The last time we took a bunch of change to the magic Coinstar machine, it was about a solo cup’s worth, and we got about $12, and damnit, we were happy. But there’s no way we could have been as happy as Ira Keys, a Lubbock County man who made headlines around the world by bringing 81,600 pennies to his bank.
The 81-year-old Keys saved the pennies over 65 years, according to KCBD.
Keys told the station that he started his penny-pinching after his father told him, “Whatever you do son, save your money.”
Counting all the pennies took bank employees more than an hour, according to the station, which also reported Keys’ future plans: “I’m going to build a room divider and have pennies all in it. The shiny ones.”
Prosperity Bank employee Kari Lewis told the station, “We take pennies for granted. You seem them on the ground, and you’re kind of like, ‘Oh, I’m not picking that up,’ but for him to collect it for years and years was pretty amazing.”
Keys also said he’s going to keep a full piggy bank. We’re guessing it’s gigantic.
This article appears in Jan 15-21, 2015.
