Bitcointalk.org collectible coin ideas & vote

[Welsh]

Regarding the up and coming 10th anniversary of the forum, and a lot of speculation whether anything special has been planned, and if anything has come to fruition with the production of the collectible coins idea, and assuming they haven't I thought we could take on the philosophy of OgNasty's quote here:

I have long wanted to put out a community coin designed by the community, for the community.

And allow everyone to pitch in with ideas, and voting in hopes to move the Bitcointalk collectible coin proposal into a reality. Hopefully, with the end result being a community driven effort to show our appreciation to those that are rewarded the coins by theymos.


Here are some of my thoughts, however feel free to pitch in with your own ideas, and poll suggestions

Candidates to manufacture the coins
Assuming they would be willing to manufacture the coins
Casascius
casascius the man himself who started it all, and is probably the most renowned, and respected due to being the first person to have manufactured a collectible Bitcoin coin called casascius. A user at the forum since 2010, and has contributed to the forum separate from his collectible coins manufacturing. Plus, in my opinion it would be fitting to have one of the more prolific coin manufactures create the Bitcointalk 10th anniversary coin. However, casascius doesn't seem to be that active in the last few years he definitely still remains one of the most recognized within the Bitcoin collectible world.

According to BPIP stats Casascius is the 182nd most trusted user on the forum.

smoothie
smoothie known for their LEALANA coins. Has most recently worked with Monero coins, and has shown a decent production value. Being part of the forum since 2011, and arguably one of the most trusted users within the forums collectible scene, and has proven to be a productive user of the forum over the years. We probably wouldn't go far wrong with getting smoothie to manufacture the coins. smoothie being still somewhat active in the community is a plus.

According to BPIP stats smoothie is the 26th most trusted user on the forum.

Kialara
Kialara being one of the newer users considering they registered on the forum in 2014. However, I think its fair to say that their production, and design of coins is nothing to scoff at. Probably providing the most elegant designs on this list, as well as still being part of the community for a number of years. Kialara looks to be still active, and participating in the forum.

According to BPIP stats Kialara is the 75th most trusted user on the forum.

External manufacturer who is not part of the forum
We could potentially search for other manufacturers which haven't been part of the forum, however this could end up taking away from the magic of the coin. I liked the quote by OgNasty of making this a community coin, and honouring that I believe it would be better to get manufacturers who are directly part of the forum.

*I think its worth giving one of these coins to the manufacturer of the coin as a thanks, and being part of the creation process.


The design process

Deciding on a design should in my opinion be done via the community if we would like to keep to the theme of a community created coin. Therefore, I would suggest holding a competition for anyone on the forum to enter on a dedicated thread. They would submit their designs for the coin, and their reward would be getting one of the coins themselves for designing it. This should prove to be incentive enough.

The result could be determined by either theymos, a whole community vote, or only those that are to receive the coins.

How many coins should be made and should they be funded?

As proposed by theymos he suggested creating between 50, and 300 collectible coins. My suggestion would be to create separate groups, and rewarding them for different reasons if the budget allows.  As well, as including both unfunded, and funded coins. For example, the first 10 coins could go to those which were absolutely vital to the development, and survival of the forum who have contributed so much that they deserve to be remembered. These first 10 coins could be funded with small/large amounts. The rest of the coins can be distributed unfunded, and to those that have had a remarkable impact on the forum, contributed greatly or been somewhat of a icon to the forum.

The issue with funding coins is a license may need to be required depending on the legislation of the country the person funding them resides in. I believe Casascius ran into problems with FINCEN because they believed it to be transmitting money.


Certificate and presentation?
I believe a certificate presented with the physical Bitcointalk coin would add a personal touch. The certificate could state who it has been rewarded too, as well as thanking them for their efforts. These certificates could be customized, instead of customizing the actual coin for each user, and could  save on costs without cutting back on the personal thank you, and meaning of receiving a Bitcointalk collectible coin.

Presenting this in a box with the Bitcointalk identification on it or perhaps a logo of the collectible coin on the box could be a nice final touch.  


