Bitcoin Forum

UPDATE Oct 17, 2013: All remaining Casascius 1oz Silver coins are now goldplated on the B and on the entire rim (all the way from obverse to reverse!)

http://casascius.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/silver-coins-now-here/

I'm pleased to report that I'm selling silver coins again.

I am now taking orders for Silver Bitcoin Halfs: half a bitcoin on a half ounce of silver.  These come in a mint tube of twelve coins.  The coin is plain silver.

I am temporarily accepting orders for single silver coins.

I have one-ounce 1BTC coins in the works, as well as 0.1BTC silver coins (7.5g).  Just some final logistical details to work out on them.

Order at https://casascius.com

UPDATE: Got the 1BTC ounces too, and here's a photo!  (they both have the same Series 3 hologram)

https://en.bitcoin.it/w/images/en/thumb/2/27/Casascius_Silver_2013_1BTC.jpg/450px-Casascius_Silver_2013_1BTC.jpg

Any pictures?

Soon... Just expecting the holograms.

Very first orders can have choice of 0.5 BTC hologram from Series 2 0.5BTC brass coin.  I have a brand new Series 3 hologram for this coin otherwise.

Hm. How many 0.5BTC brass holograms are set aside for the silver coins?

I anticipate limiting the availability of the brass coin sticker to perhaps the first couple weeks of orders, and up to a max of 1 tube per customer.

Exciting! I've just ordered a roll. :)

The 1 btc looks great! I guess I'll have to wait for someone to buy a roll and resell them in smaller quantities...Thanks for making such a cool product man.   :D

These are very nice! So shiney!  ;D ;D ;D Good job Mike!

Ooh very nice! Do you happen to have any pictures of the Aluminum "Strength in Numbers" Promo Coin (bag of about 500)?

I am temporarily offering them as singles.

Any way to buy the 1 ounce silver as blanks?

I am addicted to carrying some silver around in my pocket every day and the holograms won't last.

Put it in a clear air-tight plastic capsule.

Just made an order.

Mike, do your new coins all come individually packaged in air-tight capsules?

These look so great I had to order a roll as well.  I'll case them up individually and send the best ones off to be graded. :)

I'll send the one-ounce singles in airtites.

The half ounce singles, I will have to either get some airtites or rings, or make some rings (my laser machine can probably make them...done it before)

Thanks for your order BTW, and I'll definitely be ordering some of yours.  (It'll be the only Litecoins I'll probably own)

Doesn't quite have the same sound as silver on silver. I will probably just have to "launder" some bitcoins off the silver and into my offline wallet on the coins I want to tinker with.

I have the rings. Just ship them and the air-tights separately. I can assemble them. Thanks. :)

As far as you owning some litecoins, eh, i figured it was a matter of time. =)

just placed an order with you, mike.
noticed the substancial (!) premium over silver. phew!

anyways. also ordering with you if you're ready, smoothie.

these look fantastic, also placed my order.

wondering when the silver spot hunters will appear to discuss the current troy ounce cost.

Do you know how many 0.1 you will have in a roll?

Great count me in!  :)

Yeah, but how is the spelling?   ;)

Mike,

I was initially not going to re-sell these because of the hefty premium. But demand is there and customer is king, so we (jalaman and I) will probably do pre-orders.

Since import VAT tax of 19% will have to be payed by us on import (we will get it back later) it would greatly simplify things at customs if it was possible to do the following.

(Background: customs officials have to value the product coming in and tax it. On my last import of brass coins I had a really hard time explaining no bitcoins were yet loaded (the lady even looked up the bitcoin exchange rate and wanted me to pay 19% based on that valuation. your info card helped a lot!!!) and arguing the value of the brass coins. The customs lady kept asking for a bill or payment receipt. The customs form you filled out isn't really a reliable source for them at all (as you could put anything there)).

