A "real" Bitcoin

[tcatm]

I just made a "real" bitcoin. They'll eventually be made of real metal instead of glass epoxy + copper once I have better tools.

http://a59.img-up.net/bitcoin2d08rj.jpg

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[grondilu]

I just made a "real" bitcoin. They'll eventually be made of real metal instead of glass epoxy + copper once I have better tools.

http://a59.img-up.net/bitcoin2d08rj.jpg

Pretty cool.  A gold coin like this would be nice.

Anyone knows someone who could mint it ?

[Gavin Andresen]

Yeah, cool!

Could you punch a couple of holes through the B?  I like topologically interesting money.

And if you want to make it the absolutely coolest coin in the world, generate a new bitcoin address, send 1 bitcoin to it, and then engrave that address on the coin.

Then you have physical currency that the owner can independently check to make sure the bitcoin backing it hasn't been spent.

[tcatm]

High resolution picture:

http://y72.img-up.net/bitcoin3d6phb.jpg

Next I'll try to make one from brass. I like the idea of engraving an bitcoin address.

[dingus]

High resolution picture:

http://y72.img-up.net/bitcoin3d6phb.jpg

Next I'll try to make one from brass. I like the idea of engraving an bitcoin address.

Perhaps engraving the circle on the coin with the address would work, I am not sure it would fit though.

[kiba]

What if there are more  real bitcoin then there are real bitcoin in a wallet?

[tcatm]

How about for the bitcoin address, engrave it along the edge like the new US dollar coins.

Good idea but I'd need to make the coin bigger for that and build a custom CNC

Btw: The coin is up for auction until block 101000 (current bid 40 BTC). Please join #bitcoin-auction to place bids.

[nanotube]

shipping included?

[tcatm]

shipping included?

If it's not extremely expensive (i.e. more than half of the bid), yes.

[nanotube]

Yeah, cool!

Could you punch a couple of holes through the B?  I like topologically interesting money.

And if you want to make it the absolutely coolest coin in the world, generate a new bitcoin address, send 1 bitcoin to it, and then engrave that address on the coin.

Then you have physical currency that the owner can independently check to make sure the bitcoin backing it hasn't been spent.

yea, except you run into a problem of coin duplication. i can make 20 coins with the same address (which has 1 btc associated with it), and pass them all off as 1btc worth. unless there's some kind of a central registry of coins by address+owner, so that one can check that the guy who's passing him the coin is indeed the only owner of a coin with such and such address, etc... but then you lose the 'decentralized' bit.

[Anonymous]

Can you sandwich two metal halves together and have a wallet chip between them?

Just say you could externally scan the coin and determine it has a value inside it....

[Vinnie]

And if you want to make it the absolutely coolest coin in the world, generate a new bitcoin address, send 1 bitcoin to it, and then engrave that address on the coin.

Then you have physical currency that the owner can independently check to make sure the bitcoin backing it hasn't been spent.

Alternatively you could simply make the market for them, buying and selling them at a +.01 to -.01 spread. Then instead of having a backed currency you would have a pegged currency. The advantages of a pegged currency is that it would be possible to expand the money supply based on actual demand rather than target interest rates.

[Mike Hearn]

It'd be cool to come up with a coin design that's RepRappable. It'd fit well with the decentralized philosophy of BitCoin :-)

http://reprap.org/

For making it an actual coin that's useful for transactions, you could embed an NFC chip into it. The tag chips cost about a dollar, I think, and can store small amounts of arbitrary data that can then be read by near field radio. It'd probably be possible to fit a keypair into it.

[MacRohard]

High resolution picture:

http://y72.img-up.net/bitcoin3d6phb.jpg

Next I'll try to make one from brass. I like the idea of engraving an bitcoin address.

What you really need is a way to write the private key that controlls 1 bitcoin onto the coin (some small smartcard? or maybe just a hexdump in really tiny writing) - that way someone could dematerialize the coin again if they want and put it back into a wallet.

Just having an address with a coin in it that noone can access is kindof pointless. Including the real private key on the other hand would allow the value of the bitcoin to remain pegged.

[casascius]

High resolution picture:

http://y72.img-up.net/bitcoin3d6phb.jpg

Next I'll try to make one from brass. I like the idea of engraving an bitcoin address.

What you really need is a way to write the private key that controlls 1 bitcoin onto the coin (some small smartcard? or maybe just a hexdump in really tiny writing) - that way someone could dematerialize the coin again if they want and put it back into a wallet.

Just having an address with a coin in it that noone can access is kindof pointless. Including the real private key on the other hand would allow the value of the bitcoin to remain pegged.

If only you could stuff this inside it...

http://h22.img-up.net/?up=coin6fzzg.jpg

[Anonymous]

High resolution picture:

http://y72.img-up.net/bitcoin3d6phb.jpg

Next I'll try to make one from brass. I like the idea of engraving an bitcoin address.

What you really need is a way to write the private key that controlls 1 bitcoin onto the coin (some small smartcard? or maybe just a hexdump in really tiny writing) - that way someone could dematerialize the coin again if they want and put it back into a wallet.

Just having an address with a coin in it that noone can access is kindof pointless. Including the real private key on the other hand would allow the value of the bitcoin to remain pegged.

If only you could stuff this inside it...

http://h22.img-up.net/?up=coin6fzzg.jpg

You could have a mold and pour liquid metal into it.....

[Anonymous]

It'd be cool to come up with a coin design that's RepRappable. It'd fit well with the decentralized philosophy of BitCoin :-)

http://reprap.org/

For making it an actual coin that's useful for transactions, you could embed an NFC chip into it. The tag chips cost about a dollar, I think, and can store small amounts of arbitrary data that can then be read by near field radio. It'd probably be possible to fit a keypair into it.

I think they are working on a machine that can print electronic parts such as circuit boards. It would be a cool project to get involved with.

[MacRohard]

High resolution picture:

http://y72.img-up.net/bitcoin3d6phb.jpg

Next I'll try to make one from brass. I like the idea of engraving an bitcoin address.

What you really need is a way to write the private key that controlls 1 bitcoin onto the coin (some small smartcard? or maybe just a hexdump in really tiny writing) - that way someone could dematerialize the coin again if they want and put it back into a wallet.

Just having an address with a coin in it that noone can access is kindof pointless. Including the real private key on the other hand would allow the value of the bitcoin to remain pegged.

If only you could stuff this inside it...

http://h22.img-up.net/?up=coin6fzzg.jpg

perhaps this;

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/103998637/Smart_card_Coin_card.html

[Anonymous]

High resolution picture:

http://y72.img-up.net/bitcoin3d6phb.jpg

Next I'll try to make one from brass. I like the idea of engraving an bitcoin address.

What you really need is a way to write the private key that controlls 1 bitcoin onto the coin (some small smartcard? or maybe just a hexdump in really tiny writing) - that way someone could dematerialize the coin again if they want and put it back into a wallet.

Just having an address with a coin in it that noone can access is kindof pointless. Including the real private key on the other hand would allow the value of the bitcoin to remain pegged.

If only you could stuff this inside it...

http://h22.img-up.net/?up=coin6fzzg.jpg

perhaps this;

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/103998637/Smart_card_Coin_card.html

That looks great,if a little uninspiring  


Wouldnt mind a real bitcoin I could keep in a safe somewhere or even hand out as a business card.  http://www.flipsidewallet.com/ id carry an rfid bitcoin smart card in this lol

[genjix]

That coin is a very cool momento. You should consider selling that merchandise.

Real bitcoin currency though would just be hard-to-manufacture paper notes with a barcode that has an address with 1 BTC in.