An 80-year-old man from Moine, Illinois, has sensibly decided to remain anonymous after accidentally handing in a coat full of money to a goodwill store.

The unnamed man's wife suffers from cancer, and the $13,000 (£8,000) he left in his grey suit jacket pocket was being used to offset medical expenses.

After letting the charity in question know of his mistake, the workers at Goodwill Of The Heartland have been working hard to recover his lost cash, but with 575,000 items donated over the past 12 months, things aren't looking good for the unexpecated philanthropist.

"It's been extremely heart-warming, the number of people reaching out to help," said Goodwill Of The Heartland marketing manager Dana Engelbert. "The phone at the Moline store rang almost non-stop with people calling about it and I've received emails from as far away as Germany."

This tale might make you want to donate money to the poor fellow - but he's insisting he won't take any handouts.

"He's embarrassed by it and we're trying our best for him," Engelbert explained.

If the coat is found, the man and his family are offering $1,000 for anyone who hands in the cash - so if you spot a grey suit jacket full of cash in the Illinois area, let a brother know.