Distribution

Costs
Theymos hinted to the possibility of giving away these coins or the possibility of requiring users to pay for their coin to receive it. Manufacturing these coins as well as adding the possibility of further customization could rack up, and become very expensive quickly. The idea of allowing users to pay for their coins is a good ideal, and although I believe the vast majority of users would be more than willing to pay for such an item what happens to the coins which have been appointed to someone, and they don't want to pay? Distribution of the coins could then become problematic.


Delivery and logistics
Expanding on the point made in the costs section of this thread; The fact that users may not want to give their delivery address, might not have access to a PO box or might not even respond could become problematic. Therefore, the best option in my opinion would be messaging those that are to receive coins, and if they don't respond after a certain amount of time then the coin is distributed to someone else. If we were to create a public announcement of the users who are to receive coins, and possibly adding personalized certificates with each coin all users would have had to confirm they would like to receive a coin before this happens.


Who gets the coins?
We know the coins will have a limited supply which begs the question who should receive the coin, and what criteria must they fill?
It is assumed the criteria will be determined by theymos

However, Here's some example criteria:

- Active user (to avoid coins not being claimed)
- Iconic users of the forum (Users with a lot of history, and are known by the majority of the community)
- Those who have contributed substantially to the forum (major development, major security bounties, and long serving staff members)
- Using a formula such as BPIP's MAT (Most merited, activity, and most trusted)
- Using a custom formula similar to BPIP's

[cabalism13]

Submitted the First Vote:
300 Funded Coins Designed By A Certain Decision From A Competion and will be made by casascius to be distributed for the users that will avail them.
Additional : Certificates for every User who availed the coin.

[AB de Royse777]

I gone with,
300 coins: I think that will give me a chance to have one :-P
Unfunded: Let it leave for the coin owner  (if the forum fund it free then welcome LOL)
With personalized certificate: May be someone can gift it to other's if they want. Generation to generation.
Paid for via forum funds: Forum has a lot of money LOL
Design chosen by community competition: Community is the power.

PS: I did not read any of the contents you put in the OP (just in case you wanted to brainwash :-P ). So my picks were biased free :-D

[Welsh]

The only issue I see with the community decided design would be the issue with multiple accounts voting for certain poll results which could skew the results (Just like this poll is also subject too). Whether, we allow community submitted results, and have a cut off where no more submissions can be submitted then vote on it. Ultimately, I feel like with the abuse of polls it could end up with theymos making a decision on it. Although, I feel the community submitted designs is definitely the way to go about this.

PS: I did not read any of the contents you put in the OP (just in case you wanted to brainwash :-P ). So my picks were biased free :-D

I've actively tried to stay unbiased at least towards the beginning, but I think I've ultimately failed in that as it proved to be difficult. Unfortunately, as a result there are a few personal opinions mixed in there so I would encourage users to vote before reading unless they don't understand a certain option! I'll likely edit some of the things which could add bias into it. This isn't an official vote obviously, and polls can be abused, but hopefully will get the ball rolling if it hasn't already, and prove somewhat useful to theymos.

[Bttzed03]

300 coins of course! The more the merrier.
Design should also be decided by community voting.

Too bad I wasn't able to pick the designer manufacturer and I don't see an option to go back

[Jet Cash]

I'm not sure that I would purchase a coin, but were I to be awarded one, then I would keep it, and not consider selling it. It could be used to promote Bitcoin Talk, and to make members of the financial communities aware of the forum.

[AB de Royse777]

~snip~

I've actively tried to stay unbiased at least towards the beginning, but I think I've ultimately failed in that as it proved to be difficult. Unfortunately, as a result there are a few personal opinions mixed in there so I would encourage users to vote before reading unless they don't understand a certain option! I'll likely edit some of the things which could add bias into it. This isn't an official vote obviously, and polls can be abused, but hopefully will get the ball rolling if it hasn't already, and prove somewhat useful to theymos.