Split the payment in 2 parts:

• 1 for the silver value plus a slight premium. Use bitpay or paypal for this part so I end up with a bill stating USD amount payed. State that same amount as value in the customs declaration.
• 1 for the BTC to be loaded plus the remainder of the premium. Depending on wether we do this using our company, we'd also need a bill with USD amount for this part.

In addition it would be great if we could do "deferred loading" (load only when coin is in the hands of end-customer) to ease customs hassle and potential VAT to be payed by end-customer.

I hope you can consider this.

Please share you customs experience with us. You probably have other experience importing silver to germany... can you share it?

Mike

I already have some of your aluminum coins from a group buy but would like something more substantial to carry around to show friends. I know that silver coins (as opposed to sterling silver) tarnish (develop patina) pretty significantly.  In your opinion which Casascius bitcoin will stay the shiniest the longest when exposed to air?

I don't see a gold coin listed but I'll bet the gold plated BTC25 coin would work.

I think what I am going to do is, when I get all these initial orders shipped, I may wait to fund them so that the FIRST funding transaction funds as many as possible, to give them "first batch" distinction.  That might mean that those who get them the quickest might have to wait 7-10 days for me to fund them to let others catch up.  I'm curious on others' opinions.  If I don't do this, then only US buyers would have a chance to get "first batch" coins because theirs will arrive the fastest.

If I do this, I will at least publish where the funds are, so everyone can see they're just sitting there and not accruing "interest" in a ponzi scheme.

(These won't have incrementing addresses like my newest brass coins do... I will just be using the 1Ag* addresses I already generated long ago, in truly random order, since I have so many of them that aren't used)

This would be extra special for the silver halfs with the Series 2 hologram :)

That's a good idea.

Since you didn't answer about my "billing" suggestion above, I take it you're reluctant to do this?

They're really nice!

Are you considering making them with the BTC in gold (like before)?

Thanks!

Not wanting to sound stupid but why is the 1BTC priced at 2.5BTC?!

Because it's made of pure silver, and it's really pretty.

You pay 19% on the silver value.
100oz of silver @ 14€ = 1400€ * 0.19 = 266€ Einfuhrumsatzsteuer.

Sadly, customs are going by the value ON THE INVOICE, so if I buy 20oz at a 250% premium, I will pay 250% premium on my VAT as well!
100oz of silver @ 24€ = 2400€ * 0.19 = 456€ Einfuhrumsatzsteuer.


That's why an invoice stating "100oz .999 silver rounds" with the silver spot price denominated in USD is probably the best way to bill the goods, with the funding of the coins AND the premium of manufacturing invoiced seperately!


so preferrably:

a) pay the silver
c) pay the premium +  funding

this may all be consolidated in the FINAL receipt, but should be separated for shipping.

Molecular: I could offer deferred loading but strictly for customs purposes and not as an anti-loss measure.  In other words all coins you get must eventually be funded.

Does Germany charge VAT on the premium or just the silver?  And is Einfuhrumsatzsteuer something in addition to VAT (which I understood was Mehrwertsteuer last I was there)

VAT is the equivalent of Einfuhrumsatzsteuer.
I edited my above post to answer your question while you were posting it^^

Yes, I want deferred loading purely for customs purposes, not anti-loss measure.

Einfuhrumsatzsteuer is VAT. Umsatzsteuer and Mehrwertsteuer are the same. So Einfuhrumsatzsteuer is "import VAT".

import VAT is charged on the premium also and yes, it would even be charged on the bitcoin value of the coins if they were loaded. Therefore I agree with 2weix that it's probably best to use 2 invoices (see his post #37 (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=244967.msg2619172#msg2619172)

To be clear, there's only about 0.2 BTC worth of silver in each of these. But they are really pretty and I'll probably be buying some.

For what it's worth, waiting a week or two for the coins to be loaded is not an issue for me.

What size Air-Tite cases do these fit in?

Doesn't this amount to making you an interest free loan until the point the coins are actually funded? What happens if you get hit by a beer truck between when they ship and when you intended to fund them?  I don't feel particularly comfortable receiving unfunded coins and bearing that risk just to help foreign buyers get their coins through customs cheaper.

