While you’re out buying gifts for everyone on your nice list, chances are you’ll come across a sure sign that Christmas is fast approaching: A Salvation Army bell ringer and one of their iconic red kettles. Most of us will drop in whatever spare change we can quickly dig out of our pockets as we rush by. But for some passerby, the red kettles present an opportunity to play secret Santa in the most generous ways.
Over the years, substantial red kettle donations from anonymous donors have come in many interesting forms. Here are just a few of the valuable oddities that have filled those red buckets in recent years:
Diamonds are a kettle’s best friend?
2011: A worker at a Salvation Army collection center in Shawnee, Kansas noticed a wadded-up piece of paper lying among the coins and bills. He almost threw it in the trash, but decided to open it to be safe. He was astonished to discover that a solitary diamond had been tucked inside. The identity of the generous donor was never found.
To have and to hold….
2011: An engagement ring and wedding band, along with an appraisal, were tucked inside a dollar bill and anonymously slipped into a red kettle outside a grocery store in Henderson, North Carolina. The donor was never identified.
2014: In Cambridge, Massachusetts, a widow placed her engagement ring and wedding band into a kettle with a note saying that the donation was in honor her late husband, who was a “giver.” Another widow later purchased them from the Salvation Army for $21,000 — far more than their appraised value — and returned the rings to the original donor.
A long lost treasure
2016: In Sebastian, Florida, an unidentified passerby placed a 300-year-old gold escudo directly into the hands of the bell ringer. The coin, worth several thousand dollars, had been recovered off the Florida coast from the wrecks of Spanish treasure ships known as the 1715 Plate Fleet. The donor didn’t want to drop the rare treasure into the kettle because he feared it would get mixed in with the other loose coins.
Cold hard cash
2015: A very generous donor dropped a $10,000 check into a red kettle in Jacksonville, FL.
2014: A mysterious donor dropped bundles of ten $100 bills at a time into kettles all over the Minneapolis area, totaling over $14,000.
Silver Bells (“bars”?)
2015: In Syracuse, New York, The Salvation Army received a donation that was too big to fit into a kettle – a 100-ounce silver bar valued around $1,600. The generous donor wished to remain anonymous and was never identified.
Putting their money where their mouth is
2014: Among the most unusual items found in red kettles so far, Salvation Army spokesmen in both Florida and Missouri reported receiving gold teeth in the same year. An anonymous person put four gold teeth in an Orlando kettle, while another donated a single gold tooth in Kansas City.
Worth their weight in gold
The first time a Salvation Army organization reported a gold coin donation was in 1982, when an anonymous donor dropped a Krugerrand into a red kettle north of Chicago. According to legend, the benevolent donor was a World War II veteran who wanted to give something in return for the charity’s service that he received on the front line. Today, Krugerrands and other types of gold coins show up in the Salvation Army’s red kettles all across the country each year, providing solid gold evidence that there is indeed a Santa Claus. For example:
Since 1998: In Fort Collins, Colorado, a pair of 1-ounce gold Krugerrands were slipped into red kettles by the same anonymous donor for almost two decades. The undercover giver always returned later to The Salvation Army to buy back the coins at $1,000 more than their value. Notes and poems in the same handwriting were often attached to the donations, until 2002 – when the coins were accompanied by a note stating that the decades-long secret Santa had died, but the tradition would be continued yearly by the family in his or her honor. And it hasn’t stopped since.
2018: This year, gold coins worth several thousands of dollars have already been anonymously dropped into Salvation Army kettles around the Chicago metro area, including several Gold American Eagles and Gold Krugerrands.
Which brings us to….
Our December giveaway!
We would love to hear about a unique gifting experience you’ve had during the holiday season. Tell us about a time you enjoyed playing “Santa” to put a smile on a special someone’s face, or received the perfect gift at just the right time from an anonymous giver. We may share a story or two on our Facebook page, as well!
Commenting below will serve as your entry for our December giveaway. Submit your comment (one comment only please) by December 31st, and one winner will be randomly selected on January 1st to receive an Argor-Heraeus 1 gram gold bar! Whether you decide to keep it or play secret Santa with it is up to you!
*(No Scrooges allowed! Inappropriate comments will be deleted and disqualified.)
Thanks provident metals
Does a good bottle of whiskey count for a thoughtful gift?
Always check to see if your company has a matching gift program to double the holiday effect!
Happy Holidays
My church partners with a local elementary school. We are given a first name, age, gender, and a short list of needs and wants for students in need. We can then choose who, and how many, we want to buy for.
Every year I am Santa to my little ones. They aren’t so little anymore, but I’m still Santa.
Last year, my son was born in November and he was too young to take out to visit Santa for the season. My uncle surprised us and gifted me his really nice Santa costume to make sure that my son’s first Christmas was a memorable one! I hope to keep passing it on and paying it forward.
