It took 45 years, but Otha Anders diligently saved his pennies. Until, one day, he decided to turn in the loose change he’d been collecting. 
He needed a dolly to move it all, and it was a feast for many eyes at the bank as he pushed his dolly into the building. None of them expected the amount Anders had, not even he knew what he had himself. The final sum left everyone shocked.

Otha Anders, 73, was a devoted family man, supported in all his endeavors by his doting wife and understanding children. 
As a member of the Jackson School Board, he was tasked with monitoring students who had gotten into trouble and had been suspended from school. Penny collecting seemed a strange hobby for such a man, but he loved it.

Otha developed the habit of picking pennies up from the ground as a lighthearted diversion, but it grew into a compulsive pastime over the years. The hobby helped him stay constantly thankful for the things he was fortunate enough to have in his life. 

In an interview, Otha explained his passion, saying, “I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful.” As such, his conviction grew, and he kept amassing pennies.

When Otha picked up his first penny from the ground, he did not know he would be doing it for the next 45 years. But that’s what happened.
In addition, he stopped spending pennies he got as change. Instead, every penny was added to his collection.

As time passed, Otha devised ways to get more pennies. When he used cash to buy anything at the shop, he insisted on getting change that included at least three or four pennies. 
It morphed into a peculiar practice that grew on him over the years and contributed to the expansion of his penny collection.

During an interview, Otha spoke about his fixation with pennies and said, “I would never spend a penny.” When the school he worked at heard about his pastime, several individuals wanted to assist him. 

When his pupils would approach him with pennies, Otha would say, “I never allowed anybody, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated.” So he would give them something in return. 

Otha’s pile of pennies grew by the day thanks to the coins he found on the ground, change from purchases, and coins other people gave him to assist him with the collection. After 45 years, he had filled 15 jugs of water, each being five gallons in capacity.

Otha believed his collection had earned him a comfortable living for himself and his family. Hence, he decided to add his pennies to his homeowner’s insurance to protect them.
Unfortunately when Otha tried to renew his homeowner’s insurance policy to include his penny collection, the insurance company refused his application.

Otha was adamant about having homeowner’s insurance. So, he decided it was time to turn his pennies into cash. 

Otha and his dolly filled with jugs drew looks from  people inside the bank. 
Otha felt anxious and pretty shocked when the teller asked, “How many?” because he wasn’t sure if she would refuse him service.

The teller stood there, waiting for the estimate, unsure of what her next move should be. 
She was taken aback when Otha answered by saying, “I would guesstimate about half a million pennies.”

The cashier responded by asking, “And you think we have the time to count half a million pennies for you? ” 
With so many other things that needed to be done during the workday, who had the time to count half a million pennies

As he was at a loss for what to do, Otha found himself laughing alongside the cashier despite his torn spirit.
Then he said, “I know it’s a crazy amount, but this is a dear collection of mine that I need to cash out. Believe me, if I had it my way, I’d keep these pennies forever.”

The bank did not refuse Otha service. Instead, the cashier contacted her boss to inquire whether there was anything they could do to help Otha count his penny collection in any manner. 
Ironically, things got better when the manager came to investigate what was happening. He had a good deal of prior experience working with Otha.

The bank directed Otha to the coin-counting machine. They left Otha to it, and it took him five hours to insert each penny into the machine.

After five hours of feeding pennies into the device. Otha had accumulated a grand total of $5,136.14 in savings.

Otha took his family on a trip after paying off a sizable dental bill and giving some money to his church.
Otha’s odd pastime, perseverance, and faith all turned out to be worth the effort.