10 Dollars - Elizabeth II 3rd Portrait, Sinking of the General Grant, Gold Proof

The General Grant, an American bark, wrecked on the Auckland Islands in May 1866 while en route from Melbourne to London carrying a consignment of gold. Of the 83 people aboard, only 15 survived. A rescue attempt years later recovered almost nothing — but persistent rumours of undiscovered gold in the wreck's sea cave location have driven at least a dozen salvage expeditions since, none successful.

New Zealand's commemorative gold program in the 1990s leaned heavily on maritime disaster subjects. The proof mintage for this issue was tightly limited.