An extended-time Bitcoin holder has lastly cracked open one of many rarest bodily Bitcoin collectibles in existence—a Casascius bar loaded with 100 BTC.
The collector, who goes by the identify John Galt on the Bitcoin Speak discussion board, initially purchased the bar in 2012 for simply $500. 13 years later, he redeemed it when the highest crypto crossed the $100,000 mark, unlocking a fortune now price over $10 million.
In impact, he noticed a return of practically 2,000,000% on his modest 2012 funding.
Based on Galt, the choice to redeem wasn’t straightforward, as he had struggled significantly with the stress of holding a single object price hundreds of thousands.
He additionally highlighted his previous wrestle to promote the bodily coin and his reluctance to accept lower than Bitcoin’s digital worth.
He wrote:
“I didn’t need to redeem it, although. To me, a bodily Bitcoin that hasn’t been redeemed feels prefer it’s price extra than simply the cash. I did attempt to promote it a couple of instances, nevertheless it’s onerous promoting one thing that useful, and you actually can’t belief simply anybody. I even regarded into auctions, however I’d be getting lower than what the Bitcoin itself was price.”
The legacy of Casascius Bodily Bitcoins
Casascius bodily bitcoins, first minted in 2011 by Mike Caldwell, are among the many most iconic collectibles in crypto historical past.
The bars and cash, embedded with actual BTC, got here in denominations from 0.1 to 1,000 BTC. Over time, they turned coveted artifacts for collectors and early adopters alike.
Based on the web site:
“Every Casascius Bitcoin is a collectible coin backed by actual Bitcoins embedded inside. Each bit has its personal Bitcoin deal with and a redeemable “non-public key” on the within, beneath the hologram.”
Nevertheless, manufacturing halted in 2013 after the US Monetary Crimes Enforcement Community (FinCEN) categorized Caldwell’s operation as a cash transmission service.
Regardless of that, the coin’s worth has continued to rise in financial and historic worth. Notably, bodily cash preserve collector worth and sometimes promote on secondary markets like eBay for as a lot as $20,000.
Up to now, greater than 10,000 Casascius cash have been redeemed, with over 18,000 nonetheless lively or unclaimed, in line with casasciustracker.com.