Yes.


Then you will own a truly rare specimen: an unfunded Casascius coin in the wild - and in the wake of my unexpected death it will probably fetch no less than your initial cost on ebay, even being short the funds.  You'll make out just fine!  On top of that, whoever handles my estate will probably be able to fund your coin anyway -- assuming you value it more being funded versus unfunded.

Unless you were planning on immediately opening your coin upon receipt and investing the bitcoins, what's the difference to you? You could've saved a lot of time by not buying the coin in the first place.


Probably the same thing as if he gets hit by a beer truck between the time you sent your payment and the time he ships. IIRC, Casascius has a pretty robust dead man's switch in place for his business.


Casascius has been sending unfunded coins for a long time now, for the simple reason that there is a risk of theft in mail - a risk much higher than Casascius being randomly killed. Really it's to protect the buyer - how would you feel if your coin arrived opened and drained, or not at all?  You think Casascius wants to deal with people demanding their bitcoins back because of mail theft when it's easy and secure to fund the coins on arrival?

In any case, it's a non-issue as these foreign buyers just want a different invoice so they have to pay less VATS.

Out of curiosity, how many of these silver coins are you producing this year?

Fair shout; I have more trust in Casascius than I do in FedEx or the mail system in general.  This is my first large (well large by my standards) purchase with bitcoin, so just feeling a little skittish. I don't intend on redeeming the coins for at least a decade, so a slight delay in funding isn't really a big deal.  I do plan on using them to help explain bitcoin to some people that are interested but have reservations due to the lack of it being tangible.

So is there an order cutoff date for being included in the "first batch"?

no, the reason is import tax and customs fees and stuff. He will fund the coins even if they get stolen.

Actually you can tell Mike to fund the coins at any time as far as I know. Even before the package arrives.

If USPS or FedEx certifies they actually lost a shipment in transit that I sent (a privilege I reserve exclusively for things I personally ship) then I will not make the buyer eat it. With the premium shipping options I offer, this is sometimes/usually possible. With Registered Mail in the US it is practically guaranteed.  Note that it only applies when they actually know they lost it and certify it in writing as part of their claims process, and not just when the tracking fails to say delivered.

I have only had this happen once before - USPS certified a shipment was lost - and then 3 months later it actually came back to me as "unclaimed". But I replaced that order.

Anyone deciphered the binary on the new issues?

Still waiting for the 0.1s, any update?

these look truly amazing :-D

The first shipments were prepared yesterday and are going out today.

Half-ounce coins: have produced enough to cover all orders so far - unless you have requested the old sticker, then I'll need a couple more days.  So far, 29 rolls have been sold.
Full-ounce coins: still working on these.  22 rolls have been sold: 4 are ready to go and are shipping in orders, another 9 are nearly done (one more laser step before they're ready to ship, and some of these will go out today), and the other 9 still need to be stickered.  These took some extra time: my 1BTC sticker doesn't quite fit, so I added an effect with the laser machine that adds a gold sparkle "trim" to the sticker by melting the edge, which also has the fortunate side effect of making the sticker smaller and therefore fit.  Programming the laser machine, tweaking the program, and making the tooling for this to happen set me back for time a bit.

Also have done an engraving batch of custom 2-factor bars yesterday, so if you're waiting on one of these, they'll be going out today as well.

Thanks for the update Mike.

The half ounce coins fit in #1020 Air-Tite T30.6mm DF, the ounce coins fit in #1050 Air-Tite H39mm DF. The half ouncers are a little loose, but not enough to move around unless a decent amount of force is used.

Pictures (http://imgur.com/a/v79PP).

Update on silver coins posted to my blog:

http://casascius.wordpress.com

I've also sent out a quick e-mail to just about everyone with a pending order, advising of order-specific status.

got mine yesterday, love them.

I think 30mm is the right size, I ordered some 30mm capsules myself and will know for sure soon.

