Bitcoin Forum

OK, I have an idea.  I want the community to be able to give those gold-foiled chocolate "Casascius Coins" for Halloween this year, and shove them in everybody's stockings for Christmas.  And I guess they do chocolate coins for Hanukkah, of course.

Here is what I have in mind: a "Casascius Bitcoin design" mimicking my coins on the front, and on the back, some sort of zinger like "HONEST MONEY - Gold, Silver, and Bitcoin" on the back, meant to entice someone into at least Googling it.

I want to do a custom run of coins, but I'm not really interested in estimating the demand, reselling them at a markup that no one wants to pay, having them melt or spoil because I wasn't careful enough to store them.  So here is what I want to do:

1. Find one of these chocolate companies that do custom coins and I buy a batch of them for myself.  I will pay the fees to make sure the artwork and dies get done.  I will ask if they will cooperate with my nefarious plans to get them more business:
2. I ask them to keep the die on hand because I plan to send my buddies over to order coins just like me.  I ask them to put the die in a special place, sharpie it with the name Mike Caldwell and not charge any of my friends the $45-per-side creation charge for the custom die.
3. You go to their website and place your own order for chocolate bitcoins, sent directly to you, in the flavor of your choice.

If I do that, each of you could order like 500 of these coins and spam everyone you know IRL with eye-catching and mouth-watering bitcoins, and you wouldn't have to worry about paying for them to be shipped twice.

What say ye?  It looks to me like chocolate coins are maybe in the 0.16 - 0.18 USD range for orders of a few hundred coins.

UPDATE: Here is the coin design, which has been optimized with the help of the chocolate company I've been working with to look best on a chocolate coin.

https://en.bitcoin.it/w/images/en/8/89/Casascius_Choco_Coin.png

Also, looks like the price will be 0.15 USD regardless of quantity (plus shipping).  There is a minimum order of 500, so that's $75 worth of coins.  They are shipped from Texas, US, and are guaranteed (within the US) to arrive undamaged.  It looks like their lead time is 5 days, so that should be in time to have them long before Halloween.

Here is how to order, best I can tell.

1. Go to http://www.gocandy.com - choose Coins, then choose Chocolate Coins.
2. Choose the foil color, flavor, and quantity you want.
3. For the design, in the category list, choose "Bitcoin".  (They added a section!)
4. Please post in the thread that you ordered, I'm interested to know how many decided to jump on this.

ALSO: if you are put off by the minimum quantity, please post in the thread.  I may be willing to accept prepayment (in BTC) for as few as 100 coins and then place a big order myself and mail them right back out (using USPS Priority Mail, cost $5.15) immediately upon arrival.  You'd have to pay in advance, because I'd want to be able to ship them back out the minute they got here.  Note that when ordering directly from the chocolate company, you get the benefit of them guaranteeing their safe arrival, as well as checking your weather and adding free ice-packing when necessary... I am not in a position to offer that same guarantee and would be forwarding these with zero markup, so just so you're aware, it's at your own risk.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION regarding storage and shelf life:  These should last for 1 year if kept at COOL ROOM TEMPERATURE, do not refrigerate or freeze.  more storage information on their website.

I'm in. Great idea.

You have my purchase.

will i need to ultrasound them to make sure its real chocolate?

Good plan, I'm in.

I'll take at least 100 if that's about $20.  Maybe more if they look awesome.  I'm gonna be a bitcoin for halloween, so this is perfect for my costume theme :)

I probably wouldn't spend more that $50 on this without serious buyin from the boss (wife), haha.  I'll definitely pass them out to kids & see if I can get others to throw down.

I'll check with others this week.

I would buy some.

mmm. bitcoins. absolutely.

I would order a few hundred.

I would order if it is Fair Trade chocolate.
Because it's for Bitcoin I'll make an exception.

if they ship internationally definitely take a bunch.

I will invest in these just so that I can get in while they are cheap and then sell them when demand raises the price through the roof.

I'd buy some for Hanukkah.

These could be a great addition to the colored bitcoins idea. Flavored bitcoins!

I'm in for $30 at least.  Double that if they accept bitcoins as payment.

I'm in.  Hurry, October is almost here.

Ordering information has been placed immediately under OP.

Order placed, 500 assorted colors.  I'll let you know how it goes.

