MARIETTA, Ga. 鈥� A global company has stepped in to solve quite a 鈥渃oinundrum鈥� for a Georgia man.
Andreas Flaten鈥檚 former employer dumped at least 90,000 pennies on his driveway last month as a form of final payment for his work at an auto shop, he said.
When Bellevue, Washington-based Coinstar heard about his predicament, they decided that change was needed.
They picked up Flaten鈥檚 coins on Thursday and rounded up the amount to give him a $1,000 check.
They also made donations to two charities of Flaten鈥檚 choosing: two animal shelters.
鈥淐oinstar has been in the coin business for 30 years and we process approximately 41 billion coins annually 鈥� so picking up 91,000 pennies was all in a day鈥檚 work,鈥� Coinstar CEO Jim Gaherity said in a statement.
Flaten said his former employer 鈥� A OK Walker Autoworks in Peachtree City 鈥� owed him $915 after he left his job there in November.
He finally got his pay earlier this month in the form of thousands of oil- or grease-covered pennies dumped at the end of his driveway in Fayetteville, Georgia. Atop the pile: an envelope with Flaten鈥檚 final paystub and a goodbye note that featured an obscenity.
Flaten had been spending an hour or two every night trying to clean the pennies, which he stored in a wheelbarrow in his garage.
The owner of the shop, Miles Walker, told WGCL-TV that he didn鈥檛 know if he did or didn鈥檛 drop the pennies off at Flaten鈥檚 house.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 really remember,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter. He got paid, that鈥檚 all that matters.鈥�
Jeff Martin, The Associated Press
