Otha Anders had been picking pennies up off the street for 45 long years. One day, he decided it was time to cash in on his findings. As he wheeled a dolly into the bank, stacked with water jugs full of pennies, everyone stared at him.
They had no idea the small fortune he was about to walk out of the bank with. And he certainly didn't know how much he had, either. We'll learn the grand total soon, though!
Otha Anders Walked Into A Bank Pulling A Dolly Of Pennies
It had been just a normal day at the bank. Then, Otha Anders walked in, pulling behind him a dolly. Perched on top were water jugs full of coins, pennies he had found on the street and collected throughout the years.
Things had certainly just gotten interesting. The banker just stared at Otha, not entirely sure what to do. So, she asked, "How many are there?" Otha had no idea.
Otha Was A Family Man With A Quirky Hobby
Otha Anders was a 73-year-old family man with a loving wife and children who supported him in every venture. He worked on the Jackson School Board, watching over the children who found themselves in a bit of trouble with in-school suspension.
Otha loved his life, even if his side hobby made people think he was a little quirky.
He Enjoyed Picking Up Pennies
Picking up pennies off the street had gone from being a little something fun to being a fully-fledged obsessive hobby. Otha loved finding the little coins lying on the ground.
To him, it was a reminder to always be thankful for what he had in his life, such as a roof over his head and his family.
The Hobby Had To Do With His Faith
During an interview, Otha explained his hobby, saying, "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful."
"There have been days where I failed to pray and more often than not, a lost or dropped penny would show up to remind me."
His Faith Was At An All-Time High
Otha had always been a religious man, but his faith had soared to an all-time high in recent years. He believed each penny he found on the ground was a gift from God.
Little did Otha know, but his fortunes were about to soar a whole lot higher when he finally decided to cash in all of his pennies.
One Time Turned Into A 45 Year-Long Hobby
When Otha picked up his first penny off the ground, nothing in him knew that it would be a habit that would follow him for another 45 years. Even so, he started picking up and keeping each penny he found.
Not only that, but he stopped spending his own pennies that would come to him in the form of change! Everything went straight into his collection.
It Wasn't Just Pennies On The Ground
There was more to the change, though. Whenever Otha purchased something at the store with cash, he made sure the cashier returned his change with at least three to four pennies. The more, the merrier!
It became a quirky habit that stuck with him and helped his penny collection grow throughout the years.
No One Questioned The Quirky Habit
It became such a normal occurrence that Otha's friends and family didn't even question it anymore. They just knew that if Otha was buying something to expect some pennies to come out of the equation.
Little did they know that their friend and family member's quirky habit was about to pay off in a big way.
Otha Didn't Spend A Single Penny
During an interview, Otha discussed his penny obsession, saying, "I would never spend a penny. I would break a dollar before giving up a penny." That is some pretty wild love for pennies!
And when the school found out about his little hobby, more than one person wanted to help.
Even His Students Wanted To Help
When Otha's students found out he collected pennies, they wanted to help. Kids would come up to him with handfuls of pennies, offering them to his growing pile. But, he didn't take them.
According to Otha, he had rules and some principles when it came to his penny collection.
Otha Compensated People Who Gave Him Pennies
When Otha's students came to him with pennies, he didn't take them right away. According to Otha, "I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated."
So, it sounds like he actually paid people who gave him pennies! What a funny concept.
He Had 15 Five-Gallon Water Jugs Full
Between the pennies he found on the ground, the change, and the pennies people gave him in order to help with the collection, Otha's penny pile grew higher and higher.
By the time 45 years passed, he had pennies filled to the brim of 15 five-gallon water jugs! He could even begin to guess how many there were.
There Was No Telling How Many Pennies He Had
With 15 five-gallon water jugs filled with pennies, Otha could only guess that there were maybe hundreds of thousands of coins. But, when it came down to it, he really had no idea how many were in the multiple piles.
And he wasn't planning on slowing down collecting pennies anytime soon!
Otha Didn't Want To Stop His Collection
It took Otha 45 years to collect enough pennies to fill 15 five-gallon water jugs. And he was planning on filling many more if he had his way. Unfortunately, the universe had a different idea.
Otha believed he'd amassed a small fortune with his collection. Because of this, he wanted to file it under his home insurance.
The Home Insurance Company Wasn't Going To Let Him File
The thing is, when Otha went to renew his house insurance to include the penny collection, they turned him away. Otha wanted the home insurance, though. So, he decided it was time to finally cash in his prized collection of pennies.
