An unknown donor dropped a gold coin worth over $1,300 in a Salvation Army red kettle in Phoenix days before Christmas.
A kettle counter at the Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Center in south Phoenix discovered the half-ounce Gold American Eagle coin on Dec. 20. Though its face value is just $25, an appraisal valued the coin at $1,310.
Captain Dustin Rowe with the Salvation Army said the coin was wrapped in a $10 bill.
“As she was unfolding it, she lifted up this blue note and she held up this shiny gold coin,” Rowe said.
That note contained a special message.
“It says, ‘May this gold help the people in need during the Christmas season. Bless you,’” Rowe said.
Rowe said his counterparts in other cities have reported receiving similar donations, but this is the first time an American Eagle coin has been discovered in a red kettle locally.
“We talk about this, and some people think it’s one person and others would argue, ‘Well, how would they get around to all the different sites all throughout the nation?' Which kind of makes them sound like Santa Claus,” he said.
Despite that surprise, the Ray & Joan Kroc Center reports donations are down 18% this year.
According to the Salvation Army, 84 cents of each dollar donated supports local social service programs.
