Anonymous donor drops $1,500 gold coin in Salvation Army kettle in Noblesville

Elizabeth DePompei | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption No cash? Salvation Army now takes mobile donations Cashless shoppers have a new option to give to The Salvation Army’s red kettle campaign this year using their smartphones. (Nov. 27)

Among the crumpled bills and pocket change, a Salvation Army bell ringer stationed in Noblesville recently found a shiny gold coin in his red kettle.

But not just any gold coin. This coin, a 1915 100 Corona Austrian gold coin, was valued at $1,500. And the name of the man who collected it outside of a Noblesville Walgreens is just as smile-worthy: James Bond.

"It is really cool," Bond said in statement. "I hear about that stuff in the news, but now it's with me, so I feel like I'm part of this big thing that people really care about."

Sam Hyde, a Salvation Army spokesperson for Central Indiana, said every penny is appreciated, but such a large donation can make a bigger difference.

"It just means so much," said Hyde, "… because it means that they went out of their way to do something extra special."

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Since Thanksgiving fell on the last week of November, the Salvation Army has had less time this year to run its red kettle campaign. Volunteers and staff typically start hitting the stores on Black Friday.

"This year has been a tough year. It really has been," Hyde said. "So something like this is a huge jolt to our fundraising efforts."

It's not uncommon for people to mysteriously leave high-valued items in kettles, Hyde said. Things like wedding rings and "the occasional gold tooth."

Funds raised during the campaign allow the Salvation Army to operate two community centers, a homeless shelter for women and children, multiple food pantries and an addiction treatment center in Central Indiana.

Bond said in the statement that he first started ringing the iconic Salvation Army bell, "because I just needed a job."

"But when they said we are the army behind the Army, it just made sense to me that I can ring a bell and make a difference," he said.

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Contact IndyStar reporter Elizabeth DePompei at 317-444-6196 or edepompei@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @edepompei.