I couldn't get the picture link to work :(

Me either, although it was working earlier today. FWIW, they looked pretty.  :)

I'm still waiting for the 0.1s, so I can make one large order  :'(

http://www.everydaypeoplecartoons.com/cartoons/450-impatience-cartoon.gif

I couldn't figure out how to add pictures to an album so I made a new one: http://imgur.com/a/v79PP

Yes, start with the outside ring and work your way inward.

Hi - I might have missed something but it looks like you have these the wrong way round (I would expect the 1oz coin to require the 39mm case and the half to require the 30mm).

Also - if anyone is interested in the alternative case style with the inner foam ring, i think the 1 oz coins should fit the X39 on this page: http://www.air-tites.com/Air-Tite_Ring_Type_Coin_Holders_1.htm#X6

Note - i have not yet verified that these fit, but will do once received.

Coin dimensions are listed in the pricing table on Casascius page here: https://www.casascius.com/

Mike - if you have used these it would be great if you could confirm...

You are correct, I did have them backwards. Further, I've noticed that the 1/2 oz coins are slightly too thick to completely fit into the snap fit cases I mentioned.

Anyone have a hi-res photo of the 0.5oz round?

Sort of high res: http://imgur.com/a/v79PP

Right, sorry, it was early and I was tired  8)

Order arrived. Thanks Mike!  :)

Thanks, Mike. Got mine.

Here are the new silvers next to the old one.

https://i.imgur.com/lRM8hau.png

I'm using the I39 air-tites with the 1oz coins with the and can confirm they fit in those nicely.

Quick status report:  All of the coins that will be part of the "first funded" batch have gone out as of today.  That is, the first 32 rolls of 1BTC coins, and the first 32 rolls of half BTC coins.  As soon as these last shipments arrive, I will do a single transaction to fund them all.

Since the only shipping I currently offer is Registered, FedEx, or Express, they should all arrive fairly promptly.  Certainly, I would guess, by the end of the month.

Those of you who have ordered these silver coins that have not yet been funded will notice that I have not moved any of your payments on the block chain from the address where you originally paid me.  This is deliberate, so you can see there's no "fractional reserve" :)

Every roll is numbered... the 1oz's are R001-R032 and the halfs are H001-H032.  In addition there are 45 halfs and 2 1oz's that were sold either as singles or with old sticker, that aren't part of the 32 rolls.  (One of each roll type was broken down to accommodate orders of singles as well)

Estimated total BTC to be funded in first fund transaction: (32*20) + (32*12*0.5) + (45*0.5) + 2 = 856.5 BTC

Around when will the 0.1s arrive?

+1

I'm far, far away on vacation, but just received an email saying my coins have arrived. Very exciting!

Update posted to my blog at http://casascius.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/update-july-28-new-private-keys-done-0-1-coins-here-soon/

I was really expecting these to be funded by now; I have had mine in hand for nearly a month. I wanted to be able to offer a few for sale at tomorrow's meetup, but I won't be doing that until they have been funded. What's the status? And of course they were being funded just as I posted... perfect timing.

My 0.5's that I picked up from the post office today were funded a few minutes ago.   ;D
https://blockchain.info/tx/72bec59c7649d4527d8d7848ebc36840c89f5d36d18db9a91afd34d800826722

I blasted out all of the silver coin funding today in one transaction.  That single transaction has almost 1300 txouts.

There are a few not quite received by their buyers, but at some point too long is too long.  You guys know it, I know it.

Nice! Glad to see the funding done!

Any updates on the .1's?

Has anyone found a case that's a nice fit for the 0.5oz coins?

yes. I have used the 39 mm capsules I use for my 1/2 oz coins with the white foam spacer. Not exactly sure which model capsules they are. I can double check. I've gotten mine directly from the mint I use so I'm not sure where you would be able to get them at the moment.

Here is a pic:

http://imageshack.us/a/img28/4726/7q2z.jpg

I'm interested in this too. 