Come on bud! I was massing around :-P
Please do not take it seriously. You have done a very good job. Honestly! :-)

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

More concerned about how the distribution will be processed since I'm from a region not much forum members will be interested in this to ship in bulk. Always wanted a collectible coin but considering the shipping procedures and other factors, I haven't showed much interested although I'm all in on this (submitted my vote). If there's a easy way to ship 1 coin down here to Africa (Nigeria), count me in.

[vlom]

a physical coin? rerally? i think that does not match at all.

[LFC_Bitcoin]

I think there should be 100 coins made & handed out to the top 100, most recognised posters on the forum (see Vod’s website for the top 100 -  https://bpip.org/report.aspx?r=mostrecognized)

It’d be cool if they were funded (paid for with forum funds) & the design chosen by theymos.

[LoyceMobile]

I chose Funded and Paid by forum funds. A man can dream!

I didn't select a certificate, but in retrospect it would be a very nice challenge to collect them all (personalized) if they're a giveaway for selected users: who's going to get one at 10 years, at 20 years, and will still be around at 30 years?

Maybe a better challenge would be to fund the first coin only if the user still qualifies 10 years later. A certain value in Bitcoin now could be worth many times more by then.

[Welsh]

More concerned about how the distribution will be processed since I'm from a region not much forum members will be interested in this to ship in bulk. Always wanted a collectible coin but considering the shipping procedures and other factors, I haven't showed much interested although I'm all in on this (submitted my vote). If there's a easy way to ship 1 coin down here to Africa (Nigeria), count me in.

Not sure what the restrictions would be on shipping I guess that's something theymos will have to look into. I'd hope that shipping expenses wouldn't be a factor of deciding who gets selected for the hounour.

I think there should be 100 coins made & handed out to the top 100, most recognised posters on the forum (see Vod’s website for the top 100 -  https://bpip.org/report.aspx?r=mostrecognized)

It’d be cool if they were funded (paid for with forum funds) & the design chosen by theymos.

There you go theymos you get one

I didn't select a certificate, but in retrospect it would be a very nice challenge to collect them all (personalized) if they're a giveaway for selected users: who's going to get one at 10 years, at 20 years, and will still be around at 30 years?

Even if the collectible coin didn't come to fruition I'd love to at some point make a few unofficial certificates for users for their contributions to the forum or even Bitcoin. Sounds like it could be fun making those too.

I chose Funded and Paid by forum funds. A man can dream!

I'm assuming forum funds is what theymos was referring to when he suggested the possibility of not requiring users to pay for them. Maybe its from the staffs monthly payment

[LTU_btc]

For me it doesn't matters who will make these coins, but it must be our forum member. We celebrate anniversary of Bitcointalk, so IMO it doesn't makes sense to hire someone who isn't even part of our community.
I think that some biggest contributors of Bitcointalk should receive funded coin, they simply deserved it most. But who exactly will be these people - it will be subjective choice. All remaining coins should be available for sale and I definitely would be interested to get it. And offcourse, design should be chosen by community.
Only problem here is delivery - lot of people here value privacy and may not want to reveal their address to get coin. So, in such case coin should be given to next person.

[Welsh]

For me it doesn't matters who will make these coins, but it must be our forum member. We celebrate anniversary of Bitcointalk, so IMO it doesn't makes sense to hire someone who isn't even part of our community.

Yeah, I'm absolutely for the idea of using someone who is within the community. That way there's a little more community vibe, and love put into it rather than just some random cooperation. Honestly, if I could pick a poorly made coin (not implying the ones listed are poor) by someone from the forum, and an amazingly designed coin from someone external I'd pick the crappy one every time.  

I think that some biggest contributors of Bitcointalk should receive funded coin, they simply deserved it most. But who exactly will be these people - it will be subjective choice. All remaining coins should be available for sale and I definitely would be interested to get it. And offcourse, design should be chosen by community.
Only problem here is delivery - lot of people here value privacy and may not want to reveal their address to get coin. So, in such case coin should be given to next person.

I considered making a list of some of the users who have made some noteworthy contributions to the forum in the past. However, thought that would be a little too much bias. I'm going to leave theymos with that decision, unless he asks for nominees.


