Salvation Army receives anonymous gift of gold

CHARLOTTE, NC - Gold, valuable and clearly not U.S. currency - that's about all Salvation Army Major Larry Broome knew about a rare coin donation when it first arrived.

"I'm just trying to find out what it's worth," Broome said.

He's also not exactly sure who donated the coin.

"We think it was from one of the banks here in the community," Broome explained. "That someone had an unclaimed safe deposit box...so I think when they have something of value in those kinds of situations they sometimes like to give them to charities."

Through research online, Broome learned the coin, which features Queen Elizabeth, is of Canadian origin and worth a lot more than its original value of $50.

"We've gotten an estimate of at least over a $1,000 for it," Broome said. "So we're hoping that that'll be true."

The money collected from the sell of the coin will be used toward summer camp activities at the Boys & Girls Club and toward daily operations at organization's Center of Hope.

"This will go a long way, perhaps to help somebody in need," Broome said.

And, because the coin is gold, it's value fluctuates daily.

Major Broome plans on getting a second opinion on its estimated value later this week.