Regarding Air-Tite, capsules, I can confirm that "I 39mm" are a perfect fit for the 1oz rounds, and "H39 30mm" are a perfect fit for the 0.5oz rounds.

Can you, or anyone else for that matter, make a recommendation for which air-tites and spacers I should purchase for the following?
2011 series 25 BTC
2011 series 1 BTC
2012 series 5 BTC

Thanks.

Hey just checking in to see if there is any updates on the .1 coins you mentioned a few times.

Looks like the first silver coin has been opened

https://blockchain.info/tx/72bec59c7649d4527d8d7848ebc36840c89f5d36d18db9a91afd34d800826722

 1Ag1wRihz2sw7LCeJSeaTJW34EP1o1XPNV https://blockchain.info/address/1Ag1wRihz2sw7LCeJSeaTJW34EP1o1XPNV



It looks like it was sent to a similar address, so might have been Casascius himself

+1. I can't wait to see what it would look like  ;D

Yep, that was indeed me.  I created a transaction that moved the funds directly from a gravity-damaged coin to its replacement.

Hi Mike,

No doubt you're busy these days -- can we get an estimate as to when you'll have the time to provide signed docs?

I'd love to have my personal PGP fingerprint included in the message as well, as this would help create a chain of custody for the coins.

Any ETA on the 0.1's?

They are now online!  9 BTC for a roll of 20, and they turned out SWEET.

I also had a professional photographer come and take pictures of the whole set.  Assuming no copyright barriers, I'd love to include a burned CD of high quality imagery with future orders!  Until I get the full files of the shoot, here is a quick shot I took with my iPhone of one of the setups we did.

https://en.bitcoin.it/w/images/en/thumb/4/42/Casascius_silver_2013_curl.jpg/471px-Casascius_silver_2013_curl.jpg

sweet or not, that price tag is ridiculous: BTC 0.45 a piece.

silver value: ~ 0.03 BTC = 6.7% of price
bitcoin value: ~ 0.1 BTC = 22.2% of price
markup: ~ 0.32 BTC = 71.1% of price

So the value you get by "recycling" the coin is roughly 29% of the price (even worse considering reseller pricing will have to be yet a bit higher and also shipping).

This percentage used to be close to or above 80%.

I was truly looking forward to reselling these coins, but frankly, Mike: that markup is preposterous and I'm going to have to let that business opportunity (if it is one to speak of at all) slip by.

+1

Price will drop like a brick on ebay...

The 1/2 oz coins are ~48% (0.56/1.17) and the 1 oz coins are only ~64% (1.12/1.75). So while I agree the markup on these is higher, I don't think it's too far out of line with the others. It makes sense to me that smaller coins would have higher markup.

+1

If they'd come with least 0.25 BTC (for the same price) I'd get a roll... I guess I have to stick to paperwallets and bullion silver.

So I can pay you 0.45 BTC to receive 0.1 BTC in shiny packaging?  I thought that kind of greedy markup only took place with ASIC mining hardware.

That must have been a hell of a photographer!

I don't see how that would happen except if Mike sells much cheaper to resellers (or does the auction thing again).

Awesome! I hope there'll be an EU group buy / EU reseller soon, I don't see any topics yet. Anyone know of one?

How exactly does one host a group buy? Is it simply a, gather buyers, get the coins in one wallet, purchase, wait for them to arrive, and re-distribute? I hope someone runs one in the EU, otherwise I possilbly could.

don't forget possible VAT and customs! They are often forgotten by managers of group buys.
Indaad, basically just open a topic, gather buyes and funds, make clear agreemenst and order :)

Hey! I'm already reselling Casascius coins in Europe, you will find all coins unless 0.1btc new ones. You just need to check my shop in Bitmit -> https://www.bitmit.net/user/BitAddict
I'm sending from Spain, so if you live in Europe you won't have any extra charge for tax, and deliver will be faster. All my coins incluide free capsule.

Cheers!

Those 0.1's do look pretty nice  ;D

Those do look really nice. Would love to see some close-up pictures.

