Otha Anders took pride in his penny collection.

In 2015, the 73-year-old Louisiana former teacher even made the news when he decided to cash them in after 45 years of collecting and storing them.

Pennies from heaven

The worth of a penny was much more than simply 1 cent to Anders, it was a gift from the universe.

“If I would see a penny when I’m gassing up, on the ground, or in a store, it would be a reminder to stop right there and say a prayer,” he told ABC News. “I never failed to do that. That’s why they had so much value to me.”

And this wasn’t about saving money or a love of loose change, it was simply the pennies themselves that mattered.

“If I was at someone’s house and I found a penny, I would pick it up and I would keep it,” he said. “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.”

But when his homeowner’s insurance stopped covering the collection, he decided it was time to turn them in.

Finding value

Once Anders began collecting pennies he set a goal of how many he’d try to amass. But once he met the goal, he decided to keep on going.

“I would never spend a penny,” he told USA Today. “I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.”

Alas, there comes a time to cash them in.

“I wanted to fill five five-gallon water jugs. That was the goal, but I couldn’t stop. … If I hadn’t turned them in yesterday, I was not going to stop.”

A patience project

Anders is no stranger to being patient and disciplined. He worked for the Jackson School board as a supervisor for in-school suspended children.

He even spoke with them about his fascination with collecting pennies and the students would often save them up to sell to him. Anders was insistent that no one give him pennies – he was always willing to pay for them unless he found them on the ground.

“I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated,” he said. “I wanted the inner satisfaction that God and I acquired this collection.”

Cashing in

When the pennies could no longer be insured and Anders had a large dentist bill hanging over him, he called up Ruston Origin Bank in Ruston, Louisiana – and they were happy to help him turn his coin into paper cash.

Nevertheless, they were shocked to see just how many pennies he came in with – about 2800 pounds of them.

Senior vice president Ryan Kilpatrick told ABC News that he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw all 15 5-gallon jugs of change.

“It’s shocking, for sure,” he said. “I would say he’s done a lot of collecting over the years.”

A penny saved is a penny earned

Even in the 1970s when the government offered a $25 incentive for every $100 of pennies cashed in, Anders held on to his collection.

But when he was ready to give them up, he wasn’t too sentimental about it – the decision was made. He watched the bank employees had to hack open the jugs with axes and sat by the machine as it swallowed his coins.

While the true value of the pennies was in what they represented to Anders, their monetary value was $5,136.14.

Be sure to scroll down below for an interview with the patient collector.

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Source: ABC News, USA Today, YouTube – watchJojo