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.)
First, you guys are amazing for doing this!
My story happened some time ago but still reverberates till this day. My family and I (wife three kids and I) had gone out to a nice restaurant. I don’t make much, I work in construction. I had a little extra cash and decided to go some place nicer than what we’re used to. We sat down and noticed some college students sitting at the table next to us. partying it up. I was young once so I had no problem with it. We noticed they were taking shots and… well just having lots of fun. Mind you they are not desrespectfull in anyway. The waitress takes our order and as we wait they Glance over to our table and asked me to take a shot with them. I smirked and politely declined. They pressed the issue a bit, I kept laughing it up with them and continued to declined. Anyway, our food arrived I ejoyed spending much neeeded time with the family. I asked our waitress for the bill and she said it was already taken care of. “What?” I asked extremely confused. I said “I haven’t paid yet.” She said “the table next to you paid the bill.” I was soooo stunned, shock and at loss for words! That bill must have been at least $180! I look over to the table next to us and thanked the student that paid for our meal. He then said “will you take a shot with us now?” My kids and wife also insisted after they had paid for our entire meal. So I said “for sure!” So I did. I’ve never been so thankful and so appreciative at such a wonderful gesture. I’ll never forget that. I hope that soon I will have the means to pay for a families entire meal.
My father lost his leg recently. So I been trying to figure out ways both of could relate more on a hobby platform. He is into gold,silver and stamps. I’m a fan of gold and silver. So I been buying more silver lately just to show all the cool stuff that is out and giving him some silver coins when I buy a few at a time. It lifted his spirits and he started buying silver again. I ended up getting 8 oz recently. So he wanted to top me and got a 10oz bar lol. But that is how our holiday is being spent right now.
Wishing to all the Warmest Seasons Greetings and the holiday gathering filled with wonderfully infectious laughter be it heard through out the land. Abundant blessings and love filled joyous tidings to every beating heart!
My maternal grandfather was an engineer who had published a couple of books on niche mechanical topics 50 years ago. After he died, I managed to track one down to give to my mom.
The donations you have shared, are just the the things we all need to hear about… everyone is so scared of everyone and everything… to hear that there is kind hearted and generous souls out there is such a sight to behold… thank you for sharing… and maybe it will show us it’s ok to be kind to one another. Merry Christmas and happy new year…
Miracles Do happen @ Christmas – So I may Just be The LUCKY Winner !!
My Aunt was an officer in The Salvation Army. It is a great organization all year round.
in years past i have purchased the lay away lists for children’s gifts at walmart. the people that purchase on lay away for Christmas sometimes are working hard to make ends meet, and it always gives me a warm feeling to know that they were about to part with their hard earned money, and are told to keep it. and they get to give the gift they wanted for their child and can put their money towards something else. some times people put things on lay away and can’t follow through and they really need the help. sometimes i have donated to harley riders association toys for tots program. but i prefer to do the lay away giving because these people sometimes are to proud to ask for help and could really use it, even if that isn’t the case i know they can use a small reminder that kindness exists in the world. it may cause somebody to pay it forward. i like that i never know how it played out.
My greatiest gift was my son who is 32 now contacting me for 1st time in 14yrs! It made me the happiest man in world, he told me he loves me and that he remembers times we spent together when he was a child, watching his favorite show then on VHS tape Beetle Juice over and over, we spent hrs on a cold montana winter weekend then, that i treasure forever. His call made this old dad the richiest man alive, we now plan on me moving to Colorado to be near him and my daughter inlaw and 2 beautiful grandkids that i get to be grandpa to.
Merry Christmas to all the Provident Metals employees and customers! Thanks for a great year…looking forward to the next!
I love gold!
Our “Carpender’s Sons” from our church provide donated labor to assist seniors, handicapped and underprivileged all year long in needed repairs. The need is great for assistance of all kinds and the people connections are so rewarding for both the giver and receiver. Please help the less fortunate at every chance you can. Merry Christmas to All !!!!
God Bless the suffering. We need to drop the “We” and “Them” because there is just “Us” on this blue marble.
I try to give to Toys for Tots through our local fire department. Needy little kids deserve a little cheer.
Any thoughtful gift always wins, listening to the needs/wants of the person to receive the gift throughout the year is the key.
I am blown away! With so much greed, indifference, and hate in the world, there are saints still living among us.
A 14 year old teenager really liked and was good at racing motocross. Well his bike blew and he had no way to replace it. I played Santa and made t possible for him to compete on a new bike. He won an adult class race this past Sunday! Oh what a good feeling. Thx for the opportunity.
A 14 year old teenager really liked and was good at racing motocross. Well his bike blew and he had no way to replace it. I played Santa and made t possible for him to compete on a new bike. He won an adult class race this past Sunday! Oh what a good feeling. Thx
Several years ago, my wife started making up little cocoa and marshmallow baskets for people having to work on Christmas Day. Three years ago, we started to make up little bags of peppernuts to give to the workers. Two years ago, we got our church involved. Different people make up the peppernuts from the batter my wife supplies, we have a pizza party to package up the peppernuts, then on Christmas Day we deliver them. People get excited when we thank them for working on a day they would rather be with their family. Honestly, we seem to be even more excited giving them out!
In a world that seems to be getting worse, with bullying etc., It helps to know there are still some special people left. I hope some day I can be as generous as some of the secret Santa stories. Until then I give what I can.
Sometimes the best gift is the gift of your time. Spend some time with a family member you don’t see often, take the time to help out a stranger if the opportunity presents itself. Help out at a local charity or civic organization. Although I was never compensated for my time, one of the best feelings of accomplishment I have had was the time I spent on my local homeowners association board. Being able to help bring about improvements to the community that would have a lasting effect for all was something I was extremely proud of.
Very cool article for this time of the year. Thanks for posting.
My wife has some expensive health problems so this might be a start. Thank you for the giveaway.
I consider myself a very good gift giver, but there was one where I outdid myself and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to top it. I have an ex with quite severe PTSD from years and years as a soldier. He’d once had a small statue of a soldier on the battle field of a war he had fought in. It was a prized possession that was destroyed by his angry ex-wife during their divorce. For his birthday, I found an amazing bronze statue (depicting a different war zone he had fought in) that looked identical to a picture I have of him – all the same gear, same stance, same dog, his units emblem. When he opened it he was speechless and became emotional, then just a few seconds later the stoicism was back in place, however it definitely took him effort to put the emotion away. In that brief time I saw more of his soul than I ever had before and I will fondly remember it forever.
I would like to be able to do this type of thing one day. Bslessings need to be shared, not just one month a year!
Love
A few years back (2015), I donated 40 hours of earned Vacation time ($1,200) to a Co-worker who was sick and unable to return to work.
Never seen that much gold before, so would be nice to win.
I am a widow and I have been blessed to receive a wonderful anonymous gift when I still had 3 young girls at home when my husband passed away. I received a card in the mail with 500.00 cash. I wept because I was in such dire need of help and so thankful. I try to help others as I can because of what was done for me.
I have always donated, not only during the holiday season, but year round…people are in need year round, not only during the holidays…I loved reading about the cool items found in the red kettles…Merry CHRISTmas to ALL………..
They are pretty!