(La Porte, IN) - There was sort of a gold rush at the Salvation Army in La Porte during the Christmas season.  Two gold coins were dropped into kettles outside Kroger. 

Captain Chris Karlin said one of the coins was dropped into a kettle mayor Tom Dermody helped ring the bell at just days prior to Christmas.  He said the other gold coin was dropped into another kettle manned by other individuals on the same day.

Karlin said there’s been no gold dropped into a kettle in La Porte since 2014, when a set of gold teeth rolled out of a kettle prior to him coming to La Porte.  “I would rather see gold coins than gold teeth.  Gold teeth is kind of a weird one for me,” he said.

Karlin said one coin is smaller than the other with the largest being appraised at $1,800.  The smaller coin is valued at between $400 and $500.  Karlin said the money collected from the coins, to be auctioned off, will be added to the kettle drive total now standing at more than $71,000.