He really didn't know what to expect when he brought the pennies to the bank.
The Five-Gallon Jugs Could Hold Something Rare
Otha remembered reading a story about someone who cashed in on their coin collection, resulting in a small fortune. But that collection was a wide variety of coins, not just pennies.
Only time would tell how much money Otha had accumulated over the years, though. A collection that would be worth a lot more had he kept it in the family for many more years.
Maybe He Had An Error Penny In One Of The Jugs
If Otha took the time to go through each one of those 15 five-gallon water jugs, he might have found some pretty rare gems hidden amongst all of the pennies, such as the 1943-S Lincoln Wheat penny.
Coins such as that that hold an error are worth a small fortune in and of themselves.
He Didn't Have Time To Look
Not only error coins, but also those that are actually plated in silver, gold, and copper. Over time, these coins go up in value, meaning Otha's collection had the potential of increasing in worth if it was handed down through the generations.
Unfortunately, he wasn't going to have that luxury.
The Chance Of Finding An Error Penny Were Slim
While Otha didn't have time to go through each and every one of his pennies, it was okay. The chances of him stumbling upon a penny with an error were slim to none.
Even so, he did have one thing working for him and that was the sheer amount of pennies he had amassed throughout those 45 years.
Otha Recruited Some Friends To Help
With Otha's mind made up, he now had to figure out how to actually get them to the bank! It was an entirely different issue that he had to think about. Thankfully, he had good friends to help him.
A good thing, too, because those 15 five-gallon water jugs were very heavy!
Finally, He Was On His Way To The Bank
After Otha and his friends got the 15 water jugs into a truck, he was finally on his way to the bank. Now, it was just a matter of unloading the pennies onto a dolly and wheeling them into the bank to be counted out.
Otha had no clue what the final sum was going to be.
The Banker Had One Question
Rolling the dolly into the bank with the 15 five-gallon water jugs full of pennies on top, Otha got more than a few looks, especially from the banker who was going to help him.
Not entirely sure if she was going to turn him away, Otha was pleasantly surprised when she asked, "How many?"
Otha Had Roughly Half A Million Pennies
The lady stood there, not entirely sure what to do. It was definitely not a normal day in the bank, to say the least! When she asked Otha how many pennies he wheeled in, she was shocked when he said, "I would guesstimate about half a million pennies?"
Half a million!
The Bank Teller Didn't Have Time
With half a million pennies sitting in front of her, the Vice President's answer of "And you think we have the time to count half a million pennies for you?" was kind of warranted.
Who in the world had time to count half a million pennies when there were a lot of other things to do in the workday?
Otha Didn't Want To Be There Anyway
Not knowing what to do in the situation, Otha laughed along with her, even though being there broke his heart.
After a minute, he told the banker, "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 Manager Got Involved
The banker didn't turn Otha away. Instead, she called over her manager to see if there was anything they would be able to do for Otha and his penny collection.
Ironically, when the manager walked out to see what was going on, his face lit up! He actually knew Otha very well.
Otha Was A Loyal Customer
It turns out that Otha was a long and loyal customer of that particular bank branch, and the manager was more than happy to help him count out his collection.
"We value his business, as we do all of our customers," the manager said. "But if we can help Anders with his endeavors, we are happy to do so."
It Took Five Hours To Count All Of The Pennies
Of course, the bank wasn't going to hand count the half a million pennies by hand. They led Otha and his friends over to the coin counting machine. And, with the use of an ax to bust open the five-gallon water jugs, they got to work.
It wound up taking Otha a solid five hours to feed each of the pennies into the machine.
The Total: $5,136.14
After five hours of putting pennies into the coin counting machine, a final sum flashed on the screen. After picking up pennies from the ground for 45 years, Otha had saved a grand total of $5,136.14.
That's a savings of $114.14 per year. That's a lot of money for pennies that were a mere afterthought for most people.
Vacation, Donations, And A Dental Bill Was Paid Off
Otha knew just what he wanted to do with savings, too. After paying off a hefty dental bill that had just been handed to him, Otha brought his family on a nice vacation and also donated some of the money to his church.
It looks like Otha's quirky hobby, patience, and trust in his faith really did pay off!
Meet Mike, A Metal Detector Hobbyist
Mike Smith is a metal detecting enthusiast from Pembrokeshire, Wales. So going out to search for buried treasure one rainy day was nothing out of the ordinary. Finding buried gold was a detector hobbyist's dream, after all!
