This Guy Saved Pennies For 45 Years

Then He Cashed Them In – And Their Total Is Astounding

Staff at Rustin Origin Bank in Rustin, Louisiana, are unlikely to ever forget the day in October 2015 when Otha Anders arrived at their branch to make a deposit. Why? Because Anders wasn’t making an ordinary deposit. He was making a deposit of pennies. A lot of pennies.

In fact, Anders had so many pennies to deposit that transporting them to the bank required a truck, while actually bringing them into the premises needed a cart and a hand barrow. The whole operation also required the help of five friends and family members, and the coins were stored in 15 large water bottles, each with a capacity of five gallons.

Well aware that his penny stash was out of the ordinary, Anders had actually contacted the bank ahead of time to warn them. Speaking to ABC News, the bank’s senior vice president, Ryan Kilpatrick, said, “It’s shocking, for sure. I would say he’s done a lot of collecting over the years.”

Now in his mid-70s, Anders had 45 years prior decided to begin saving the pennies that came his way. As for the very first penny he saved, it was one he had found lying on the ground. Speaking to The News-Star in 2015, Anders said, “I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful.”