collect coins in denominations of only 1 penny. 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. And with hundreds of thousands of coins, perhaps one had a valuable error. Soon his collection reached a full fifteen of them! You have to find 100 of them to get a dollar it is a lot of work. The coin reminded him to pray and give thanks. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. They seem somewhat worthless, save for the moments when we find pennies on the ground that promise us a day filled with luck. 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. But what was he going to do with his saved money? 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. That is a lot of pennies. Thats what happened to the owner of a 1943-S Lincoln Wheat penny. 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. Author: Frededreia Willis. 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! Man cashes in pennies he's been saving for 45 years. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. And they werent the only establishment to do so. Anders also added that his friend,Jack "Domino Kid" Brown, played a significant part in his penny collection. The woman stared at him in shock. Anders saved up an incredible $5,136.14 through collecting pennies for 45 years. 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. Their eyes popped as they took in the sight of the sheer amount of pennies. Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. He watched suspended kids and loved his job. But that's not all. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny. Louisiana man cashes in penny collection to the tune of $5,000. 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. He would have continued to keep them and collect more if it wasnt for one problem that he encountered when he renewed his home affairs. To pray and give thanks came out to a whopping $ 5,136 visitors with ads! When it comes to coins but only certain kinds of coins, perhaps one a., then, one day when he found a penny, I never! Our customers, Cole said what happened to the outlet the coins meant than... Overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50 off. 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