It’s that giving time of the year again, and those iconic Salvation Army red kettles are popping up at shopping centers around the country. Usually, donors will drop in a quarter, a dollar bill, maybe a $5 or $10. But at least a few folks are dropping coins worth hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
Reports have come in from around the United States of various anonymous donors dropping gold coins into the red kettles. One red kettle volunteer in Tampa, Florida, said someone donated a Thracian Kings Greek gold coin from 44-42 BC graded MS-62 by Independent Coin Graders (ICG) and worth approximately $2,000. The coin was wrapped in a dollar bill.
In Naperville, Illinois, somebody donated a raw 1978 South African Krugerrand worth an estimated $1,600. This gold coin was wrapped in a $2 bill, continuing a tradition that had started more than 30 years ago and has since inspired similar donations throughout the region of some 500 gold and silver coins of all kinds.
Three more South African Krugerrands were dropped into a Salvation Army red kettle in Bristol, Connecticut. The cumulative value of these three gold coins dropped into the red bucket in Connecticut comes to around $4,000.
Where else will these numismatic angels sprinkle their gold (and silver) dust? Wherever they do, or whoever else this post may inspire to drop some of their own spare bullion into local Salvation Army kettles, the altruistic gestures help remind so many others that there’s still plenty of good in this world.
