Collectors unseal nine Casascius coins worth 9.5 Bitcoin

Nine Casascius coins were opened after years of holding, further increasing the number of coins in circulation. A total of 9.5 BTC were claimed in small denominations. 

A total of nine Casascius coins were opened today, after years of holding. The coins, worth 5 BTC, 1 BTC and 0.5 BTC, released a total of 9.5 BTC and presumably all related hard forks coins including BCH. 

The coins were opened a few months after one user claimed a 100 BTC gold Casascius coin, inadvertently releasing the private key before claiming the BCH forked coins. 

The coins were opened within the span of a few hours, suggesting they may belong to one person. The wallets receiving 0.5 BTC also has a history of splitting 100 BTC into multiple addresses. All of the current wallets that received the newly opened funds from their small-scale coins previously connected to a single address, which distributed 100 BTC in April 2013.

It is possible the original 100-BTC wallet opened a gold bar or coin with 100 BTC, then distributed it to additional wallets. The newly opened coins may be part of the same person’s reserves. 

The opening of several coins follows a recent claim for a one-BTC coin on October 1. Casascius coin openings are now relatively rare, as the holders also retain them for their unopened premium value or as collectible items. 

In 2025, a total of 432 coins were redeemed, holding 1,100 BTC. The estimated amount in still-active coins is around 38,000 BTC.

Less than half of Casascius coins are opened

Casascius coins are a novelty, and most seem to drive a strong holding ethos. For now, fewer than 50% of the coins have been opened. There are three still unopened 1,000 BTC coins, one 500 BTC coin and another 35 100-BTC gold bars.

Additionally, there are hundreds of still-active coins with smaller denominations, including the most numerous 1-BTC coins. Of those, 12,943 are still active. 

In total, over 17K coins and bars are active, with around 10K opened. The unclaimed amount of BTC is now valued at over $4B. 

Casascius coin owner reawakens as BTC stages a recovery

The physical coins funded with BTC were activated just as the market was attempting another recovery. 

BTC traded at $109,670, despite recent selling pressure. In the past months, older whales have taken profits from BTC. 

Casascius coin owners have tried to secure their coins into new addresses, or seek ways to cash out. Some of the bars were acquired as early as 2011, when BTC was just gaining popularity.

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