Husband, wife discover 1 million pennies at Los Angeles home

John Reyes and his wife were astonished when they stumbled upon a remarkable discovery while cleaning out her late father's former residence in Los Angeles. Tucked away in a concealed space in the basement of their Pico-Union neighborhood home, the couple unearthed a hidden treasure of one million pennies.

Their ambitious renovation plans for the house brought John Reyes, his wife Elizabeth, Elizabeth's sister, cousin, and their spouses together for the daunting task of decluttering the property. The residence had been occupied by Elizabeth's father, Fritz, and his brother, German immigrants who had accumulated an assortment of belongings over many years until Fritz's passing and his brother's relocation.

Amidst the process of tidying up, they stumbled upon a few stray pennies, which soon led them to several boxes filled to the brim with these coins. John Reyes vividly described the family's incredulity upon this extraordinary find.


To ascertain the authenticity of the pennies, the family members verified that they were indeed copper and not the zinc variety introduced by the United States in 1982. In an attempt to determine the quantity of coins they possessed, they meticulously weighed each bag and arrived at a staggering estimate: a minimum of one million pennies.

The initial thought of utilizing a Coinstar machine to convert their newfound wealth into a more manageable form crossed their minds. However, the idea was swiftly discarded due to the machine's 8% processing fee, coupled with the logistical challenge of transporting such a vast quantity of pennies back to their home in Ontario, California.

Months passed as they encountered numerous hurdles while attempting to find a bank willing to accommodate such an immense quantity of coins. Eventually, John Reyes resorted to listing the pennies for sale on OfferUp, a popular online platform for buying and selling. He set the asking price at $25,000, hoping to find an interested buyer.

Various offers trickled in, but none provided a complete solution to rid the family of their copper-filled predicament. John Reyes understood that the value of the pennies lay not only in their monetary worth but also in their extraordinary nature. Settling for anything less than their full value would be contrary to the principles held by his late father-in-law, a sentiment he cherished and sought to honor.

FAQs

Q1. What is the full form of LA?
A1. The full form of LA is Los Angeles.

Q2. What types of pennies were used in the US?
A2. Zinc, Copper.