Please could someone help me with my bitcoin

[kefton]

Hello. Please excuse my lack of knowledge using a forum and a bitcoin. I was hoping someone could help me. I have a physical bitcoin that I bought in 2012. It has a hologram on the back which is intact. I was hoping that someone could help me to check the coins validity and help with how I can use the keys to put it in a wallet.

Thanks for any help possible.

[hosseinimr93]

You should destroy the hologram and import the private key into a wallet and access your bitcoin.

Note that, before importing your private key into a wallet, you should make sure that the device is secure and there is no malware in it.
I recommend you to use electrum.

Warning:
Download electrum only from its official website and do not forget to verify your download.


For more security, you can create a watch-only wallet on a online device, create an unsigned transaction and sign the transaction on an air-gapped device.  
For more information on how to make a transaction offline, visit the following link.
How to spend from an offline paper wallet using Electrum

If you only want to check your balance and you don't want to make any transaction, you only need to enter your address (not your private key) in a block explorer like blockchair.
(Never enter your private key in a block explorer.)

[NeuroticFish]

Hello. Please excuse my lack of knowledge using a forum and a bitcoin. I was hoping someone could help me. I have a physical bitcoin that I bought in 2012. It has a hologram on the back which is intact. I was hoping that someone could help me to check the coins validity and help with how I can use the keys to put it in a wallet.

Thanks for any help possible.

If it has the hologram intact it may be more valuable as it is and you may get more money on the "entire package" than just cashing in the coins coming from the private key (plus the fork coins).
Of course, it will be a bit more hassle to get it sold/sent properly.

I would start with asking for help/info in the Collectibles area.

[kefton]

Thank you for your rapid replies. I have no idea about wallets or how to use them. There was a lot of technical info in the replies that I have no idea about. I will be sure to check it’s value on the public key place you recommended. If there is any more help you can offer I would appreciate it greatly.

[Mbitr]

It will certainly help if you can post an image of the physical bitcoin. Don’t panic- the public address is the one that is generally on display and the private address is under the hologram. Don’t peel the hologram - these physical bitcoin collectibles have a greater value generally when the hologram is intact 
If there is a window on the hologram - there should be an alphanumerics on show - possibly 6 or 8 - this can be looked up in a Blockchain explorer- like another member has said- and it should show you a balance.
But as I said a picture would be easier for folks to assess and explain 

[hosseinimr93]

If there is any more help you can offer I would appreciate it greatly.

What do you exactly want to do?
Do you want to sell the physical coin itself?
Do you want to redeem the private key and sell your bitcoin on an exchange?
Do you want to make sure that the physical coin you have is genuine and you don't want to sell your bitcoin?

[franky1]

if its a genuine physical coin known as the 'Casascius coin'

the hologram should also have a small code printed on it (viewable without touching the seal)
this should be 8 digits long. and refereed to as 'firstbits'

which if you research, you can convert that 8 digit code into a public address to check if there is value still on that address without breaking the hologram sticker

this code is not to spend the value. its just to view the balance

[ajaxtempest]

Thank you for your rapid replies. I have no idea about wallets or how to use them. There was a lot of technical info in the replies that I have no idea about. I will be sure to check it’s value on the public key place you recommended. If there is any more help you can offer I would appreciate it greatly.

I never heard of these physical coins. Wow!. How many do you have and the value?

ANyways here are the steps

download electrum
https://electrum.org/#home

verify the key(optional if you are scared that the download link is spoofed you must check the keys)

install electrum
step 1
click electrum
step 2
create new wallet
step 3
name the wallet
step 4
click next and select the last option aka import private keys
step 5
enter the private key via qr code is present in the coin or manually write it down
step 6
done!

[aoluain]

Thank you for your rapid replies. I have no idea about wallets or how to use them. There was a lot of technical info in the replies that I have no idea about. I will be sure to check it’s value on the public key place you recommended. If there is any more help you can offer I would appreciate it greatly.