He never expected to be jolted out of his wandering mind by a loud beep from his machine. Soon, the adrenaline started pumping through his veins as he swiveled his detector back and forth over the wet soil. What was down there?
He Was Curious By Nature
Mike has always been a curious man. So when his mental detector went off that day, Mike knew he was going to see it through to the end. The thing is, he never expected to dig up such monumental treasure.
And he certainly never anticipated ever having to get the authorities involved! But now that he knew something was a few feet down from where he stood, there was no going back. He had to know what set his detector off.
Mike Swept The Rest Of The Field
After the initial beep, Mike decided to sweep the rest of the field. Typically when a person walks away from a find, the beeping will grow fainter and fainter until it stops altogether. That wasn't the case for Mike!
It was strange, the further he walked away from his original "beep location," the louder his detector sounded. Could it be a machine malfunction? Or was there something down there that was taking up the entire underbelly of the field?
Time To Start Digging!
When Mike's detector started going off all around the field, he knew that there was nothing left to do but trust his instincts. And his instincts were telling him to start digging for treasure!
Grabbing his handy dandy shovel, Mike set to work on the damp soil. Starting with a hole about a foot wide and two feet deep, Mike had no idea what he was about to stumble upon.
The First Artifact He Found Was Small And Round
Mike had used his metal detector in this spot before, digging up a few old pennies that weren't worth much. This time, he had dug up something that wasn’t an animal bone, or even a type of coin.
Very carefully, Mike lifted the small round object out of the dirt. Was he positive it wasn’t a coin? It sure looked like one. But after rubbing some of the earth off the surface, an engraving began to appear.
He Didn't Dwell On The First Artifact For Too Long
Puzzled, Mike flipped the object this way and that, trying to figure out what it could possibly be. There was a figure etched into one side while the other held some kind of message.
What made Mike certain it wasn't a coin was the fact that there was a ring attached to the top of the object. Almost as if it was attached to a chain or clip at some point in time. But he didn’t analyze the artifact for too long because he had just spotted another object in the dirt.
The Object Wouldn't Move
Unlike the first object, this one was completely stuck in the mud. Mike decided to put down his shovel and start digging with his hands, hoping that his fingers would be able to gain some leverage on the mysterious item.
Unfortunately, it wouldn't budge, even when Mike sat back on his heels to get a better grip. Whatever it was, it sure was happy to stay in its suctioned place in the mud. But Mike wasn’t giving up.
The Ground Was Putting Up Quite The Fight!
No matter how hard Mike pulled, the object wouldn't give way. It was puzzling, though, because the rusty old piece of metal didn’t look all that heavy. Mike was stumped, so he decided to change his plan of attack.
He got back down on his knees and moved the soil around the artifact. Jiggling the earth this way at that, hypothetically, should loosen the object enough for Mike to be able to pull it out of the ground. Well, some things in life aren’t that simple.
The Object Seemed To Be Connected To Something
During his second go at shifting the soil, Mike started to see signs that the mysterious object was connected to something. What that 'something' could be, he had no idea. But the fact that another mystery was unfolded just piqued his interest even higher.
With more questions than answers, he continued to dig. What else could possibly be down there? And why was this particular object so heavy? What he was about to uncover sent chills down his spine.
Mike Uncovered What Looked Like Links
As any good treasure hunter would do, Mike continued to dig around the stubborn object. Eventually, he came across a second object and then a third. Finally, a light bulb went on in his head, and he realized that the mysterious round objects were, in fact, links!
Goosebumps crept up his body as he came to terms with what he just discovered. What on earth could these chains have been used for?
The Links Went On Forever
As Mike dug up more and more of the mysterious links, he realized that they seemed to go on forever. That is until he came to the end of the ancient chain. But coming to an end begged the question, what did this chain used to be attached to?
As the afternoon sun began to set, Mike began to pack up. Whatever was buried beneath him was going to have to wait until sunrise.
Mike's Mind Wandered To Pembrokeshire Burial Chambers
As Mike lay in bed that night, his mind wandered. What if he had just uncovered something truly terrible, and there was a reason the links were buried? He had recently read about old burial sites underneath Pembrokeshire. Not a comforting thought while lying in a dark room.
Could his discovery be one of those ancient burial chambers? As frightening as that thought was, Mike was eager to get back to the farm and uncover more of the mystery.
The Next Morning, Mike Rose With The Sun
As soon as the sun crept above the horizon, Mike was out the door, heading straight for the site he left the previous evening. The mysterious chain was nagging at him the entire night. He needed to find out what was on the other end and why it was so heavy.
