Rare Bitcoin Token Sets World Record, Realizing $117,000 at Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ June Showcase Auction
Sells for Nearly 1,000 Times Original Value of $120.
A physical 1 Bitcoin from the Casascius series sold for an astounding $117,000 in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries June 2025 Showcase Auction, setting a new record as the single most valuable example of this iconic brass type. First introduced in 2011, the Casascius 1 Bitcoin represents the first physical token to be loaded with Bitcoin, bridging the gap between traditional coinage and the newly introduced digital currency.
Graded MS-62 by PCGS, the record-setting example is from the 2013 issue, which was the final mintage before the Casascius series stopped production. It was originally loaded on June 5, 2013 when Bitcoin was worth just $120, and it went on to sell for nearly 1,000 times that amount in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries sale. With Bitcoin valued around $107,000 at the time of the auction, this record result reflects a nearly $10,000 collector premium above the face value.
“As time goes on,” explained James McCartney, Director of Numismatics and head of the firm’s Physical Cryptocurrency program, “more and more of these coins are destroyed to extract the Bitcoin, further increasing the rarity and importance of surviving pieces like this one. We are proud to be a top resource for elite collectors in this category, as demonstrated by this record-setting result.”
Beyond this piece, the Stack’s Bowers Galleries sale set several price records across a range of categories. A 2016 BTCC “Poker Chip” 0.1 Bitcoin graded MS-69 (PCGS) sold for $19,200, setting a new record and achieving an incredible premium of nearly 100% above the face value. A similar MS-69 (PCGS) “Poker Chip” 0.01 Bitcoin from the 2017 BlueBits issue also set a new record for the series at $2,040, breaking the previous record set by Stack’s Bowers Galleries in their Spring 2025 Sale.
The record $117,000 Casascius 1 Bitcoin contributed to over a quarter-million dollars in total prices realized in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries June physical cryptocurrency sale. The firm is now accepting consignments to their August and November auctions and will be attending the F.U.N. coin show in Orlando, FL from July 10-12, as well as the A.N.A. World's Fair of Money in Oklahoma City, OK from August 19-23. For questions about the results of their June sale or to consign your coins to a future auction, contact Stack’s Bowers Galleries at Info@StacksBowers.com or 800-566-2580.
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Source: Stack’s Bowers Galleries
Stack's Bowers Galleries conducts live, Internet and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company's 80-year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The D. Brent Pogue Collection, The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Joel R. Anderson Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few. World coin and currency collections include The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, The Guia Collection, The Thos. H. Law Collection, and The Robert O. Ebert Collection.
Topping off this amazing numismatic history is the inclusion of the world record for the highest price ever realized at auction for a rare coin, the 1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar graded Specimen-66 (PCGS) that realized over $10 million, part of their sale of the famed Cardinal Collection. The company is headquartered in Santa Ana, California, with offices in New York, Wolfeboro, Hong Kong, and Paris. Stack's Bowers Galleries is an Official Auctioneer for several important numismatic conventions, including American Numismatic Association events, the New York International Numismatic Convention, the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Spring, Summer and Winter Expos, and its April and August Hong Kong Auctions.
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