With all the issues with delivery, selecting users, and getting the coin made this will likely go beyond the anniversary, but that doesn't stop us from beginning production on Bitcointalk.org's 10th anniversary. Although, there hasn't been any word from theymos on a special even for the anniversary theymos doesn't strike me as someone who wouldn't do something for that landmark. 

[LoyceMobile]

Although, there hasn't been any word from theymos on a special even for the anniversary theymos doesn't strike me as someone who wouldn't do something for that landmark. 

Theymos just posted this:

I decided that I won't have time to see through the creation of a coin myself. If one or more other people want to create collectibles, I can advertise them into the 10-year-anniversary topic which I will eventually create. And if there's a really good product, I would be willing to partially subsidize the cost of them for the top n forum members, or something in that general vein. But I decided that there'd be far too many things to figure out from scratch with an official forum giveaway (eg. creating the design, getting the coins made, delivering items, safely/privately sharing data with various new service providers, debating exact giveaway conditions, etc.), so if anything is going to be done here, it'll have to be done independently.

Sorry if I got people's hopes up.

[Welsh]

Theymos just posted this:

I decided that I won't have time to see through the creation of a coin myself. If one or more other people want to create collectibles, I can advertise them into the 10-year-anniversary topic which I will eventually create. And if there's a really good product, I would be willing to partially subsidize the cost of them for the top n forum members, or something in that general vein. But I decided that there'd be far too many things to figure out from scratch with an official forum giveaway (eg. creating the design, getting the coins made, delivering items, safely/privately sharing data with various new service providers, debating exact giveaway conditions, etc.), so if anything is going to be done here, it'll have to be done independently.

Sorry if I got people's hopes up.

Hopefully, there's something else planned as a little celebration. I might as well lock this thread, unless we can rally together, and make this happen? I'd probably be willing to put some money into this to get this going. Although, it never has the same appeal as an unofficial coin.

[NeuroticFish]

I choose unfunded, this way it's much cheaper and maybe more people (maybe me too?) can get one.
The ones who want it funded, they really can also buy it (!), since here we discuss about something nice, not free money.

A good presentation, on the other hand, is a must. It is a collectible after all.

On the rules, I'd also remove the inactives. I mean, OK, most recognized accounts, but if one was not active for months.. he will not need it.

[theymos]

Hopefully, there's something else planned as a little celebration. I might as well lock this thread, unless we can rally together, and make this happen? I'd probably be willing to put some money into this to get this going. Although, it never has the same appeal as an unofficial coin.

It is a really cool idea, but it's just too big of a project for a one-time thing. In many ways it's like setting up a new merchandising business from scratch.

If people want to get this done, I think you should do it by partnering with a business that already has a web storefront, BTC payment, delivery, etc. set up. At the end, once things are ready to ship, I'd be willing to "bless" some particular product as "official", if it's good. And I could also work with them to give out 100 50%-off coupon codes to worthy forum users as well, or something. (Coupon codes would also have privacy benefits, since there'd be no link on either end between forum users and shipping info.)

But I am going to spend zero time on this until/unless it's basically already done, so it'll have to be a community-led effort.

[Harlot]

300 Coins/ Personalized Certificates (Or just even a COA)/ Paid by the User.

I like the idea that the user will be the one to pay such BCT Coin as this will be the first step of good faith in obtaining such Anniversary Coin from BCT, I think aside from the qualifications on who can own it this will just be an added step of not being a bogus owner. Aside from that I would like the idea of each members having a personalized coin with engravings of their name's attach from the coin aside from making it look cool for the owner this will prevent potential reselling happening for the coin. I know this is too much of an ask but I think it would really be cool as an owner having their names part of the coin.

[Welsh]

I'm going to contact some of the manufacturers on the forum. I'm absolutely adamant that this should stay within the community, and be manufactured by someone on the forum with a little bit of history.  I definitely don't have the pulling power that theymos has that's for sure, but I'll see if I can make this project feasible. I'd love for something like this to happen, and I'm not prepared to wait for the 20th anniversary