Gold coin valued at $2,661 donated to Salvation Army red kettle in Rapid City

The Salvation Army has been ringing their bells collecting donations in their signature red kettles since the Friday before Thanksgiving

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - The Salvation Army has a special surprise waiting for them Tuesday after collecting donations in their signature red kettles since the Friday before Thanksgiving.

A 1998 American Gold Eagle coin valued at $2,661 was wrapped in a $20 bill and donated at the Family Fare on Mt. View Road in Rapid City.

This isn’t the first time a gold coin has been donated in a red kettle, but its wrapping is a first according to Black Hills Area Coordinator Major Jerry O’Neil. He said the donated coins are usually wrapped in Peanuts cartoons.

O’Neil said gold coins show up in red kettles across the nation and whoever is involved stays anonymous with no indication of who it may be.

“It’s just a beautiful, I think a beautiful genuine gift. Whoever does it isn’t seeking to get any kind of notification, they go way out of their way to hide it and make sure nobody know who’s putting it in. In my four years here, sometimes it’s come in at Rapid City, sometimes it’s come in at Spearfish. It’s just been a great, great opportunity, very excited about that,” O’Neil said.

O’Neil added it has been a great bell ringing season despite the late start. He said there are still plenty of opportunities for people to volunteer.

For more information on how you can ring a bell visit The Salvation Army of the Black Hills website.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2024 KOTA. All rights reserved.