[Interest Check] Blockchain at Berkeley Coin

[Eodguy149]

Hello everyone,

As many of you may have noticed I have not been as active around the forum and that is because I have been extremely busy with school and starting the Blockchain at Berkeley club.

If you are interested to learn more about the club you can see our website here: https://blockchain.berkeley.edu/

We are a student-run group at UC Berkeley dedicated to all things related to the blockchain. We host general meetings, during which we discuss recent industry, technological, economic, and bitcoin trading developments. We put on Bay Bithack every year, which was the first and largest collegiate bitcoin hackathon in the world. We develop open-source projects together as a club and contribute to the cryptocurrency ecosystem as well as collaborate with businesses to develop blockchain solutions to industry problems. We run workshops for people who are new to the industry, put on other events (like tech talks), and teach the only undergraduate cryptocurrency course in the United States.

I am creating 100 coins as gifts to give to guest speakers as well as teams and individuals who do exceptional things for the organization. The board has agreed to sell 30 of these coins to help fund the creation of the rest. Each coin will be numbered but only 20 coins are for sale as a deluxe version and an additional 10 are available without additional provenance.

Only 100 of these will ever be made and only 20 of the deluxe version that comes with a hand signed and wax sealed COA and a signed picture of the founders will ever be for sale!

The initial design for the coins is:



The back will have a pit for a private key but will be sold unfunded (build your own style). Depending on interest we could possibly make custom holo stickers but might have to stick with generic ones since custom holos are expensive for such a limited production. They will be numbered on the back 1-100 and will be marked with a BTC amount, most likely 0.01BTC.

The cost of these coins will be approximately 0.1BTC and they will be sold unfunded. If there is sufficient demand we can get them done in .999 silver for the additional cost of silver spot price.

Please post or PM below in this format:

1) What number you want
2) If you would prefer .999 silver or silver plated
3) If you would prefer a generic holo at no additional cost or a custom holo (price of which will be researched if there is demand)
4) Any design suggestions

[chronicsky]

#1 or lowest

.999 silver

[greenplastic]

#20

.999 Silver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCtA5kX-Ktg

 

[tothemoonsands]

#2 or lowest available, conditional on checking out www.friendsofsatoshi.com and possibly discussing ways to collaborate between our groups  

Edit to say .999 silver , custom holo, design is terrific

[FFrankie]

Id like the next lowest possible number  silver would be cool

[teeGUMES]

#4 , .999 silver, holo doesnt matter, design looks great

[Lauda]

I like the design. You should put the lowest numbers on auction and let the market decide the price for those.
Preference: .999 silver.

[Eodguy149]

I like the design. You should put the lowest numbers on auction and let the market decide the price for those.
Preference: .999 silver.

Thank you! This is just an interest check thread. Once I get official quotes from a mint (I'm researching silver mints now) and begin production I will create a fair way to decide who gets what #'s if multiple people want the same coin.

If anyone has any info on a reputable silver mint please PM their info. I am looking for one that does quality work.

[Lauda]

Thank you! This is just an interest check thread. Once I get official quotes from a mint (I'm researching silver mints now) and begin production I will create a fair way to decide who gets what #'s if multiple people want the same coin.

I believe that one of the fairest methods for distributing the lowest numbers are auctions as opposed to 'first-come-first-serve' (which is basically luck, unless one knows when the reservations will begin / thread will be made).

If anyone has any info on a reputable silver mint please PM their info. I am looking for one that does quality work.

Just please make sure to properly plan this out (e.g. generic vs. custom hologram), so we don't end up with yet another coin with an absurd 5-10x premium on spot silver.

[bithalo]

lowest number available.

.999 Silver

[Eodguy149]

Thank you! This is just an interest check thread. Once I get official quotes from a mint (I'm researching silver mints now) and begin production I will create a fair way to decide who gets what #'s if multiple people want the same coin.

I believe that one of the fairest methods for distributing the lowest numbers are auctions as opposed to 'first-come-first-serve' (which is basically luck, unless one knows when the reservations will begin / thread will be made).

If anyone has any info on a reputable silver mint please PM their info. I am looking for one that does quality work.

