A rare $20 "double eagle" gold coin minted in 1870 was sold for $1.44 million at a Southern California auction on Tuesday, drawing avid collectors eager to claim the prized piece of history.

Each $20 donation was matched by $100 from an anonymous donor. One of the items dropped into a red kettle at the South Minnesota Avenue Hy Vee was a valuable gold kruggerand. The Salvation Army ...