Man Saves Every Penny Since The ‘70s, Then Bank Tells Him He Has More Than $5,000

A Louisiana man got the shock of his life while at the bank on Thursday.

Until that point, Otha Anders had been saving his pennies for over an astounding 45 years. He kept these pennies in 15 large five-gallon water jugs.

He says about the habit, "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful."

He even went as far as breaking a dollar if it meant he could get more pennies.

"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 says.

Unfortunately, his homeowners insurance policy didn't cover his collection and he was forced to cash in the coins.

At the bank, it took about five hours to count the pennies, which amounted to an astounding total of $5,136.14! For every $50 dollars, the bags in the coin-counting machine had to be changed.

We have a couple of ideas for how Anders could have made use of those coins — DIY rings and lawn ornaments are just two. Anders, however, says the money will go toward a recent dental bill. Whatever he does with the money one thing is for sure — five thousand dollars makes for a lot of pennies!

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(Photo source: knoe.com)