Also, just keeping this on the radar:

I would be interested in a group buy if you do decide to do one!

Yeah, I still have it on the radar.  We're gettin' there.

That's good to know, thanks in advance for doing this, Mike. I would love to be able to offer chain of custody proof to my buyers of the 0.5 BTC brass coins. Sales have plummeted since the "hack" was publicized.

Ah, right, that's nice, but you sadly don't have the 0.1 ones that I'd want. I wonder if there'll be a group buy soon. (I'd be too worried about taxes 'n all to do it myself)

Any update on this?

I'm closer.  Sorry it's taken so long.  Am currently doing one-offs upon request as well.

Gold plating added to the remaining 700 or so 1oz coins!  It turned out really well, even better than on the 2012's.  All future orders will be fulfilled with gold plated stock.  Shopping cart added to indicate the change.

1oz coins w/o gold plating are no longer available, however, the 0.5 and 0.1BTC coins are bare silver with no gold plating.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BWzyZ2lCYAAsA60.jpg:large

Good Job Mike. Very Nice.

Ordered a roll and looking forward to receiving it.

Aloha  :)

Hmph, yes, couldn't Mike have come up with all the new shiny things at once? Would have spared me a fortune on shipping fees ::)

http://imageshack.us/a/img850/1447/eqoq.jpg


Mine came in.  :)

I like the new type of air tight tube you are using. Can't say I've ever seen this type before.

Thanks again Mike, love the coins!

I need to get some of these!

Is it just me/the light or are have all but one of these been plated with blue as well as gold?

Keep in mind that silver operates like a mirror. Likely it is the surrounding causing the blue.

*dust, dust*

Had to brush off my old account. Haven't been around for a bit, but the recent uptick in BTC price has caught my attention. :D

I have to say that those coins look awesome! Wish I had seen them earlier because I would have likely ordered some despite the customs headaches of my current locale.

Just bought a couple. Looking forward to them!

My review:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=269535.msg3443515#msg3443515

Pictures:

http://postimg.org/gallery/7mocx58g

Hi Mike,

As of today, a full three months has passed since you made the offer to provide signed docs. I'd like to ask again if there's any update on this.

I paid you 55 BTC for two rolls of coins back in July. That was close to six thousand dollars at the time of purchase, or over sixteen thousand dollars at today's exchange rate. I'm not asking for a lot here, and given the fact that I've personally enriched you to the tune of several thousand dollars, I'm both upset and amazed that I've had to pester you so many times already to do this.

You've lost me as a paying customer; this can only be described as a complete failure of customer service. Hopefully I'm the exception and others have gotten better treatment so far.

Perhaps you could take some time out of your day to either provide me with the promised documents, or at least give me a definite time frame in which they'll be delivered? I can provide you with my PGP fingerprint via email or PM.

Thanks for sharing your feelings on this.

If you contact me by email and make an individual request for a specific order, then I turn that around in a reasonable timeframe.  That has continued to stand since I made that offer.  If you have done so and I have failed to act on it, I apologize, and request that you contact me privately once more, particularly containing what information you'd like the signed acknowledgment to contain (since it varies by your need).  In general, I don't know which forum names correspond to which real-world identities, so unless you explicitly identify your order, I don't know which order to acknowledge by reference to a forum posting alone.

The item that I have "out there" with a non-specific delivery time is to go through my order history and send out, in a very large batch, something acknowledging all the prior orders.  The main issue is that the methodology I have for knowing which coins I've sent to customers has varied throughout the time I've done it, and I don't consistently have a record as to who got what coins.  In many cases, I do have a record, but it's not available to me on an automated basis (e.g. it's not in my database, but it's in my sent mail in the case where I acknowledged the order and listed the specific coins sent).  Therefore, what I'm taking "forever" to do, is to send off an automated batch of this info.

It looks as though my post has helped prompt others to request authentication from me.  Bring 'em on.

