Gold coins worth thousands dropped into Salvation Army kettles

It’s the holiday season, and the Salvation Army has collected its first gold coin in Chicagoland.

A “Gold Eagle” coin, worth about $1,200, was deposited in a red kettle at a Jewel-Osco in Crystal Lake on Friday by an anonymous donor, the Salvation Army said in a statement.

On Saturday, someone dropped a South African Kugerrand coin, also worth about $1,200, and several gold coins and bars of an undetermined value at a Starbucks in Geneva.

Another two Gold Eagle coins, of the 1 oz. and 1/10 oz. variety, were donated Saturday at a Jewel-Osco in Fox Lake. A 1/10 oz. Gold Eagle coin was deposited at a Walmart in Antioch.

“We are so very grateful to the anonymous donors who bring such joy and excitement to the holiday season,” Lt. Colonel Charles Smith, Salvation Army Metropolitan Divisional Commander, said in a statement.

“But most importantly, these donors are bringing help, hope and comfort to our most vulnerable neighbors,” Smith said.

The Red Kettle campaign started in San Francisco in 1891, and the tradition was brought to Chicagoland about 30 years ago in McHenry County, the Salvation Army said in a statement.

The campaign is part of the organization’s larger Christmas fundraising effort that includes providing shelter, food, disaster response and after-school programs.