An early investor named John Galt claimed to own a physical Casascius Bitcoin bar worth 100 BTC, which was purchased for around US$500 or Rp4.83 million in 2012.
For your information, Casascius Bitcoin is a rare physical collectible that contains real Bitcoin, created by Mike Caldwell from 2011 to 2013, featuring a private key hidden under a holographic sticker that provides access to the digital currency embedded within.
This bar serves as cold storage, linking physical metal with digital value, with a rare version containing 1,000 BTC becoming iconic, although its production was halted due to regulatory issues, making it a valuable historical artifact and investment asset.
“However, I don't want to exchange it. For me, physical Bitcoin that hasn't been exchanged feels more valuable than just money,” said the investor, citing from Bitcoin Forum.
When the price of Bitcoin surpassed US$10,000 a few years ago, the investor began to feel anxious because holding an asset worth millions of dollars is a heavy burden. Because, there are risks such as difficulty selling or becoming a target for theft.
“I tried to sell it several times, but it's difficult to sell something so valuable, and you can't trust just anyone. I looked for auction information, but the value obtained would be less than the value of the Bitcoin itself,” he continued.
However, after the value of Bitcoin rose, the author finally decided to exchange the bar on May 13, 2025, when Bitcoin was still worth US$100 thousand, although initially hesitant.
“Now that it's worth over US$10 million, I know I can't just leave it like that. So, yes… even though I was a bit hesitant, I finally redeemed it,” said the author. #AkademiCryptoNews
