It isn't Christmas without Fort Collins' Krugerrand. Here's the story behind this year's coin.
At this point, it's not Christmas in Fort Collins without a Krugerrand coin.
In what's become a 24-year tradition, a 1-ounce gold South African Krugerrand coin was dropped off in one of Fort Collins' Salvation Army red kettles the weekend before Christmas, according to local Salvation Army Capt. Genesis Apuan.
The coin — currently valued around $1,800, according to Apuan — was left in Luis Salazar's red kettle outside the King Soopers on John F. Kennedy Parkway. This marks the second year in a row Salazar's kettle has received Fort Collins' Christmas Krugerrand.
The tradition began in 1998 when an anonymous donor dropped a gold Krugerrand coin into a Fort Collins Salvation Army kettle in the weeks leading up to Christmas, according to Coloradoan archives. Almost every year since — except 2001 — one, and sometimes two, Krugerrand coins have been wrapped in notes, poems or dollar bills and deposited in a local kettle.
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The mystery donor seems to favor bell ringers who go above and beyond, The Salvation Army previously told the Coloradoan. In past years, the Krugerrand had been dropped in the kettle of a bell ringer who played his guitar and sang Christmas carols to passersby. It was also dropped multiple times in the kettle of Robert Thompson, a bell ringer known for greeting customers and opening the door for them at Hobby Lobby, where he was stationed in recent years.
Adding to the tradition's mystique, a man has occasionally come into the Salvation Army after a Krugerrand coin was donated to anonymously purchase it, but that hasn't happened in several years, according to Apuan, who typically sells the Krugerrand to a local coin shop.
This year's coin was found tightly wrapped in a note and dollar bill, Apuan said.
The note read: "Has the world become better, let's not pretend. The headlines are filled with horror, and pain. The Faces you see show signs of strain. Humanity can triumph over hate, but in order to happen, we all must participate. As we drop this Gold coin, each year a tradition, we hope a better world will come into fruition. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."
"The volunteer counter who found the Krugerrand opened the dollar bill just like a child opening a gift on Christmas morning," Apuan added in an email to the Coloradoan. "It was pretty exciting. Each year is exciting."
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This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins Salvation Army gets Krugerrand again
