A 1 oz gold Krugerrand found in a Salvation Army kettle at my local grocery store. Although I did not post the entire article, it mentions that the Salvation Army volunteers thought it was one of those "golden dollars" at first. Fortunately, someone recognized the coin as a gold Krugerrand. This is one of three Krugerrands found in the Detroit area Salvation Army kettles this holiday season. Hats off to these generous altruists!
It's an amazing and generous act.. I always wonder this.. How does the Salvation Army redeem what the gold coin is worth. I hope they don't take the coin to a rip-off pawn shop and get 1/4 or less of the true value.. that would suck!
I contacted the author because I read that the "Captain said the coin weighed one ounce." I told her that the Krugerrand is 22 karat and should weigh 33.93 grams - not 31.10 grams (troy oz) or even the standard ounce. She responded by saying that the Salvation Army has a coin collector consultant. I guess this isn't the first time something like this has happened. She also said that a total of 4 Krugerrands have been donated in my area. The Krugerrands were dated in the late 70's and early 80's. So I suspect that the Krugerrands came from a single donor. Regardless, these coins were very kind gifts.
Whenever I read of this happening, and it does come up more often than one would expect, I always wonder if the person putting it in there really knows what it is worth. There are much safer ways of donating something of that value.
Funny you mention that. A week or so before I read this article, there was a story about a Salvation Army kettle that was stolen at the very same market. A Salvation Army volunteer left a kettle at the entrance of the store while using the bathroom. When the volunteer returned, it was gone. What bird brain would leave a kettle full of money unattended at the entrance of a busy market? I wouldn't doubt if the volunteer knew the person who stole the kettle. In any case, maybe the person who put the Krugerrands in the kettle felt a little more secure after this incident? Maybe the donor felt bad after hearing about the stolen kettle? In a city where the wealthiest of the wealthy live, I have a feeling the donor knew very well the value of a Krugerrand. We will never know. It's was an honorable gesture nevertheless.
Wow I didn't realize it was so close to me! I have read about it but never realized how close it was I have been to that store many times and my aunt lives close to it. Very kind indeed. Thanks, Jacob
I agree with that 100 percent... Plus, who's to say the people they have watching the bucket and ringing the bell are not pocketing any money from it and are really out there for the right reasons? I personally don't donate anything to the Salvation Army whether bucket or not. I do not trust that organization.
Not to mention, the Salvation Army has a particularly antigay record. There are many better organizations to donate too. Plus, we should not be encouraging that obnoxious bell ringing.
