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"This was much astir staying harmless than abruptly getting rich," said a crypto idiosyncratic who converted a 100-BTC Casascius barroom they bought successful 2012.
A crypto idiosyncratic who had held carnal Bitcoin for astir 13 years talked to Cointelegraph astir what led to his determination to yet determination the coins to a wallet.
On May 13, a BitcoinTalk idiosyncratic going by the pseudonym “John Galt” said they had moved 100 Bitcoin (BTC) from a carnal Casascius barroom to a hardware wallet. Casascius bars and coins are carnal representations of antithetic amounts of Bitcoin, with the backstage keys to entree them attached to movie connected the objects themselves.
Galt said helium had purchased the barroom successful 2012 erstwhile the BTC terms was nether $100.
“Back past I thought Casascius coins were chill and possibly the future,” helium told Cointelegraph. “I figured if Bitcoin ever got large these coins would beryllium portion of past truthful I started collecting.”
100 BTC Casascius bar. Source: BitcoinTalkMore than $10 cardinal successful carnal Bitcoin
On May 13, the terms of Bitcoin was astir $104,000, making Galt’s barroom worthy much than $10 million. Though helium told Cointelegraph helium had considered selling it earlier 2025, it was hard to find morganatic buyers for specified a invaluable commodity.
“Redeeming it felt similar destroying a portion of history, similar melting down immoderate past golden necklace oregon something,” said Galt. “I would’ve mode alternatively sold it full with the sticker and everything inactive intact. But the higher the worth went the harder that got.”
Though the funds were redeemed and much easy accessible done the hardware wallet, Galt said helium had nary contiguous plans to currency out. Before utilizing the backstage keys, helium reported keeping the barroom successful a vault extracurricular his home.
“Having 100 BTC is life-changing for anyone. But the happening is I’ve had it for truthful agelong that this was much astir staying harmless than abruptly getting rich.”Related: Father-son squad says they’ve recovered $6M successful mislaid crypto
There is simply a constricted fig of unredeemed Casascius bars and coins inactive successful circulation, ranging from 0.5 BTC and 1 BTC coins successful brass oregon metallic to 100-BTC gold-plated bars. The carnal Bitcoin contains a backstage cardinal that tin beryllium revealed by unsealing a tamper-evident hologram.
According to the Casascius tracker Uberbills, determination were much than 17,000 coins and bars that were progressive and not yet redeemed. This included 2 1,000-BTC bars worthy much than $100 million, 1 500-BTC barroom worthy $50 million, and 35 100-BTC bars.
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