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A million pennies saved, nothing earned

Ron England has amassed 1 million pennies — 3.6 tons of copper— in his garage in the Los Angeles suburb of Granada Hills. Converting it to currency he can readily use has been another challenge.
/ Source: Reuters

A California man who collected 1 million pennies for a bet is having a hard time cashing in on his $10,000 fortune.

Ron England has amassed 3.6 tons of copper in his garage in the Los Angeles suburb of Granada Hills after making a bet with his brother 30 years ago that he could collect 1 million pennies.

But neither the U.S. Mint, the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, coin collectors nor the local bank is interested in cashing in his stash — at least not without a charge.

“I’ve been working seriously for the past two weeks to get rid of these pennies,” England, 60, told the Los Angeles Daily News. “It’s kind of frustrating. Nobody will take them without charging me.”

What’s worse. England is still waiting for his brother to honor his side of the bet — a meal in Paris. “I don’t remember making the wager. Am I still good for it? I’m not going to answer that question,” Russ England told the Daily News.