Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ August 2023 sale of Physical Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency achieved record total prices of $730,624—a more than 30% increase from their August 2022 offering. This result stands as the firm’s most valuable Physical Crypto offering to date, pushing their total results in this category past $2 million for the year and above $4 million since their first Crypto sale in 2021.
The August 2023 sale was headlined by an incredible Specimen-68 (PCGS) 2012 Casascius 10 Bitcoin which sold for $312,000—a significant 20% premium above the loaded value. It was originally purchased for about $170 in October 2012 when bitcoin was trading at around $10.
A silver Proof-69 Deep Cameo (PCGS) 2013 Casascius 1 Bitcoin took second-place in the sale, earning $52,800 for a premium of over two times the loaded value. Several rarities were offered from the popular brass Casascius series, including a 2011 1 Bitcoin that sold for $50,400—nearly two times the loaded value—and a 2013 1 Bitcoin that earned $48,000.
The Lealana series also generated excitement among collectors, with a 2013 0.25 Bitcoin selling for $18,000 (nearly three times the loaded value), a 2013 0.1 Bitcoin realizing $5,760 (over two times the loaded value), and an Unfunded 2013 “Gold B” 1 Bitcoin bringing $6,600 without any underlying crypto value associated.
This sale marked the firm’s debut of a 2016 BTCC “Poker Chip” 0.5 Bitcoin which sold for $22,800, or more than a 75% premium above the loaded value. Also debuting was an Unfunded 2022 Polymerbit “Bitcoin Banknote,” which achieved a strong result of $1,140 without any underlying crypto value.
Coins from the Litecoin currency saw similarly strong demand among collectors, with a Lealana 25 Litecoin selling for $4,800 (over 2.5 times the loaded value), a Lealana 10 Litecoin selling for $2,040 (nearly three times the loaded value), and a Lealana 1 Litecoin selling for $960 (over 13 times the loaded value).
With more than $730,000 in Physical Cryptocurrency sold in August 2023 and over $4 million in total sales since 2021, Stack’s Bowers Galleries has established itself as the leading resource for this new and exciting category. The auction firm is now in the final stages of preparing their November 2023 Physical Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency sale which will be posted for pre-bidding in early October. To register for bidding or to order a copy of the printed catalog, contact specialist James McCartney at JMcCartney@StacksBowers.com or call (800) 566-2580. The firm is now accepting consignments of Physical Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency to their spring 2024 and summer 2024 auctions.
About Stack’s Bowers Galleries
Stack’s Bowers Galleries conducts live, Internet and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company’s nearly 90-year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The D. Brent Pogue Collection, The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Joel R. Anderson Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection, The Sydney F. Martin Collection and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few. World coin and currency collections include The Pinnacle Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Salton Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, and The Thos. H. Law Collection. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, with galleries in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. Offices are also located in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, Hong Kong, Paris and Vancouver. Stack’s Bowers Galleries hosts an annual Global Showcase in August featuring United States coins and currency, Ancient coins and World coins and currency in its Costa Mesa auction gallery. They are also the Official Auctioneer for several important numismatic events, including the New York International Numismatic Convention, the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Spring, Summer and Winter Expos, the Spring and Fall Hong Kong shows, and the Maastricht Paper Money Shows.
