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.)
Wishing all you stackers joy, good health and prosperity in the coming year!
It’s nice to give back. Just once I wish someone would drop a 100oz silver bar at my doorstep;)
Merry Christmas
Here’s to hoping for a late Christmas gift! Thanks Provident Metals!
Cool!
Happy Holidays everyone! 🙂
Happy Holidays!
For our family, it’s always about the fact that we can all be together.
Happy Holidays to All!
Brand new to collecting Silver Eagles or silver of any sort and Provident was my first ever order.
Received my first 6 on Dec 17 and was not disappointed at all.
Very easy ordering and prompt shipping….. first class service and I recommend Provident to anyone.
I bought and gave away numerous silver bars in the past to try and promote people’s awareness of real money. So few understand the value of precious metals/
Could be ploys to advertise the charity… im a skeptic..
Merry Christmas!
Had no idea they came back and bought the kurgerrand back each year
Well, those are some fun ways to wish someone a Merry Christmas!
I got my first silver coin from my neighbor this Christmas.
I’m hooked.
My Dad and Uncle would give me a silver dollar every year for Christmas when I was little (sometimes a Morgan). My uncle passed away eventually and my parents lost a lot in 2008. I didn’t appreciate the silver at the time, but now I am extremely the that I had a basis for starting my PM stacks.
One of the books that was required to read in college was, five lessons I learned from a millionaire. One of the lessons was building wealth in small ways. Stashing money away, and not in a way that is easy to spend. One suggestion was purchasing gold and silver coins. This year I purchased silver coins for my two oldest, to help start their interest in saving money, and watching it grow. I’ve done this over the years and it is fun to watch as my stash slowly collects new coins and add two my wealth. It helps to foster an attitude of saving and it becomes addictive.
Pay it forward 🙂
I prepared a surprise meal for my co-workers, i believe the best gift is food, you never know what people will sacrifice for others, including themselves! Happy Holidays!
It’s a small gesture, but one thing I enjoy doing throughout the year is looking for lost change on the ground and instead of keeping it, either giving it to my daughter or another young child nearby. Guaranteed smiles for all!
That’s pretty awesome.
My uncle always gave is 2 dollar Bill’s. Still have all of them. Started the same with my son and nephew.
Cool bar!
Every year we buy a gift for the unprivileged children at my works Christmas tree gifts
It seems that now all you ever hear about is negative stories or how divided the world is. It takes posts like this to remind you that everything isn’t so bad and people really do care about each other. Thank you for the positive post.
Be kind to each other and Happy Holidays!
Unfortunately, I have never received, nor have I been given a secret Chrismas gift. However, my current profession allows me to serve others on a daily bases.
Best gift received was a silver certificate. 🙂
My nieces and nephew are really going to love the shiny silver I got them for Christmas. Thank you for such great service. Hopefully their imaginations go wild
Happy holidays!
The generosity of people sometimes astounds me.