Man uses $8,000 in coins to buy truck

SPINGDALE, Ohio, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A Spingdale, Ohio, car dealer said a customer dropped $8,000 in various coins on his desk to purchase a truck.

Biff Arnold, finance manger for car dealer Jake Sweeney, said James Jones entered the dealership Wednesday with 16 coffee cans filled with coins and indicated his intent to purchase a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado truck, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Wednesday.

"In my 19 years in this business, I have never seen anything like this," Arnold said. "I have seen many buyers come in with a lot of cash money, but never this much money in coins."

Salesman David Criswell said Sweeny had brought in dimes, quarters, half-dollars, silver and Susan B. Anthony dollars. It took me an hour-and-a-half to count all of it."

Jones said the remaining $8,000 needed for the $16,000 truck was paid for with a check. He said he prefers coins to most other types of currency.

"Paper money will burn, but it is hard to damage coins. I bought four or five rolls of coins each month. I don't know how long it took me to save this amount, probably all my life, spending some of it now and then," he said.