For fifth year in a row, mystery person drops a gold coin in Salvation Army kettle

For the fifth year in a row, an anonymous (and very generous) soul has dropped a single gold coin in a Salvation Army kettle.

Volunteers at the Salvation Army discovered the coin last week and sold it for $1,220, according to the Kokomo Tribune.

While there is no way to be sure it's the same person dropping the coins, it seems likely. For one, the coins are always the same — South African Krugerrand gold. And for another, the coins are always dropped in Kokomo, Ind.

Salvation Army Capt. Dale Brandenburg spoke to the Kokomo Tribune about the find.

“A great big thank you to whoever did this,” he said. “If we could find the person, we’d tell them how much we appreciate this and how much this helps further our work here in Howard County.”

Brandenburg mentioned the coin sold for $400 less than last year because of the falling price of gold. Nevertheless, the contribution was clearly appreciated. As of several days ago, the Salvation Army in Komomo was still $50,000 away from meeting its fundraising goals.

From the Kokomo Tribune:

“If we didn’t receive that coin, we’d be down another $1,200, so it was a really big help,” he said. “It’s a great donation. We never count on getting it, so it’s always exciting to open up the kettle and see it laying there on the bottom.”

This is the fifth straight year an anonymous person dropped a valuable coin into a Salvation Army red kettle in Kokomo.

Brandenburg estimates that proceeds from the coin will buy three weeks' worth of groceries for the roughly 1,000 or so people the organization helps.

The Kokomo coin giver isn't the only person spreading anonymous holiday cheer. Earlier this week, the person behind the "Tips for Jesus" giving campaign was identified as former PayPal executive Jack Selby.