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.)
Give me all the golds…ha ha ha!
Would love my first gold piece be this to add to my stack! Good luck to all!
Nice design.
I proposed to my wife on Christmas Day 2014. Needless to say I made her Christmas that year!
I want that little beauty!!
Crossing my fingers.
I would love to win anything from Provident Metals…love everything you carry..
That’s a really nice prize.
Always have had good luck with Provident. You guys use to send those magnets with orders but stopped. Bring the magnets back!
I wish!!
When my daughter was eight, she was diagnosed with type one diabetes. And the local Lions Club got together and decided to offer us some money to help offset our bills. One of the Lions Club members wife worked at our school and help take care of my daughter. I was very thankful for their help
Provident Metals giving away gold! Sign me up!!
Wish you. A Merry Christmas!
Provident metals is the best!
It would be nice to win something for Christmas. Gold is shiny with me.
Years ago, my family used to do a 12 Days of Christmas gifting theme. We’d choose a family in the community and leave gifts at their doorstep everyday at a random time until Christmas.
Also, my dad always reached out to help people in need around Christmas. I remember him and I picking up a stranger in the cold, looked like she had been crying, and we gave her a ride home. It’s the little things.
I ❤️ the Salvation Army!
From growing up going every year to get “new” school clothes from the local SA thrift store to the bell ringers at the entrance to every store, during the holidays. The SA has given me so much!!! I have always tried to give a little bit to each “bell ringer”.
The Salvation Army has always reminded me of all of the good, peaceful, happy, warm and joyess family memories as they would always accompany family gatherings every winter break!!!
I was working in a shop where we printed Christmas cards, among other things. We knew the shop would be closing soon due to the economy in 2011. For that Christmas season I was working alone for five out of six days each week. On saturdays the owner and another guy would come in to work. Somehow we were able to finish the season without going insane. The owner gave me my standard bonus, which was nice. He knew I’d be spending it on things like car repairs or some other necessity. He wanted me to have something that was just for fun so he got me an iPad. It was very thoughtful, something I never would have bought myself. We still have it and use it every day.
We always tip our waiters and waitresses even more than 20% near the holiday season.
The eternal money asset, gold.
Thank you for the entry and Merry Christmas Provident!
You are watching Fox! We are watching Fox. Happy Festivus.
This is my entry. Merry Christmas to all and good luck!
Every year we save all of our change threw out the year and around Christmas time, we wait until we find a homeless person and give them the entire bag of change and loose dollar bills.
Hi, I’m Bill, a Night Stalker for life, retired Army Veteran, and beginner farmer/prepper. I recently, 2013, started stacking and I primarily buy from Provident Metals. They are the best for military as they give us a small discount, for which I cannot say enough that I am gratefully thankful, that is enough for me to buy a little more from them later. It’s not much, but I’m unemployed and every “wheat” penny counts, lol. I’m the richest man on Earth without a cent, thanks to my Ag and Au. This gram would be an awesome addition to my collection.
I also donate to several military organizations annually such as the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. They help my fellow special ops families who’s Warrior has moved on to met Odin in Valhalla. I challenge your to make a small contribution and help someone today at https://specialops.org/ways-to-give/
NSDQ! SGDM!
I think anytime you give someone a gift or surprise them it is truly an awesome experience. There is just something about bringing more joy to another human being or even animal for that matter, which on a basic level we all have a need for.
Recently, I asked a friend to do some work for me on a special project. He has started a small business and is just starting out which means he does not have all the equipment he needs, I figured I would pay him in trade. Some rough materials to do the project and a specialized tool for his new business. What he did not know is that i also included a few more tools and some bonuses for all of his work and for the fact he is always there for others.
I know that my friend will love his gift and that already has filled me with more joy than any physical gift could give.
Thanks for the very cool question and contest!
Merry Christmas to you and all the precious metals communities in the world!!
Thank you, I will accept free hold from provident.
Several years ago a colleague of mine, arrived to work on Christmas. He past out copper rounds to all of us working that day. That I can say was the start of my venture in to the gold and silver, I’ve been smiling ever since.
Been a loyal customer! Always deliver quality products and customer experience!
A few years back during the summer I stopped at Kroger for ingredients for dinner. It was just after 5 pm, so of course the store was nuts and I was on time pressure to pick up my daughter. I jumped into a short line to check out and a grandmother with a small child were trying to check out. Problem with the card, manager was summonsed. English was not her first language, so their was a barrier there to. I jumped back out of line and went to the self checkout, got my stuff and was on my way out the door. Grandmother was in the door with a small bag of groceries trying to explain to the obvious upset young boy why they were not able to get some food item he really was looking forward to. Started out the door and I get to my car and it sinks in, she didn’t have the money. She was so loving with the boy, trying so patiently explaining to him they just didn’t have the money. So now I’m at my car and out they come. I pulled $20 out of my pocket and call Mam, Mam, until I get her attention. I hold it out to her and she indicts No, No. I said you didn’t ask for it, just accept it. She smiles and says thank you. I get in my car and she is talking to the boy and pointing at me. He smiles and waves hard. They go back in the store and I drive away. One of the best days of my life.
Free gold from Provident Metals giveaway.
I honestly wish I could afford to do this. Maybe if I had a gram bar, I could…