In 1844, the New Orleans mint struck a single ten dollar gold coin proof. It was believed to be a gift for the incoming southern President the following year. The coin went to auction in 1911 and brought $50 and then disappeared for over eight decades. It is rumored to have been in the collection of a distinguished United States diplomat during this time period. A prominent Texas collector had searched for this coin his entire career and finally had the opportunity to acquire it in 1994 for an undisclosed sum. In 2006, the coin traded hands again and brought $1.5 million.

The 1844-O proof is one of the greatest coins to have ever been struck in the United States. The 1844-O proof is even substantially more scarce than the 1933 Saint Gaudens that brought over $7.5 million during the summer of 2002 at a Sotheby’s auction. It is believed that over a dozen examples of that coin exist while only a single example of the 1844-O proof exists.