Entering the contest, good luck to all
I worked at Toys R Us for the last Christmas season they were open. We helped so many parents figure out the perfect gifts to give that season. We didn’t know that would be the last time Toys R Us would be around for Christmas. Looking back on it makes it all the more special
Great prices at Provident yeah, we’ll be using them more in the future!
I love secret Santa gifts. Let’s remember that Jesus gave us the best gift of all though!
Amen! Jesus offers all His best gifts. But gifts need to be received.
Argor-Heraeus 1 gram gold bar! Count me in! Sadly I don’t have any good Christmas stories.
Then it’s time to make some!
Be a blessing to others!
You will be amazed at how it blesses you!
A friend of mine was driving down the Atlantic City expressway years ago when he spotted a limo broke down on the side of the road. He pulled over and helped the driver change the tire. The driver asked for his name and phone number. A couple months later my friends house was paid off. The passenger in the limo whom he didn’t know at the time was Donald Trump
Merry Christmas to you and yours!!
Provident metals is a great company to do business with. Happy holidays to everyone!!
A few years ago, my mom & I were out Christmas shopping, & there was this homeless man begging for money near a shopping complex. It was cold & raining, so we figured either he was really good at getting sympathy, or he really needed some food. We drove to a nearby Chicken Express & ordered one of the family meals & a large sweet tea. We went back to the complex & handed the food to him. He was shaking, he was so happy. He wouldn’t stop thanking us. We walked back to the car & sat there watching him. He packed up his sign & bike, then walked under a small awning & started wildly digging into the food. He finished the entire family pack in less than 5 minutes.
I was new to a job right at Christmas, so my boss gave me extra time to get settled without counting it against my time off.
This past year at my child’s Autism center in Lafayette, IN, some grinches stole a pallet of special playground “mulch”, the kind that isn’t made of wood and doesn’t give kids splinters.
The center was now out over $ 400. My wife and I looked at each other and broke out the checkbook to cover the whole expense. Thankfully, others in the community felt the same way and donated as well.
Provident is the best priced, most reliable precious metals company out there. Their customer service is outstanding, and their weekly deals are unbeatable. And with free shipping over $99.00, you almost make money on each purchase.
Happy Holidays
Thanks for your great company!
Generosity is such a beautiful idea.
The spirit of giving is strong in the United States. Best wishes to all.
One time I handed some guy a nice hundred it was very random and just happened. It made my day and I’m sure made his as well.
Silver bells! It is the spirit of the season,
Every year around Oct-Nov, I go through my place floor to ceiling and load a few boxes of clothes, movies, etc., and donate them to a local Church charity for use or resale. This year I didn’t have much to contribute so I bought a bunch of food at rock bottom prices and donated it to a local soup kitchen. There are always people in need but especially around this time of year, it’s important to give whatever you can.
I wish all the best to all participants…
My daughter and her husband had a new to them yearling mule who got sick they spent all of their lifes savings trying to save him over 10 thousand dollars sadly he still passed a person we know heard about their effort to save this animal and thru his foundation Cuz He Cares donated $500.00 to help the newly married couple out Neil Cuzner has also just passed but his family is continuing his giving ways. thank you Neil for your giving ways we will never forget you .
Not sure if this counts, just where my Hart is!!!
I know the sweetest little 11 year old one could ever meet!!! She was diagnosed with a rare tumor on her femur, this type of tumor could be 1 of 3 types, 1. none treatable with a dreadful end 2. Treatable but a very long and unpleasent recovery 3. Treatable with a pleasant recovery (i apologize for the description as im not a doctor and i cant properly pronounce the name of the tumor let alone spell it!!!), I was told that when she heard a cadaver bone was going to be used to replace the bone they was going to have to cut out of her femur she would not have anything to do with the surgery(I know, 11 yrs old we all know she has no say so), so to calm her down I told her I would donate the bone fragment that she would need!!! I also let her mother & father know my blood type, so if it could be used mine would be on hand!!! I also rallied friends around the globe to pray for her(one I know for sure is a Muslim) and GOD heard our prayers!!! My 11 year old friend was able to calmly go through with the surgery and she is recovering some what comfortably!!! GOD is good!!! I am now in the process of starting a fund drive to go to her parents for the medical bills!!! In closing, believe it or not, because I don’t have the money to donate to the Salvation ARMY, I would donate the gold barrs if I was blesses with them!!! & I am a man of my word!!!
Provident proving they are the wisest by bringing gold to the people at Christmas !
Jesus got it for his birthday, Now provident are giving it us !.
There is a bell ringer in our area that plays Christmas songs on a steel drum. He is my favorite to donate to.
Happy holidays!