When you request authentication, please let me know what you want it to say.  Some people want minimal info, others want more.  Here is a template of what I might write for you - in fact, if you modify it and send me what you'd like it to say, that makes my job easy and gets you closest to what you're after.  Please identify your order (by order number, or email address).  Also if you have one handy, please include the 8-character prefix of any of the coins in the order (helps me search in case I have trouble finding it).

---template language below

November 9, 2013

To whom it may concern,

According to my records, I sold the following coins to John Doe on or about January 111, 2013,
and shipped them to an address in Anytown, MA 01234.

1aaaaaaaaa: 1
1bbbbbbbbb: 1
(don't worry about providing the addresses - chances are pretty good I can do this on my own if I can find your order)

(any other details you consider relevant, please add them... examples include: any additional info about your
identity, address, pgp key, forum handle, and any unusual or custom details regarding your order that you would
like memorialized).  I will likely reword the details so as to clarify I'm not claiming them as first-hand knowledge.

Sincerely,

Mike Caldwell

---

it's normal for me to take a couple of days to turn these around, as I have plenty of things going on.

What a great type of packaging/carrier! how secure are the coins (ie: to prevent them rotating or shifting against the plastic)?

Was it the clam or the black end rings that broke?  I've dropped a couple of those long ago and the rings are fragile (but the coins seemingly stay safe).

While those are neat cases, those aren't the ones I actually meant to ship in, and usually don't use them.  Those are actually the shells the original 10BTC coins came to me in from the mint.  Since I never sold 10's by the roll, I had them spare and lying around, improvising when the first batch of gold-plated 1's came back without the containers.  These air-tite 20 clams look sweet but hearing they're prone to breakage, I'll just use the other square ones (and have resumed doing so for a while).

That little strip of foam in there does a pretty good job of preventing rotation and keeping the coins from too much movement, but are probably better suited for storage than shipping.

WHile I"m at it...I'm almost out of these gold ones...I only made 700 and nearly all of them are sold.  Actually, just to be clear, once I run out, that puts me out of all editions of Casascius 1-ounce silver coins thru 2013.  Not making any more of these for this year.  I've left open the option to buy 1 of them on my website (effectively eliminating the bulk roll pricing) and they'll be up till they're gone.

Hey Mike, can you give us more information about this from your site?


Can you tell us what specific regulatory issues concern you? Normal AML stuff or something else?

FinCEN has reached out to me to say they believe I am a money transmitter (hence subject to KYC) despite my belief otherwise. I have a good legal team advising me and working to get to the bottom of the difference, meanwhile, doing this is prudent.

Just wondering if pending orders will still be shipped?
Thanks

Yes, no problem on any orders I have accepted thus far.

dafuq.

I am genuinely sorry, although I'm sure you're prepared. You've also got truth and logic on your side, although certain government agencies are highly resistant to both.

If you find yourself in need of a legal fund, I'm sure you'd find a lot of support on this forum.

As for a legal fund, the well-deserved thanks can go to those who have bought my coins.  I believe I am decently equipped to engage in a constructive effort.

Seriously, the entitlement that you exhibit amazes me. You act as if you were doing Mike a favor buying his product and now he owes you something. He has graciously offered to provide proof of purchase without compensation and you chastise him like he's your house butler. Well m'lord, I wouldn't blame him if he scrapped the whole thing out of frustration or added a fee - this kind of bookwork does take time out of his day, after all.

I can only imagine his relief that you will no longer be dealing with him, as people like you probably monopolize a disproportionate amount of time compared to most customers.  Of course, Mike's famous courtesy in the face of boorishness comes through as always. Luckily, my disposition is nowhere near as sterling: You, sir, are a cad.

Dude, he is cool, he was frustrated, understandably so. His concern was resolved and he acknowledges as much. I would be aggravated if I thought someone was taking 3 months to do something I felt should be done much sooner.  This happens to all of us.

Fair enough. Just that line about "personally enriching" you sent me off. Apologies...

Just wanted to take a moment to clear the air before I stop cluttering up this thread (and before more people start thinking I'm a boorish cad).