If you want to go on my website and place an order, you can. https://casascius.com

Just place a blank order that consists only of Priority Mail Shipping.  Put in the notes that you want some chocolate coins and how many.  Mine will be gold foil.  Pay $15 worth of BTC (MtGoxLast) per 100 choco coins, plus the listed shipping charge, to the bitcoin address given by my site (unique to your order).  Don't worry - my order system is automatic only to the extent that it prices coins and dispenses bitcoin addresses, but everything else is manual and I will see the request and the extra payment.

I just ordered 2500 myself from gocandy, so I should have mine soon.

500 ordered

Ordered. You are the man.

These don't even look like they have anything to do with Halloween, which is actually quite perfect.

Cuz then, I can justify ordering 500.  Then I can start taking them EVERYWHERE. Fifteen cents is exactly what I need to be able to drop 10 of them in the lunch room every week :)

Good stocking stuffers, too!  Getting excited!  I will order later this week and place confirmation here.  I'll see if others want to get in on my order with me.

Awesome!

GoCandy.com added the artwork to their website under the category "Mike Caldwell" so it can be ordered directly!

I asked them to rename it to "Bitcoin", noting that it's likely to result in ongoing orders rather than just a one-time burst. UPDATE: done

I'm wondering what else might be a popular design that others might be interested in ordering.  Any suggestions?  I thought "YOU ASKED FOR CHANGE, WE GAVE YOU COINS" might be a good one.  ("CHANGE" written in Gotham font, which looks like how it is used in Obama campaign)

Update: https://en.bitcoin.it/w/images/en/8/89/Casascius_Choco_Coin.png

What about backing them with bitcoin? Just like a real Casascius coin. Maybe 1 Satoshi?

Any word on whether the coins through gocandy.com taste alright?

These are so cool :) Too bad they don't have dark chocolate though.

Suggestion for designs:

Make a design with the Ƀ logo instead of the other one. I know it doesn't match your coins, but still :)

I think you just figured out how to market bitcoins to women.  ;D

I swear they did - it was on the same menu where you drop down to choose the foil color - which currently has "Gold (Milk)", "Silver (Milk)"... there were options of "Gold (Dark)" and "Gold (Mint)" but they aren't there anymore.  Maybe they're out.


Will anyone order it?  If you would order this, please post.  If more than a few people will order it, I'd submit it and add it.

If it's there, and they get their dark chocolate back, I'll order 500 :) They do ship to the Netherlands, right?

We just ordered 1000 coins  ;D

Looking forward to handing them out to customers, partners, investors, etc. (Plus we will probably take some home to hand out to trick-or-treaters too!)

Thanks for the awesome design work you did on this Mike!  I love that they added a "Bitcoin" section  :)

I would like to order 200 dark chocolate coins, the Ƀ logo being preferred (but BTC is acceptable) . Please send me a PM with a payment address if you're still doing these group orders for <500 coins.

just placed my order for 500 gold chocolate coins.  I ordered 36 bags of 12 each.  This works out to selling each bag for $2.50 (or $5 for 24 coins) which is what most of my friends are in for.

Some people said they'll take 4 bags for $10 in case you're looking for ways to market it to your friends.

looking forward to them!

Very nice !  I'm kinda broke these days/month, but too much of a good idea !  I want to buy 500 but :

Shipping Method
   This is currently the only shipping method available to use on this order.   
   
   United Parcel Service (1 x 5lbs)    
   Worldwide Expedited   $102.75      
   Canada Standard   $37.81      

37.81$ for shipping ?  and watch out for custom fees charged upon reception of the order, often get to 50%+ of the value !

So 500 ChocoCoin for 75$ + 37.81$ + (average custom fees 30% = 22.50) = 135.31 / 500 = 0.27 each !!!

this is ridiculous !

again, I'll skip purchasing in USA, seems like USA officials dont want Canadian to buy their stuff..   

I hate those customer flees, eh, sorry, custom fees !  thanks NAFTA !

You could just find someone to make the coins in Canada, Canadian chocolate is pretty good. Clip the art out of the thread.

I just ordered 100 from you, along with some roll-your-own coins and 10 of the real ones. Looking forward to my hoard. NEED MOAR COINZ!

