A $10 gold coin, made for President Andrew Jackson to give as a diplomatic gift during trade missions to Asia, was sold last week to a private collector for US$5 million.

The 1804 Eagle coin, actually made in 1834 at the Philadelphia Mint, is one of only four remaining examples of the coin. The same coin sold for US$1 million in 2003 and again in 2005 for US$2.47 million. That’s a very healthy appreciation in only a few years.

The coin shows a “Miss Liberty” wearing a turban and surrounded by 13 stars representing the original 13 colonies. The word “Liberty” is near the top of the coin and the date 1804 is at the bottom. The reverse shows a spread-winged eagle and the words “United States of America.”

The sale equals the record for the world’s second most valuable coin, matched by a 1913 nickel sold earlier this year. The world’s most valuable coin is a 1933 Saint-Gaudens gold Double Eagle that was sold to an anonymous buyer for US$7.59 million.

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