Just please make sure to properly plan this out (e.g. generic vs. custom hologram), so we don't end up with yet another coin with an absurd 5-10x premium on spot silver.

All great suggestions and I will definitely take them into account, thank you. I will keep the entire process as transparent as possible.

#2 or lowest available, conditional on checking out www.friendsofsatoshi.com and possibly discussing ways to collaborate between our groups 

Edit to say .999 silver , custom holo, design is terrific

PM me, we are always looking for ways to help and collaborate with members of the crypto community! 

[tothemoonsands]

I understand the benefits of auctions (especially for lower numbers) but I would ask that you also provide a straight buy-it-now option as well for those with short pockets. I, for one, would be much more interested in the latter, regardless of the serial number.

I will send you a PM, thanks!

[DigiSoul]

Why all of you want lowest number?

[monkeynuts]

Hey EOD. I would be interested in one, also happy to run a group buy for anyone EU / UK based, if that would help when the time comes

Auctions for low numbers would be better for your botom line, will also allow you to understand market value, plus break even point for the rest of the coins

Mints. I would reach out to other makers. OgNasty may be your best mainland US bet, as he has recently done a lot of activity.

North West Territory seems to be the de facto, IIRC, but there will be other options. A lot will depend on the mint run size. I am sure costs and quality will vary significantly

Do not underestimate the costs of your dies. They are more expensive for silver, but if you can do silver, do so (just higher upfront costs)

bigtimespaghetti did a book on how to make coins. It would be worth reading, if you havnt already. If you cant get the book (or ebook ?), then shout up, and I will send you mine

Also .... is this coin formally sanctioned by Berkeley ? It would make an interesting COA if it could be, and an interesting first as far as the tie up to an esteemed educational establishment

Best of luck getting this over the line

[Rmcdermott927]

I would like the lowest # available.  I would also prefer .999 silver. 

[coin@coin]

Interesting idea, curious to see how it develops.

I also think auction for the first 10/20 would be best.

[Eodguy149]

Hey EOD. I would be interested in one, also happy to run a group buy for anyone EU / UK based, if that would help when the time comes

Auctions for low numbers would be better for your botom line, will also allow you to understand market value, plus break even point for the rest of the coins

Mints. I would reach out to other makers. OgNasty may be your best mainland US bet, as he has recently done a lot of activity.

North West Territory seems to be the de facto, IIRC, but there will be other options. A lot will depend on the mint run size. I am sure costs and quality will vary significantly

Do not underestimate the costs of your dies. They are more expensive for silver, but if you can do silver, do so (just higher upfront costs)

bigtimespaghetti did a book on how to make coins. It would be worth reading, if you havnt already. If you cant get the book (or ebook ?), then shout up, and I will send you mine

Also .... is this coin formally sanctioned by Berkeley ? It would make an interesting COA if it could be, and an interesting first as far as the tie up to an esteemed educational establishment

Best of luck getting this over the line

Thank you for all of the info! Depending on how sales go a group buy may be the best way to go, I appreciate the offer!

NWT is one of the first mints I contacted for a quote actually. Purchasing bigtimespaghetti's book was one of my first transactions on the forum

The coin is formally sanctioned by Blockchain at Berkeley and we are a formally sanctioned organization on campus. The organization is comprised entirely of students at UC Berkeley (almost 100 students currently) and our club teaches a course that can be taken for credits toward a degree. A link to the Cryptocurrency course can be seen here (link is from last semester, Spring semester is not populated yet): http://www.decal.org/courses/4132

If there is interest we could create a COA that is signed by the founding members of the club? Not sure what would be of most interest but I am definitely open to ideas. We have a lot of ties on campus so I'll try to brainstorm something interesting but please feel free to offer suggestions or ask any questions about the organization that you may have. 

[monkeynuts]

Figured you would have, always worth a check though.

If you could get a COA that's formally issued by Berkley, that would be cool.... but probably a big ask

I'm thinking old school looking. Coats of arms /  red wax seal,  and signed by one of the Deans or something. Contrast the new of the coin / currency with the history of the establishment

[Kialara]

Good luck with this. Please reserve one for me - any serial is OK. Thanks 

[wheelz1200]

Interested.  You want the fairest way to distribute, use the blockchain.