There are several undeniable signs that the holiday season is upon us. Twinkling lights on houses, Christmas trees precariously strapped to passing cars, jingles playing at the grocery store, and of course, volunteers ringing their bells next to colorful donation kettles.
In fact, Salvation Army’s trademark candy apple red kettle has become a staple of the Christmas scene. Arguably one of the most famous street holiday campaigns ever, the kettle tradition began in 1891 with Salvation Army officer Captain Joseph McFee, who resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner to the poor of San Francisco.
The idea quickly spread worldwide, but it wasn’t until much later that another “magical” tradition was born—anonymous gold coin donations.
On December 1 of this year, outside a Walmart in a north Houston suburb, a Salvation Army volunteer was surprised to find a rare 1985 Canadian $50 Gold Maple Leaf—valued at $1,300–wrapped inside a $1 bill, along with a note that read: “A child is born, Jesus! Merry Christmas!” An identical coin and note were found in a nearby Sam’s Club shortly after. The identity of the charitable person is unknown.
And this surprising coin donation isn’t an isolated case.
Americans have been dropping gold coins in red kettles all across the country. A one-ounce $100 Australian Kangaroo, worth around $1,200 was found in a donation kettle outside Raleigh, North Carolina for a fifth straight year.
Two Wichita, Kansas charities also benefited from anonymous gold coin donations, each valued at about $1,300.
Similarly, a Good Samaritan in Broward Co., Florida recently slipped in two Mexican 50-pesos, worth about $1,400 each as they are 1.2057-ounce coins.
Gold coin donations have also shown up in kettles in St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Fort Myers and Sioux Falls
“We were always hoping somebody would be kind and generous,” Sally Gress, the army’s director of development, said in a news interview about the gold peso donation. “For somebody to be that generous anonymously is really nice. They do have a heart of gold.”
Gold coins and bullion are commonly purchased by investors as a safe-haven, a long-term strategy for protecting the value of their wealth from inflation.
However, it warms the heart to see people giving away something so valuable to total strangers, without seeking any applause or recognition. For the individuals served by these charities, this truly is a Christmas “miracle.”
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