Texas man cashes collection of 81,600 pennies

SLATON, Tx. -- A Texas man who saved his pennies for decades has finally turned them in for cash.

Ira Keys has been saving his pennies for the past 65 years. The 81-year-old man said he's just been following the advice his father gave him when he was a teenager.

"He says, 'Whatever you do son, save your money,'" Keys told KCBD-TV. "Back when I started in '52, I didn't have a lot of money, so I saved pennies and I just kept saving them."

Keys decided it was finally time to cash in on his savings. He took 81,600 pennies, weighing 500 pounds, to Prosperity Bank in Slaton. After more than an hour of counting, they gave him back $816 in cash.

Keys says he only cashed in part of his collection and plans to continue adding pennies to his piggy bank.