What Mike didn't realize was that his find was about to become known to the authorities. And that they would be on his digging site later that day.
The Ground Opened Up Beneath Mike's Feet
Thankfully, Mike found the location in the exact shape he left it. So it's safe to say no one had been snooping around his treasure trove. With that peace of mind, he once again began to dig.
As more of the strange links popped out of the ground, Mike noticed something weird. A hole was beneath the chain. Not thinking twice, Mike thrust his shovel into the hole, hoping that it would help with leverage. He never imagined that the ground would open up beneath his feet.
The Hole Led To An Underground Cavern
Mike fell straight through the ground, landing a few feet below the surface. Thankfully, he wasn't injured and was still wearing his backpack that held a flashlight!
Turning the light on, Mike came to the conclusion that he hadn’t fallen into a typical hole but rather a chamber of some kind. As he took a closer look at the floor, walls, and ceiling, fear began to creep into Mike’s chest. What had he accidentally uncovered beneath the farm?
There Were Strange Markings Covering The Walls
As Mike inspected the cavern walls a bit closer, he discovered strange scratches littering almost every surface. But something about the frantically scratched markings felt familiar. Almost as if Mike had seen them somewhere before.
Mike went to the wall with the most vivid markings and ran his fingers over them. As he took in the etchings, he realized that his fingers formed 'VV.' It didn’t take long for him to realize the conjoined V’s were repeated over and over dozens of times.
He Followed The 'VV' To Another Hole In The Ground
The haunting 'VV' symbol began to make Mike uneasy, as the etchings were all over the cavern walls. Making the find more terrifying was that the symbols seemed to be scratched into the stone by someone with trembling hands.
Mike had no idea what he had come across. Being the treasure hunter that he is, Mike decided to follow the markings. They led him to yet another hold in the ground. But beside the entrance lay something caked in mud.
His New Discovery Warranted The Authorities
Mike couldn't keep the shock off his face when he finally chalked up the courage to wipe the mud off of the new discovery. Underneath all of the hardened earth was something brown and hard. Mike knew exactly what he was looking at but didn’t want to believe it.
As a metal detecting hobbyist, Mike knew the laws that came with discoveries such as this. He had no choice but to call the authorities and let them know what he had found.
He Uncovered Human Remains
What started as nothing more than a fun afternoon excursion soon became a frightening discovery of human remains. There were so many possible reasons as to why someone would be buried beneath the farm, and each theory was more terrifying than the last.
Coming out of his own thoughts, Mike finally realized that he was still holding the object. More specifically, a human molar. That's when he finally understood the severity of his situation.
They Uncovered Two Chariot Wheels
The artifact removal process began in June, four months after Mike's February discovery. With the proper game plan and excavation instruments, archaeologists were able to uncover two rusted chariot wheels, confirmation that they were about to discover something huge.
Mike couldn’t believe that this all started with him finding what looked like a coin buried underground. He never realized something so monumental could be made out of his find. Treasure hunters usually only dream of this type of discovery!
The Authorities Laughed At Him
Mike had to call someone for help. Not only was he down in a dark hole with no way to escape, but he had just stumbled upon human dentures. He dropped everything and scrambled for his cell phone.
He called the officials of the National Museum of Wales, but their response was not what he was expecting. The officials laughed at him, not believing one word he was saying about the discovery!
Mike Mentioned One Detail And The Authorities Stopped Laughing
"What the archaeologists said at the time was that because there had never been a find down here before, they didn't believe it," Mike said during an interview. He had to change their minds about the potential burial site, but how?
Then it dawned on him; he forgot to mention that he had found human remains and not just an ancient chain and weird engravings in a cavern. Once he mentioned that detail, the officials at the museum were no longer laughing.
The Authorities Were In Complete Awe
Mike sent them his location and awaited the scientists and rescue party. When the museum officials and archaeologists arrived at the scene, they were in complete awe. In an interview, Mike said, "the look on their faces when they saw it said it all."
Aside from the authorities taking Mike seriously, he was happy that someone was there to rescue him from the hole! Now, it was time to let the excavation process with the professionals begin!
Mike Finally Could Put A Name To His Initial Discovery
Going back to the initial discovery of the rusted chain, Mike thought he would never figure out what it was used for, let alone what it was attached to. That all changed with the help of the museum professionals. In an interview, Mike said, "My first find was a Celtic horse harness junction piece."
“When I found it, my friends said I would never top it, but the next day I went back and found the rest.” Talk about proving your friends wrong!