I never heard of these physical coins. Wow!. How many do you have and the value?

snip

If you are in awe of this physical Bitcoin you certainly have not visited the "Collectibles"
section of the forum. A new world will open up for you there!

Marketplace >> Goods >> Collectibles - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=217.0

Hello. Please excuse my lack of knowledge using a forum and a bitcoin. I was hoping someone could help me. I have a physical bitcoin that I bought in 2012. It has a hologram on the back which is intact. I was hoping that someone could help me to check the coins validity and help with how I can use the keys to put it in a wallet.

Thanks for any help possible.

As many have pointed out, The coin may be worth more "un-peeled" as in the hologram
intact than the loaded amount of Bitcoin on the physical coin.

I would suggest moving this thread to the above Collectibles section, you may get
extra info from users there, especially minerjones, yogg, Bitbollo, OgNasty or krogothmanhattan
for example ^{i have left out tonnes of other members} who have a long history on that board.

[hosseinimr93]

I never heard of these physical coins. Wow!. How many do you have and the value?

Read the following article on Bitcoin Wiki.
Casascius physical bitcoins

ANyways here are the steps
----
----

This should work. But I don't recommend it.

OP should have a big amount of bitcoin and It's not recommended to import the private key into a hot wallet. OP should import the private key into an air-gapped device and make offline transaction.

[kefton]

Thank you for all this info. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with it. It was bought on a whim to win a bet. I didn’t realise it would be worth more as a collectible. I just wanted to get some money from it to clear some debts I have. I don’t really have much idea about it at all. I don’t know how to move a discussion as I’m new today to a forum. I’ve never really used them before. I don’t know if I can post an image as I’m a new user but I certainly will do if I can, not yet though as I’m currently at work and I don’t have it with me.


Ok. I read somewhere not to keep it in a hot wallet. And I also heard Coinbase is a bit suspect because they require the private key so I’m trusting them to keep it safe.

[moderator's note: consecutive posts merged]

[hosseinimr93]

I didn’t realise it would be worth more as a collectible. I just wanted to get some money from it to clear some debts I have.

If you want to sell your physical bitcoin here on Collectibles board or any other place, you should very careful to not get scammed.

I don’t know if I can post an image as I’m a new user but I certainly will do if I can

You can upload your image on an image hosting website like imgur and post the link here.

[kefton]

Thank you. In response to your first post hosseinimr93 I would like to verify that the coin is genuine and how much is on it if it is genuine.

[jackg]

Thank you. In response to your first post hosseinimr93 I would like to verify that the coin is genuine and how much is on it if it is genuine.

If it is a casascius it should have a few alphanumeric characters on the back that you can type in here to see which address you have: https://casascius.uberbills.com

You can then use your output from the search to get the full address that you can then copy and paste into a block explorer like btc.com or blockchain.com to check it still has funds but uberbills might automatically update anyway.

[kefton]

Thanks. I’ll try that when I get home.

[OgNasty]

I think you'd be much better served with answers from people who have gone through this process in the Collectibles section.  I'm sure there are even how to posts in there, as well as people who may make you an offer on your coin.  If you hit the move button at the bottom of the screen, you can move it into Collectibles and get some better responses.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=217.0

You could also lock this topic and create a new one if you wanted.  I took a quick glance to see if I could spot one of the 'how to' threads, but I didn't see one.  A quick search of that section should also help you find what you're looking for.

[dataispower]

Thank you for your rapid replies. I have no idea about wallets or how to use them. There was a lot of technical info in the replies that I have no idea about. I will be sure to check it’s value on the public key place you recommended. If there is any more help you can offer I would appreciate it greatly.

Some wallet which is owned by exchange don't have private key. But many of the wallet have private key. Just import your keys and check if it will work. And you suppose to make your own research from internet and youtube video and compare with the information given to you in bitcointalk. Despite that is good to ask questions to people that knows the solution as you ask. but upon that, make your research and you find solution