Visiting The Bank
The staff at Rustin Origin Bank in Rustin, Louisiana, will never forget the day Otha Anders came in to make a deposit, but it wasn’t just any deposit. He was depositing his money in pennies. There are numerous pennies. Anders had so many pennies to deposit that they had to be transported in a truck, and they had to be carried into the building using a cart and a handbarrow. He even enlisted the help of five others to speed up the process.
Visiting The Bank
15 Large Bottles
The coins were kept in large water bottles, as you can see in the photo. There were a total of 15 of them. Each bottle held five gallons of water and was brimmed to the brim with pennies. They appear to be on the verge of bursting! Continue reading to learn how Anders went about emptying this massive amount of pennies, as well as the astounding total that all of this shrapnel would come to after hours of counting… We were completely taken aback!
15 Large Bottles
He Warned Them
Anders had called the bank ahead of time to let them know he was coming in and warn them about the pennies, knowing that bringing a ton of pennies to the bank was a very unusual thing to do. Ryan Kilpatrick, the bank’s senior vice president, spoke to ABC News about the events: “It’s shocking, for sure. I would say he’s done a lot of collecting over the years.” For how many years had he been collecting them?
He Warned Them
Given By God
Anders, who was now in his mid-70s, had been collecting pennies for 45 years. He had picked up the first penny he had saved after finding it on the ground. He brought it home, set it aside, and the rest, as they say, is history! In 2015, Anders spoke with The News-Star. “I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful,” he explained. What a beautiful sentiment.
Given By God
An Important Reminder
“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 continued. It’s incredible to think that something so seemingly insignificant could have such a huge impact! Anders kept the pennies for many years in his Ruston home. He was content to keep it that way until he discovered in 2015 that his house insurance wouldn’t cover their total value. He decided to take them to the bank after making this discovery.
An Important Reminder
Collecting Pennies
Anders used to work as a supervisor for the Jackson School Board, supervising students who had been suspended from class. He explained that the kids used to come in with all of their saved pennies, which he would purchase and add to his collection. He stated that he “never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated.” He also said: “I would never spend a penny. I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.”
Collecting Pennies
An Odd Friendship
Anders thanked his old pal Jack “Domino Kid” Brown for assisting him with his coin-saving efforts: “Jack saved nickels as I saved pennies, and every nickel that passed through my hands, I would save for him. He did likewise with pennies for me.” “Our exchange became competitive by each trying to outdo the other and consequently our collections. His nickels (and) my pennies began to multiply.” The agreement was that Anders could only redeem pennies for nickels from Brown, and vice versa.
An Odd Friendship
Filled With Determination
Anders became devoted to the cause of collecting pennies. In fact, he ended up taking a ruthless approach to the situation. The more he gathered, the more he wanted to add to his collection. “If I was at someone’s 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, I’m keeping it,” he told The News-Star.
An Odd Friendship
Not Spending The Pennies
Anders eventually stopped spending pennies entirely to save them all and add to his ever-growing collection. He would even purposefully pay for things in such a way that he would always receive a few pennies in his change. Anders was ecstatic to have saved all these pennies. Anders refused to give in, even after the US government offered a $25 bonus for every $100 worth of pennies turned in. Those priceless pennies were not going anywhere!
Not Spending The Pennies
A Lot Of Pennies
It was difficult just getting the coins to the bank when the time came to let them go. The total weight of the pennies was estimated to be 2,800 pounds! That’s about the same as a typical American bison. After carrying all 15 bottles into the bank with difficulty, the next challenge was figuring out how to get the pennies out of the large water bottles.
A Lot Of Pennies
A Long Process
This is where things start to get exciting! Anders and his team decided that breaking open the containers with an ax was the best way to get the pennies out. This may seem a little excessive, but how would you have gone about it? It was time to start counting the pennies that had been released from their containers. They were fortunate in that they were able to use automatic counting machines. Consider how long counting them by hand would have taken! They poured the pennies into the counting machines with plastic buckets.