• Mike has delivered above and beyond on his promise to provide signed documents, as he in fact followed up with a second set of signed documents after another method of digital signing was made available to him. This was mentioned in another thread, but not here, and I apologize for not following up here after my issue was resolved.
• I really do like my coins, they're beautiful and I don't regret buying them.
• I paid a premium (above the btc+silver cost) of roughly $70 per coin. Sure, minting coins isn't free, but even at a $20 per coin minting fee (this is crazy), that's a $50 profit per coin. That equals $1600 or 16 BTC at the time of purchase. I can't imagine that Mike cashes out all of these profits to USD. I apologize if my choice of words offended you, but I was simply calling a spade a spade. I was entitled to precisely what was offered, which was a set of documents.
• This bears repeating -- I don't begrudge Mike the premium he charged on his coins. I really do like my coins, they're beautiful and I don't regret buying them.
• Apology accepted, if indeed it was directed towards me.

In retrospect, I suppose I was personally enriching his *legal fund* to the tune of several thousand dollars.

I, like many others, will be eagerly awaiting news of developments in this witch-hunt, and sincerely hope that Mike gets through this intact.

CASASCIUS

Calling A Spade A Spade Cuz I Understand Shit (since I don't actually know what the "cius" stands for).

 :D

Good luck on your legal fight, friend.

From what I remember Mike saying at the conference, cius = "cool sounding latin suffix".

I am curious what some opinions are, regarding 'new'/'mint' condition coins and keeping them that way.

Casascius ships in a nice hard plastic coinholder, vacuum sealed in plastic with a tag identifying the lot/roll #. I am cautious to cut open this plastic, as part of me beleives that an unopened roll of coins could hold more collectors value than the 20 beautiful coins in individual cases might. Is this reasonable, or would it make more sense to 'handle' the coins and transfer them to individual airtites?

Counter-point: in a brand-new sealed roll, the coin condition is unknown. I have full faith in Mike, but there is a small chance a coin is terribly deformed within the roll unbeknownst to the buyer or collector. By moving the coins to individual holders, each coin can be viewed or graded.

Any thoughts? Part of me beleives that the coins could fetch more attention or value individually (or as a set of 20 individually sealed coins), while the other half thinks that the original packaging could add significant value, as there are likely very few rolls still sealed in the original vacuum bag.

ps: i assume it may not be hard for someone to find the same style of vacuum-packaging and mimic this, unless there is something unique to Mike's methodology?
pps: to handle, gloves would of course be used.

Would love opinions from anyone who has dealt with these coins or has experience in numismatics collecting.

Can you please not give my identity to the fincen or anyone else for that matter?

might be an issue to find a buyer where they can't see what they would be buying.

#2


whis is obv why they're doing it in the first place

Just hire an army of lawyers and lobbyists and keep pressing their buttons.  If these 'people' don't learn now they never will.

Yes I could never afford your coins in the past (or much else to be honest) but now that I can afford them, the fed gov't starts harassing you (and by extension the entire bitcoin community in general) and of course you cannot accept new orders.

And "harrassing" is an understatement of course, as it is more like "persecuting". 

I'm glad you have made nice profits on your product and by the listings on ebay, the buyers have gotten good value for their money and could sell for a profit themselves. 

Anyway if you did ever setup a BTC address for donations to your legal fund, I would certainly contribute but glad to hear you are hanging in there and hopefully you will prevail.   

This

Its worth putting here that the 2013 gold-plated silver coins are LARGER than 39mm. the cases included with the coins direct from Mike do not fit the coins, at least not without using a lot of pressure and 4/5 coin cases cracking under the pressure either immediately or up to a minute after putting it to the side.

the coins must be slightly larger than 39mm due to the gold plating, maybe 39.02mm?

I think so :)

And mybe start a "coin funding spin off company" elsewhere ;)

edit: this company could publish a list of funded coins. In that way, only funded coins sold by Casacius and funded through this spin off company are legit :D