Man Pays Off Mortgage With 62,000 Pennies
Most people don't stop to pick up spare change found on the street, but for one man, that change added up over 35 years and allowed him to pay off his mortgage using 62,000 pennies. "It was something I wanted to do," he explained. "I always follow through."
Thomas Daigle began picking up the coins back in 1977, when he and wife Sandra moved into their home in Milford, Massachusetts. While out and about, Daigle would collect the coins, taking the time to roll them in wrappers during inclement weather. He had a goal, though, of making his final mortgage payment in pennies.
Daigle kept the coins safe in steel military rocket launcher ammo boxes until this past April, when he was finally able to go to the Milford Federal Savings and Loan Association. Of course, being a gentleman, Daigle called the bank to warn them of his extra-special payment, and the bank fully welcomed the payment.
"It was something I wanted to do, and I always follow through. I was just praying I didn't die first," Daigle joked to The Milford Daily News. He succeeded and managed to deliver two boxes to the local bank, with each one weighing over 400 pounds.
Now that Daigle has paid of his mortgage, he is eager to start a new hobby and not have to carry around all that spare change.
"I'm too old to pick up those boxes of pennies," he said.
According to the United States Mint, there were 4,938 million pennies produced in 2011 alone. Many are simply lost on the street, as they have depreciated in public opinion. Some people, like Daigle, have made it their mission to recover the loose change and, as anyone knows, those lost coins add up.
That's one message Daigle hopes to spread to his family and all those who read about his achievement.