4 Gold Coins, $927 Left in Crystal Lake Red Kettle

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL -- Some generous local residents left a total of $927 in cash, four gold coins and a silver bar in a Salvation Army red kettle in Crystal Lake over the weekend. Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department Lt. Darrell Cook was manning the red kettle at the Jewel-Osco from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday and noticed how generous people had been all afternoon and evening. He also noticed that the kettle was really heavy, according to a post on the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Facebook page.

When he turned it into employees with the Salvation Army he said, “I would love to know the total of this one.”

Shortly after arriving home, he got a phone call. It turned out that kettle had $927 in cash, a silver bar and four gold coins, which are known as Krugerrands, in it. Gold Krugerrands have been worth $1,275 on average, according to monex.com, which is a website focused on coin and bullion trading.

“I’m blown away by the generosity in this community,” Cook wrote in the Facebook post. “My heart and mind are completely overfilled with love from this incredible day.”

Photo via the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department