A Man Who Carefully Saved Every Penny For 45 Years Finally Cashed Out

At first glance, Otha Anders looked like any other guy. Behind closed doors, though, he had a strange hobby. You see, Otha had been collecting pennies for decades. Then, after 40-plus years of saving, he finally decided to hand them in at his bank. But just how much had he made with his massive haul?

Was there a catalyst?

It’s a fascinating story. Would you have the willpower to save coins for that long? We’re not sure if we could. But at the same time, it also raises a few questions. And perhaps one of the biggest is this: what made Otha decide to start his jaw-dropping collection?

Coin collecting

Well, Otha’s in good company, as collecting coins isn’t anything new. Back in Roman times, academics and the rich put stockpiles together. The great emperor Augustus was even rumored to be into it. Then again, we doubt any of them assembled a hoard quite like Otha’s!

Taking shape

Anyway, it took some time before the hobby really started to gain steam with the public. In fact, we’ve got to fast-forward to the 19th century to see it take shape. And there are plenty of folks still squirreling their change away today, as Otha’s tale shows. Why do people do it, though?

An easy hobby to start

Well, unlike certain hobbies, stockpiling coins couldn’t be simpler. It doesn’t require a great deal of effort to get a collection going — all you need to do is open your wallet. Did that play a part in Otha’s decision to save his pennies for more than 40 years?