Casascius Bitcoins are
physical coins you can hold - and each one is worth real digital
bitcoins.
Bitcoin
is the most widely used open-source peer-to-peer "cryptocurrency"
that you can send over the Internet without a bank or a middleman.
Each Casascius Bitcoin is
a collectible coin backed by real Bitcoins embedded inside. Each piece
has its own Bitcoin address and a redeemable "private key" on the
inside, underneath the hologram.
฿1 Casascius Coin: This is a solid brass coin. Each 1-bitcoin coin is about
1.125inch (28.6mm) in diameter (just bigger than a US quarter but smaller than
a half-dollar) and weighs a quarter ounce. Perfect as a small gift to
introduce someone to Bitcoin. Also available in a ฿5 version which is slightly thicker, nickel
plated.
฿25 Casascius Coin: This brilliant coin is electroplated with real gold. It's
sure to get attention, or at least to take a chat about cryptocurrency out of
the abstract and into the aesthetically pleasing. Each coin is about
1.75inch (44.5mm) in diameter, 2.9mm thick, and weighs about 1.2 ounces.
Makes a great savings gift for someone special.
฿10 Silver Casascius Coin: One solid troy ounce of .999 fine silver,
combined with ten Bitcoins. Comes in a protective capsule and a hinged
presentation box. 39mm diameter. Two versions available: one in plain
silver, and one with gold-plated B.
Casascius
Gold-Plated Savings Bar: Dress
your Bitcoins for tomorrow, make them look their best in your vault
today. Would weigh about 12 ounces if it were solid gold, this is a
4.2-ounce metal alloy bar with gold plating. A neat-looking novelty that
looks unmistakably valuable. Available as a pre-loaded 100 BTC bar, as
well as a non-denominated savings bar. Also available in a
password-protected two-factor version. Bar is 80mm x 40mm x 6mm.
How they
work: The "private
key" is on a card embedded inside the coin and is protected by a
tamper-evident hologram. The hologram leaves behind a honeycomb pattern
if it is peeled. If the hologram is intact, the bitcoin is good.
The 8-character code you
see on the outside of the coin is the first eight characters of the Bitcoin
address assigned specifically to that coin. You can verify the coin's
balance on Block
Explorer. There is a mathematical relationship between the
Bitcoin address and the private key inside the coin. The digital bitcoin is
actually located on the public "block chain" stored on the internet,
but it is completely inaccessible to anyone unless the private key from the
coin is loaded into a Bitcoin wallet.
To recover the digital
bitcoins, there are several ways to convert the embedded code back into a
digital bitcoin so it can be spent over the internet. Most importantly,
none of the methods relies on me or any other central issuer, due to Bitcoin's
completely decentralized design. The embedded private key code is
everything a Bitcoin client needs to find and claim the digital Bitcoins from
the peer-to-peer network. For example, you can enter (or "import")
your coin's private key code directly into Bitcoin clients such as Armory,
Blockchain.info,
or directly into Mt.
Gox as a deposit method. (Casascius coins use the "minikey" private key format, and the main
Bitcoin.org client does not yet support redeeming minikeys.)
Of course, since the face
value of the coins depends on the integrity of the embedded key code, you
should only accept Casascius Bitcoins bearing an undamaged Casascius hologram
from others.
This Casascius Physical
Bitcoins website is operated by Mike Caldwell, 2901 Little Cottonwood Road,
Sandy, Utah 84092. E-mail is casascius at mc2cs.com.
Links:
More
about Bitcoin: We
Use Coins.
Casascius
Coin trackers (made by fans) casascius.uberbills.com casascius.appspot.com
I only
accept Bitcoins for payment for these items. If you need Bitcoins, check
out BitInstant.
products are frequently available for sale on eBay. If you are selling
Casascius Coins in your local area or for fiat currency, please contact me if
you're interested in being linked from here.
NOTE:
Shipping times currently range from 1-7 days. Shipments are typically
done on weekends.
Other ways to get
Casascius Coins (payment methods vary):
HardBTC.org (UK)
Bittiraha.fi (Finland)
microbitcoin.fr (France)
BitInnovate.com (Australia)
Ordering directly from Casascius.com is available only by
invitation. What just happened?
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