Man collects pennies for 45 years, stumping bank tellers when he finally cashes in

Even when the government began a program of paying $125 for every $100 of pennies turned in, he wasn’t interested.

He liked having the collection.

Collecting pennies as an excuse to say a prayer.

Anders said that he began seeing pennies as a reminder to stop and say a prayer.

“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,” Anders said to ABC News. “I never failed to do that. That’s why they had so much value to me.”

At no point during all of his penny-collecting did Anders accept coins as a gift from anyone else.

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

Over time this practice of stopping what he was doing and saying a prayer every time he saw a penny became important to Anders.

He noticed that on days where he wasn’t thankful enough for what he had, a penny would show up in his sights to remind him.

“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.”