I love a good coin story, and this is the best one I’ve read in a while:

A few weeks ago Orlando firefighter Brad Lehnen and the crew at station 10 hit the streets like they do every year, collecting money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, dollar after dollar filling the boot. But what Lehnen didn’t realize is there was a little surprise inside when he dumped out his boot. “I started counting all the bills. Sifting through the change and their was a gold coin at the bottom,” said Lehnen.

[T]his is the first time the MDA in central Florida got a rare coin, a 1912 gold coin with an Indian head on it. … [A coin dealer told Fox News] the two-and-a-half dollar coin is worth about $200.00.

That news account reminded me of my favorite coin story of all time. It’s my favorite because it involved friends of ours.

Our friends regularly frequented the “Too Good To Be Trash” facility at our local dump, where people took old or broken items they didn’t want anymore but that other people might be willing to whip back into usable shape. Our friends scored some great finds over the years, including a grandfather clock that needed a minor repair but was otherwise in fantastic shape.

One day while our friend was scouring the non-trashy goods on the grounds with her daughter, they caught a glimpse of something shiny on the pavement. At first glance, they thought it was just toy money, but a closer inspection made them think it was real gold. And indeed it was.

I don’t recall the denomination or the exact year, but it was a U.S. gold coin from the 1800s. It wasn’t extremely valuable (maybe $150), but it was absolutely free — and a great piece of history. Even better, it’s now a family heirloom with a great story behind it.