Every year, NBC 7 sells newspapers to benefit kids at Rady Children’s Hospital. And every year, the same unidentified man makes an unusual—and generous—donation. This year, he donated $220 and five exotic looking coins, including one gold coin. NBC 7’s Wendy Fry reveals what that special coin was worth.
NBC 7 collects hundreds of dollars and spare change on Kids NewsDay, an annual fundraiser that benefits patients at Rady Children's Hospital.
This year, we got a very generous donation -- a rare 1925 Saint-Gaudens gold coin from a man with a heart to match.
"We recognize him," said NBC 7's Whitney Southwick. "He comes every year. He's always very generous. I don't know if he's shy. He just doesn't want to be known."
Tuesday morning, he was Southwick's very first customer. He handed him a $20 dollar bill for the newspaper, and then, an envelope full of $200 and five exotic looking coins.
Rady Children's Hospital Spokesman Ben Metcalf said it's not the man's first unusual donation.
"A couple of years ago, it was an empty peanut bar jar full of dollar coins, and we were very excited about that," Metcalf said. "But today's donation just blew the lid off that. It was an amazing gift and we're so thrilled to get it."
"It really did set the tone and get our energy going for the rest of the day," he added.
All day, the NBC 7 newsroom was speculating and guessing just how much the generous gift was worth.
NBC 7 and Rady's Hospital took the coins to San Diego Coin & Bullion for an appraisal. Four of the coins ranged from face value of $.65 to $65.
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But the never-touched, never-circulated gold one?
"Based in the condition of this coin here, current retail value on this is about $1700," said Chad Martin of San Diego Coin & Bullion.
Martin was so touched by the anonymous man's donation, he decided to match the amount and donate it to Rady's.
This unidentified man never sticks around for any photo opps or "media attention."
"There are those people who don't care about that. They don't want to be in the limelight. They simply want to know that their gift is going to the right place and for the right reasons, and you just love people like that," Southwick said.
You can still make an online donation here.