;)

Indeed, they told me that worldwide shipping would be so expensive that it wouldn't be worth it. So I won't be buying any coins with the Ƀ design :(

I got my order on Monday.  The chocolate is good, and so is the print quality.

They came in a cooler with gel packs to keep them from melting.  I suspect that accounts for a big part of the shipping cost.

Lucky you, I'm still waiting for mine (and all the ones I will be reshipping to others)

you should put 0.05 BTC on each coin in the wrapper somehow :D

Heh, isn't "free trade" just great?  ;)

I attend a school with 30,000 students.  I want to hand out as many of these coins as possible on Halloween.  I will be investing the $75 for the minimum order, and any tips sent to my signature address for the next 48 hours will go towards additional coins for order on Monday evening EST.

:-(

Any EU reseller here?

I am certain there's got to be somebody in Europe who makes chocolate coins... given that these are cultural items purchased by Jewish people worldwide around Hanukkah...

...so why not clip the artwork out of the previous post and order them from somewhere close by.  There is no exclusive arrangement stipulating that this company is the only one that can make this design.  I can provide a PDF with the artwork in vector format if the resolution isn't high enough, though I think it'll be more than fine as it is.

You could get stickers to fit, with a bitcoin address printed on them, to manually add to the outer rims.

Ok, who got bitcoin on the obverse and Pirate on the reverse?

Pics or none of this is true.

Just got the tracking number.  The coins have been shipped and we should be getting them on Friday.  ;D 

They look great!  Can't wait 'til they arrive!

SWEET!

 :P

Is the chocolate any good?  I'm supposed to get mine on Friday.

Those who have ordered directly from me, I have arranged for GoCandy to ship straight to you so they'll arrive for Halloween

Mike,

Received my bitcoin chocolates today

https://i.imgur.com/FuNcX.png

Love it!   Passed it out to everyone in my office.  As someone said before Great Conversation Starter  "What is it!!??"

Don't know if they'll last til Halloween!

Hey,  great idea and thanks for doing this.

You should have shipped a box to charlie in Vegas.

Any one doing a trade show or promoting bitcoin in any way definitely order a box and take it with you!

 

The Lab is now stocked with Coins! 

https://i.imgur.com/vKsfEl.jpg

The chocolate is pretty good.  We gave some coins to the UPS guy when he dropped the package off and I think he's going to go home and learn about Bitcoin tonight.  We're looking forward to giving these away to partners and visitors, as well as to Trick or Treaters.  If anyone in the Seattle area wants a few of these, send us a PM  ;D

Thanks again Casascius!

Casascius,

You should send the SEC some Chocolate Coins.

Philip Moustakis
Senior Attorney
Division of Enforcement
United States Securities & Exchange Commission
3 World Financial Center, Suite 400, New York, NY 10281-1022



From the US Department of Justice Website
http://www.justice.gov/jmd/ethics/generalf.htm#three

What is a gift?

Jake, an employee at the Fish and Wildlife Service, attends a 2:30 p.m. meeting with officials of a local environmental organization that is concerned about a proposed FWS regulation. The meeting is held at the offices of the environmental organization, which sends out for coffee and donuts. Jake would like to help himself to the refreshments but wonders whether they might be considered a prohibited "gift."

May Jake accept the snacks? Yes.

The term "gift" includes almost anything of monetary value. But there are some items that won't be considered gifts. Among these are soft drinks, coffee, donuts, and other modest refreshments offered other than as part of a meal.


Exceptions to the gift rule

Nick's job at the Federal Trade Commission is to provide economic input on issues involving consumer protection. He is given a ballpoint pen worth about $18 from a member of a consulting firm that frequently makes presentations before the FTC on behalf of affected clients.

May Nick accept the pen? Yes.

There are a number of exceptions to the rules against acceptance of gifts and one of these permits employees to accept unsolicited gifts with a market value of $20 or less per occasion.

This "$20 rule" does not apply to gifts of cash or investment interests. Also, under the rule, gifts received from any one source may not, in the aggregate, exceed $50 in a calendar year.

^^ Haha yes!

I just ordered five more Casascius and 100 chocolate coins. Thanks :D

Bump, I'm starting to look for a Halloween option again.  This project was successful last year, but I wasn't sure if there were cheaper and/or other options out there.

