Otha Anders, a 73-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, has been collecting pennies for more than 45 years, ABC News reported. How many?, the woman asked. When the manager walked out to see who was causing all the ruckus, his face lit up at the sight of Anders. 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. It has long been said that time is the most valuable commodity. The total came out to a whopping $5,136. 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. The extra bonus of income came just in time for him to pay a medical bill. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. "He did likewise with pennies for me." Which side of value did they fall under? Could you have the discipline to collect coins for almost 50 years? 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. Jul 2, 2018. So he decided it was time to cash in. While he only deposited them when he found. Any penny he receives as change or anything he finds in his walks, he puts inside the 5-gallon water jugs. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. It was a problem that left him devastated. The half million pennies Anders collected amounted to $5,136.14 in cash.The bank where Anders cashed in his change told the Star they were more than happy to help the longtime customer, though it took more than 5 hours for a machine to count through the change.Anders maintains he will continue to collect pennies, but likely turn them in at the bank more often since his collection is not covered under his homeowner's insurance. Which side of value did they fall under? As the report tells it, Otha Anders started more than 45 years ago when he found a penny on the ground and decided to save it. The 73-year-old has some modest plans to spend his money. 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. I would guesstimate about 400-500,000 pennies?. ", | Special to The (Monroe, La.) 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! The trolley wheels squeaked as he walked into the bank. Otha Anders of Ruston, Louisiana, cashed in a quite a collection of pennies at his local bank earlier this week. An error in the coin made it extremely valuable, and its value could only keep growing over time. Anders also added that his friend,Jack "Domino Kid" Brown, played a significant part in his penny collection. After over four decades of this spectacular collection, we wish Anders the very best for his future penny collections as well! But now, he was about to find out. What if you collected pennies as a hobby? Louisiana man cashes in penny collection to the tune of $5,000. Otha Anders was a 73-year-old who worked with the Jackson School Board. 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. Otha Anders has collected over half a million pennies during the last 45 years. "But I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated,"he told the news outlet. Every penny he had, he kept. Seventy Five Gallons But why? 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 ! We value his business, as we do all of our customers, she said. Not many people think too much of a penny it is just one cent. He started collecting pennies in the early 1970's. He would just find them and save them. And after acquiring over a half million of these coins, he finally cashed them in on Tuesday at Origin Bank. He had no idea yet, but that effort resulted in a fortune, and it was all for him. 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. In the end, Anders was always fair about how he came across his pretty pennies. 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. But what about Anders coins? Anders saved up an incredible $5,136.14 through collecting pennies for 45 years. 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.. Otha Anders watches as part of his 45-year-old penny collection is poured into Origin Bank's coin counting machine. He probably would have kept his obsession up if he hadnt figured out some when he had to renew his home affairs. Then he took his jugs to a bank in Ruston, Louisiana to cash them in. His quirky hobby turned out to be a brilliant reminder of how much little things matter. Thats especially true when it comes to coins - but - only certain kinds of coins. Otha Anders cashed in his giant penny collection. When he finally took his collection over to the bank, tellers were staggered by the amount he had saved. Anders took his haul to the Ruston Origin Bank. Otha Anders saved his first penny more than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground. And after acquiring over a half million of these coins, he finally cashed them in on Tuesday at Origin Bank. How To Determine And Measure Your Ring Size Accurately, Teen Charged With Major Drug Trafficking Has Been Let Off. He also stopped spending pennies on purchases, preferring instead to put them in emptywater jugs, the Star reports. I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.. He also always made sure that whenever he made a purchase with cash, his change contained at least three to four pennies. For over 45 years, Anders had been collecting pennies, storing them in 5-gallon water jugs. 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. Youtube / Kray K News. 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But now, he was about to find out. That first penny, he told the Star, reminded him that life is a gift from God. 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! All rights reserved. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". AREVIK 25.12.2022 1.1k. Change for the better: Man cashes in 45-year penny collection worth $5,000. As the years passed, Anders continued to collect his pennies until he successfully filled fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs with nothing but pennies. Anders continued to collect his pennies for 45 years until he successfully filled fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs. 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. But why? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 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. Anders is a beautiful example of how all of us can learn to be thankful for the small things. or redistributed. "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." It took at least 5 hours to process his pennies through a coin-counting machine until the sum was revealed. Anders worried they would turn him away. It reportedly took five hours for machines to count all the change. Market data provided by Factset. Your health is important to us. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. He approached the questionable expression behind the desk and asked them to cash his pennies in. Pennies are small both in size and worth, but as a popular Indiansaying goes, "Drops of water collected eventually become a flowing stream." 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. Tell us your tales of coin collections if you have any,and don't forget to show this story to your friends as well! Its shocking, for sure, he told ABC News. Uh-oh, overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50% off. But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so.. But that's not all. Who would have thought a penny a day could someday bring you $5k! The 73-year-old had a family of his own. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. "Anders will inform us on where he wants the cashed-in money to be placed," she said. 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. . 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. Asian-American Affairs Reporter, HuffPost. We could only imagine how many weeks they would have spent on Othas collection if there was no machine to help them count. How many?, the woman asked. This is a staggering number! He cashed in the coins to the Ruston Origin Bank, in Ruston, La. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. (Fox 14) A Louisiana man who collected pennies for almost half a . I would guesstimate about half a million pennies?. Although Anders didnt have time on his side, he did have volume. How many were in there? The final amount was certainly not small. And with hundreds of thousands of coins, perhaps one had a valuable error. This penny reminded him to give thanks for the small but wonderful things that happen in life. 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 clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. He took . 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.. I would say hes done a lot of collecting over the years.. 73-year-old Otha Anders worked as a supervisor on the Jackson School Board. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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. into his account to go toward a recent dental bill. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". 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 didnt know that after he picked up his first penny, more would keep appearing through his love. Anders said he started collecting the coins in the late-1960s. Anders sheepishly laughed with her before pleading with her again. It may inspire them to start a collection of their own. An error in the coin made it extremely valuable, and its value could only keep growing over time. 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. "I would break a dollar before giving up a penny". You have to find 100 of them to get a dollar it is a lot of work. However, thats not true for all coins. — -- Otha Anders is a true believer in the phrase a pretty penny. For 45 years, up until Tuesday, he was the proud owner of a collection containing over half a million of them. It all just started that one day when he found a penny in the street; he went on to collect more. And you think we have the time to count half a million pennies for you? she laughed. The pennies were then poured into the coin machine with small plastic buckets. 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. This meant that he soon had more pennies than he knew what to do with. Updated: 8:46 AM EDT October 28, 2015 . He also started making more and decisions that would give him more pennies. 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. Otha Ander was a supervisor on the Jackson School Board and was passionate about his job. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. He had no idea, but clearly, this would result in a fortune. The final count: 513,614 pennies, which comes to a little over $5,136, Fox 14 reports. Subscribe here:https://www.youtube.com/factsverse?sub_confirmation=1. 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. We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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