The 'VV' Has A Specific Meaning
According to archaeologist Rachel Hall, the connected 'VV' is called a witch mark. These marks were meant to keep witches from entering a building. The specific engravings Mike found are known as Marian marks. Believed to be the initials of the Virgin Mary, the mark is meant to protect the site of the symbols.
The cavern markings were different, though. They were scratched into the wall frantically. Not to mention they were all over the place. Something strange happened in Pembrokeshire long ago.
Townsfolk Believe It Was A Gateway To Hell
Archaeologist Alison Fearn believes that the 14th and 18th-century markings were the townspeople's way of keeping demons from gracing the Earth. Considering they are carved into most of the available surface of the cavern, Mike was inclined to agree.
Townsfolk must have thought the chamber was the entrance to the underworld, a thought that was not taken lightly in 14th century Europe. But that’s not everything Alison detected from the Virgin Mary symbols.
There Was Another Theory Behind VV
Even though the markings tend to symbolize protection against demons and other evil spirits, there was another theory. Some believe that the village of Pembrokeshire was facing an onslaught of famines, disease, or poverty. These are things that very well can be blamed on evil forces.
John Charlesworth, a retired professor of the New Testament Language and Literature, explains that the superstitious nature surrounding the symbols probably engulfed the townspeople. The location of the village, along with the deep cavern, made them fearful of the unknown.
Understanding Old Traditions
Even though the townspeople believed the cavern to be the home of demons, either a queen or chieftain was definitely buried with their chariot at Mike's site. Mike said," I knew the importance of them straight away….I’d read all about chariot burials and just wished it could have been me, so finding this has been a privilege.”
Archaeologists believe the chariot is upwards of 2,500 years old. And contrary to what Mike originally believed, there were no human remains.
The Chariot Should Have Been Laid Flat But It Was Buried Upright
The tooth Mike found actually belonged to one of the horses that was buried alongside the queen or chieftain and the chariot. After further research, it was uncovered that high-ranking officials of the Iron age would typically be buried with their weapons, chariot, and their horses.
Mike explained that in a typical burial, the chariot wheels would be laid flat. Of course, this was not the case with his discovery.
The Ground Has Since Leveled Out
Mike believes that instead of the high-ranking official being buried next to the chariot, they were buried within the chariot, sitting straight up. Of course, there should have been a mound of dirt over the chariot, but that has since leveled out.
After learning more about his discovery, Mike was in disbelief that he, alongside his trusty metal detector, was able to uncover such a rich history. And this was only the beginning!
It Was Time To Bring Out The Big Machines!
After museum officials roped off the area to the public, they brought in the big instruments. Considering all of the tiny artifacts Mike has stumbled across, a ground-penetrating radar over the farm was necessary. So, when we say big, we mean something that looks straight out of a National Treasure movie.
If you thought the discoveries Mike found by himself were insane, you'd never guess what geophysical sonar can uncover!
They Uncovered A Ditch Ring
After surveying the land, the archaeologists uncovered what could be described only as a ditch ring! The ring was a 12-meter circle that surrounded the site. The thing is, they found more than one!
Researchers found two more burials, both of which were located in ditch rings. This made them come to the conclusion that Mike had stumbled upon a Celtic settlement that has stayed off of everyone's radar for quite some time.
What Comes Next For Mike And His Discovery
Aside from the ditch ring burial sites, Mike was able to dig up around 34 other items, including a brooch, tool handles, and bronze bits, to name a few.
"I still can't believe it," Mike said. “Obviously, I’ve read other people’s finds. I’ve watched them on the telly, and I’ve always thought, I wouldn’t mind finding that, it’s still surreal, and life-changing.” He didn’t even know the half of it!
The Project Is Going To Take Lots Of Funding
Adam Gwilt, the principal curator of prehistoric archaeology at the National Museum of Wales, explained that the findings were probably "witness to some great historical events of the time, as Iron Age people defended their ways of life and identity from the expansion of the Roman Empire."
The project is going to take a lot of funding, and Adam and his team have been working with multiple partners to pursue a full investigation of the artifacts.
Question Of The Day: What Was Mike's Payout?
Keeping his eye on the prize, Mike expects at least a six or seven-figure payout for his discovery. Of course, he has to split his earnings with the landowners, too. Still, not too bad for a hobbyist!
Mike explained that "It's the biggest ever metal detecting find, as in there’s never been a chariot ever discovered by a metal detectorist. There have been hoards found, but never anything like this." Here’s to more amazing discoveries for you, Mike!