Furthermore does Personalized Chocolate accept bitcoin yet?  I'll be reaching out to them today to see if they are interested in Bitpay (https://bitpay.com/?oid=1058_1) services.

However, let me know if you've already discussed this with them, and perhaps we can join forces.

Looks like i can still order 500 for $75.  with the pictures available above.

Then I add the Organza bags and put 12 into each bag (36 bags) at 45 cents each.

This brings my total order to $91.20 and it was $18 for shipping to Cleveland, OH

However, I'm looking at the Casino chips:

http://www11.gocandy.com/casinostore/index.php

http://www11.gocandy.com/casinostore/product_info.php?products_id=28

Not sure if I can ask for the bitcoin logos to be integrated into the casino chips, or if that's a good connotation for bitcoin.  Any thoughts?

Should I stick wit my original plan, or look into casino chips?

I just summarized my order from last year which ran for a total of $110.  If you wanted a smaller quantity, I can work something out with ya.  Perhaps 50 chocolate coins for $25 or something like that?

I reached out to someone who worked at the company last year to see if I can get them setup with Bitpay (https://bitpay.com/?oid=1058_1) in time for me to order for Halloween.

This seems like an option that I might be able to order a smaller quantity and pay in bitcoin:

http://www.mountainofpromos.com/products/2997-Treasure-Mesh-Bag?category=730&children=true&sort=price#

However, I haven't found where I can load a design or anything just yet.

I must be behind in my alt coins... what's an XBT?  Is there an exchange; how many BTCs is that worth?  Or is this just a joke offer?  haah :P

Cool! I might see about ordering some. Too bad there are no trick-or-treaters that visit this area.

gotcha; well I'll let you know if I get them setup with Bitpay (https://bitpay.com/?oid=1058_1), but I wouldn't hold my breath.

How will you make a costume? Nice idea!

Haha, I never finished it, but I intend to for this year!  I bought a circle wooden piece, and some gold & tan fabric.  i intend to go with the B with dollar signs lines coming out the top and bottom and then attach it to a shirt somehow.

I need to get around to that soon to be ready for Halloween this year.  Last year, I ended up being in a Harry Potter group costume in my office and I was a playing card couples costume with my wife.

She was a 6 and I was a 9 of diamonds, hehe.  However, I hope for this year my bitcoin costume to work out (especially given the press they received earlier this year)!

Haha!  Thanks.

This is probably impractical but it would be hilarious if you could figure out some way of putting private keys on the coins, and loading them up with testnet BTC.

Maybe laser-etch the coin after assembly with the address and private key? In this application it's perfectly OK if the private key isn't hidden!

It's too bad testnet versions of the common wallets and other bitcoin tools out there aren't easily accessible - IE there should exist a testnet.blockchain.info for example.

I'm thinkint it will be easier to print off bitaddress paper wallets and pass those out with the chocolates.

That'd make it too easy to scam newbies. How would they be able to tell the difference? Yeah, sure, they could read, but we both know they wouldn't.

Exactly, if I'm gonna give away bitcoins, I'm gonna give away bitcoins... I already do this through geocaching.  some people at work geocache, and I give them flyers to hide in the geocaches..

I used to distribute flyers with directions for bitcoinfaucet; however, now I just give away flyers with private keys and instructions on how to import into blockchain...

so far... zero bitcoins claimed, haha...  so it's not too expensive to just print paper wallets and give people bitcoins b/c they don't use them.

I keep electronic copies, and say the bitcoin coupon expires in one year, so I'll just move the bitcoins or give them to someone else after a year passes.

I did this a while back with my laser machine.  It's a one-off, not something I'm selling.  Was kind of freaky how the plastic window on this Trader Joe's mint tin turned this unusual shade of orange when hit with the laser.

https://en.bitcoin.it/w/images/en/thumb/4/4f/Bitcoin_Mints.jpg/625px-Bitcoin_Mints.jpg

Mike, any thoughts on the casino chips that Personalized Chocolates sells and perhaps integrating your images into a casino chip design?

I need a few of these for The Bitcoin Museum!

Anyone willing to post a handful to me?

Interesting!

Some plastics are specifically designed to change color in aesthetically pleasing ways when hit by a laser for the purpose of cheap custom branding - possibly that's what they did here and Trader Joe's was just selling the part of the production run that hadn't been custom branded.