Amid a pile of money dropped into red kettles around Salem Thanksgiving weekend, one coin stood out. Salvation Army workers on Monday were tallying donations from their annual holiday fundraiser when they noticed the unusual piece of metal. It was heavy, about six times heavier than a quarter, and it looked to be made of solid gold.It turned out to be a genuine 1927 $20 double eagle gold coin, worth around $2,600. The coin was dropped in the kettle at the Monmouth Bi-Mart. Its donor remains anonymous. Captain Jeff Walters, who has coordinated kettle donations for The Salvation Army in different places since 2008, said he’s never seen a donation like it. He’s been working in the Salem area for about six years.“I’ve heard about it throughout the country. Sometimes you hear stories of folks who drop a gold coin or a diamond ring or something, but you never think that it’s going to happen in your hometown,” he said. “And sure enough, it happened.” Each holiday season, bell-ringers for the Salvation Army of Marion & Polk Counties stand outside Salem-area businesses to collect donations. The money, often spare change, goes to shelter and support vulnerable people in Marion and Polk counties. Rick Marazzani, the Salvation Army’s director of marketing for Marion and Polk counties, took the coin to get appraised at Accurate Precious Metals in Salem on Monday.“When you get these things, you’re cautiously optimistic that it’s real. It felt real, it looked real, but we needed an expert to authenticate it for us,” Marazanni said.Staff at the jewelry store were able to confirm the coin’s authenticity. Trent Westfall, a supervisor at the store, said that it’s from the era when the U.S. dollar was backed by gold and silver. The nearly century-old coin is 90% gold and 10% copper.“That’s just how they made them back then. That used to be $20 back then,” he said. Today, he said it retails for around $2,600.The coin is a Saint-Gaudens, named after its sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, whose design was used by the U.S. mint from 1907 to 1933, according to Westfall. He said its gold has value, and it’s a collectors item on top of that.“It’s a great piece of history,” he said. He said they see rare coins, including Saint-Gaudens, in the Salem store on about a weekly basis.Westfall said he shared the news with the store’s owner, who was “ecstatic” that their store was able to help the Salvation Army with the special gift. The donation will go toward the organization’s work to shelter people experiencing homelessness, assist families with groceries, utilities and housing and to serve hot meals. The organization has run the Lighthouse Shelter in Salem since 1966, offering emergency beds to adults along with showers, laundry and meals.In the past year, 30,175 people in Marion and Polk Counties got help through their family services, and there were over 8,092 shelter nights, according to Marazanni.The Salvation Army will soon give away around 10,000 toys for children in time for Christmas. They take donations with the buckets, online and in-person at the Kroc Center, 1865 Bill Frey Dr. N.E.Walters’ doesn’t know who donated the coin, but thanked them for their selflessness. He said it will have a big impact for local families.“We’re grateful for every penny, to be honest. But something like this stands out,” he said. “The impact goes a long way. We’re very grateful for the coin, grateful to the donor. Whoever gave this to us trusts us to put this gold to good use to make a difference in this community.” The 1927 coin was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, whose art was used by the U.S. mint between 1907 and 1933. (Courtesy/ Rick Marazzani) Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Anonymous donor drops rare gold coin in Salvation Army kettle outside Monmouth Bi-Mart appeared first on Salem Reporter.