A Long Process
It Took Hours
It took five hours of continuous counting, even with the use of automatic counters, to arrive at a final figure. Anders stood there in awe as the machines inhaled the pennies he had been saving for so long. Because the coin machine bags could only hold a maximum of $50 in pennies, they had to be changed every 20 minutes. What a whirlwind…we don’t envy Anders and the rest of the team!
It Took Hours
The Grand Total
They had finally counted all of the pennies. The time had come for the truth to be told. Anders was on pins and needles waiting to learn the final value of the pennies he had spent so much time and effort saving. Can you believe it? The grand total was a whopping $5,136.14! This meant that Anders had collected 513, 614 pennies over the course of 45 years, or 16,425 days. This means he was collecting around 31 pennies per day on average. Anders’ story is the pinnacle of justification for the adage: “see a penny, pick it up. Then all day long, you’ll have good luck.” Anders’ “luck” came in the form of $5,000.
The Grand Total
Serious Hoarder
Anders admitted that he would still be collecting those pennies if he hadn’t discovered the home insurance problem. “I wanted to fill five five-gallon water jugs. That was my goal, but I couldn’t stop. If I hadn’t turned them in yesterday, I was not going to stop,” he explained to ABC News. Anders isn’t the only one who has gotten to this point with his hoarding. Mr. Gan of Shenyang, China, is said to have paid for a new car with 660,000 coins and 20,000 notes, each worth one yuan (roughly 16 cents). Mr. Gan’s collection was nothing compared to Anders’, weighing in at a whopping 8,800 pounds!
Serious Hoarder
Others Like Anders
Ira Keys, also from the United States, was another man who liked to save his pennies. This imposing 81-year-old presented his coin collection to the Prosperity Bank in Slaton, Texas, in 2015. Keys had a whopping $816 in coinage, totaling 500 pounds. He explained his actions to NBC station KCBD, saying that his father once told him, “Whatever you do, son, save your money.” Keys appears to have taken this advice a little too literally! He had been putting money aside since 1952.
Others Like Anders
What Did He Spend The Money On?
What did Anders intend to do with all of this money!? is the burning question on everyone’s lips. With $5,000, you can accomplish a lot. Would he treat himself to a brand-new car? Perhaps a lavish vacation with family and friends? Regrettably, his choice was far less exciting than either of those alternatives. Anders had a dental treatment bill to pay, it turned out. This is where his money would eventually end up. What a pity!
What Did He Spend The Money On?
Childhood Love
A Chinese man saved his pennies for a very special cause in another incredible story on the same theme, but with a little more romance. That’s for sure, a lot more special than spending your hard-earned money on dental treatment! When Liang, the story’s protagonist, was nine years old, he was as in love as a nine-year-old can be. He promised her that he would buy her an engagement ring one day as a way of demonstrating his love for her. Liang would never forget this promise.
Childhood Love
Honoring His Promise
Liang set aside all of his spare cash for the next 20 years of his life. He hadn’t been saving for quite 45 years, but he wasn’t just saving pennies. He kept everything he could get his hands on. He continued to save coins even when he was earning paper money. Liang kept his promise even after the two went their separate ways and ended up in different cities. He wasn’t going down without a fight! He wasn’t a man of empty words, either; despite the passage of time, he refused to break his promise.
Honoring His Promise
Buying The Ring
When Liang reached the age of 30, he had finally saved all of the money he required. He’d amassed a sizable sum of money in loose change. It was time for him to gather all of his funds and visit a jewelry store. When he walked into the jewelry store with all of this cash, the employees couldn’t believe their eyes. It was unlike anything they’d ever seen before. They confirmed the total was $1,933 after spending half a day counting it – enough to buy a diamond engagement ring!
Buying The Ring
“Yes!”
After finding the perfect ring, Liang met with his childhood sweetheart and presented her with an engagement ring and a proposal, as promised. She accepted his request without a second’s hesitation. After all, how could she refuse after all his efforts!? Liang’s romantic gesture moved the owners of the jewelry shop so much that they decided to keep the coins on display in the store’s museum as a touching reminder that true love does exist. There is hope for all of us!
”Yes!”