The Salvation Army is cleaning up

PENSACOLA, Fla. - A platinum coin estimated to be worth more than $1,000 couldn't fit in a Salvation Army kettle, so the donor handed it over to the bell ringer.

An unidentified person donated the coin Friday outside a Belk department store.

"The man who donated the coin tried to put it in the kettle, but it wouldn't fit," Salvation Army spokeswoman Yvonne Warthen said. "So he just handed it to the bell ringer. It just shows how honest our bell ringers are."

The coin's face value is $100, but the Salvation Army had it appraised, and initial estimates put its value at about $1,300. The coin is from 2006 and is stamped with an image of the Statue of Liberty.

The Salvation Army has also received at least eight gold coins in its kettles this year. One, a one-ounce South African Krugerrand worth about $800, turned up earlier this month in Washington. And gold coins have turned up all the way back to 1982, the group said.

Salvation Army officials also have reported getting an Indian head gold coin in Barre, Vt., one-ounce American Eagle coins in Prescott, Ariz., and Fargo, N.D., and a Lady Liberty coin in Grand Island, Neb., among other unusual coins.