In the past few days, two very valuable gold coins were anonymously plunked into red Salvation Army kettles in Waterloo and in Omaha-Council Bluffs. Susan Eustice, a spokeswoman for the charity in Omaha, says it was a very pleasant surprise.
“Over the weekend, a gold Krugerrand, an African gold coin, was found in one of the kettles in northwest Omaha,” Eustice says. “All last season we went without one but this is our turn and a gold Krugerrand, a half ounce, is worth over $800.” She says no one dropped one of the coins into a kettle during all of last year’s fund drive in the metro area.
“It’s been since 2009 since we’ve seen a rare gold coin,” Eustice says. “We had a couple of Krugerrands that year and we were very delighted to have them and the oddest things pop up in Salvation Army kettles from one coast to the other and in between.”
During the annual holiday fund drive, she says people are very generous. “We do see a lot of dollar bills, multiple $100 bills rolled up tightly with a rubber band stuffed into a kettle and of course that’s great,” she says. “We’ve seen a number of wedding rings, those pop up often, and also other kinds of jewelry, necklaces and bracelets.”
In Waterloo, someone donated a Lady Liberty Double Eagle coin over the weekend, wrapped in several single dollar bills. The one-ounce gold coin is thought to be worth at least $2,000. Both coins will be sold via auction, with the proceeds going to the Salvation Army.
The Red Kettle drive runs through December 24th.