Topic: Aluminum Casascius Coins [sold out] (Read 4496 times)

Thanks.

I would love to be informed if you ever decide to make more.

No, those are not mine.

Sorry to revive an old thread but I just found out about these coins and since they are no longer being produced I searched on ebay and found this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Casascius-10-mBTC-01-Btc-Bitcoin-physical-loaded-Not-Litecoin-FTC-Digital-/171196456193?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27dc1a9d01

Are these the ones? I don't see the coin number on these like the ones you originally made so I feel like they are knockoffs?

Thanks for any input.

Nice coins!

I'm interested in the next batch. And you should take Casascius up on the colored coins.

Not a problem hennessyhemp.  Sorry you had issues with your account.

Yeah, I actually started out using the minikeys but only the mt.gox app would read them in.  None of the other phone wallets would read in the mini keys from a qr code.  There was more support for the WIP key.  I'm hoping more apps support the minikeys from qr code in the future though.  The blockchain.info web app lets you import minikeys by typing them in but when you try to read in a qr code on your phone it gives an error about how mini format not supported or something like that.

Hey there smoothie, I missed your questions the first go around.  The hologram scratch off has a clear plastic bottom and the qr code is laser printed underneath.  So it should be safe with any reasonable amount of pressure.  I scratched fairly hard in testing and all worked well.  As for reading the QR code, I had no problems at all in testing.      That picture of coin #2 on the first post was one of the actual coins tested (not sold obviously).  I haven't tried but you can probably read the QR code just from the picture (the key is empty now obviously

This is friggin awesome.
Posting out of commercial interest, since I don't have time to read right now.

I think these coins are pretty good for give aways. Good job OP!  

One question: Is there any risk of the QR code that is put under hologram to rub off accidentally? Has this been tested? Keep in mind I do not have any idea how you are getting them on to the coins as I have no experience/knowledge with that specific type of work.

Edit: One more thing I noticed, how well does the QR code read when printed over the indentation on the back? Have you run into any issues with the translation when being read in?

Lealana coins has not even sent any coins out. There is even a scam accusation against smoothie regarding the ccoins. Stop posting random comments on a lot of threads that you aren't even interested in just to bring your post count higher.

By the way, good for you Casascius for being open and helpful to any new competition. Good to see that in today's market where monopoly's are every company's goal it seems like.

If you'd be interested in the anodized (colored) aluminum ones, the price is a bit higher (like 20 cents more a coin), but if you have access to a laser machine and can script a job for it the same way you did these labels, you might be able to mass produce coins just by laying them on the bed.  I have several colors: gold, blue, red, green, purple.

Also I thought you mentioned you were using tweezers to place the labels and that it was slow.  Here is another way that has always worked fabulously for me.  Go to HomeDepot.com and do a search for "706060" (this is the manufacturer's item number, or search by home depot's SKU 538167).  It's brown paper tape meant for painters that is weakly sticky, and only on one edge.  I use the sticky edge to pick up a row of labels off a sheet, and the non-sticky portion is large enough to make it easy to hold and position stickers.  This might or might not work for scratchoffs if it's too sticky to take the scratch away, but will definitely work with holograms or non-scratch stickers.

For being a candidate for a cheap low cost proof of concept "tip jar" coin, I think they look pretty darn good.

Sure yeah, spend $5000 on custom holograms.  Pad that cost into the price.  Then you'll end up with a coin that cost too much you won't want to give away, defeating the whole purpose of a low cost coin.

EDIT: simply to add this acknowledgment that I responded to a hacker

haha thanks for your input?  You just made my night.

Hey Casascius, I'm actually using some silver foil labels.  I originally looked at trying to laser on the coins directly as I have a close friend who does that sort of thing as a business but I ran into the same issues you did.

I would be interested when you get the flat back coins in.  The recess sometimes causes me fits when putting a label on without an air pocket

Very cool!  Very impressed!

How are you printing on these?  Are you lasering them?  Transparent labels?

I own an Epilog Mini laser machine I use for my other stuff.  It's an infrared CO2 laser.  This laser won't do squat to the aluminum coins, the beam just reflects off with no effect - unless I pre-coat the coins with something like CerMark spray, which is a bit expensive (not to mention messy), but makes the mark a nice solid black sort of how yours look.  Are you doing something similar, or perhaps have a different type of equipment that can mark bare metal?

I also have colored anodized aluminum coins.  The laser will burn off the coloring and leave nice silver-white lettering behind, but I haven't gotten around to developing software to feed unique private keys to the laser machine quite yet.  And the anodized aluminum coins cost a fair bit more than the bare ones.

Also I have more of the aluminum coins on the way with flat backs (no recess) and I will be shipping them out by default in future orders after they arrive.

I will take 10 please, same shipping info as before.
Let me know when you are ready to open purchasing.

Hey KingofSports, I answered you in pm but I'll put this out here too.

The next set will be done as soon as I get back home (next week sometime).  They will be 0.05 btc (50 mBTC) denomination and there will be 48 of them total like the first set.  I'll make a new post when they are finished.

Awesome, so glad you like them and thank you for your comments.

Would you be able to make 10 of these coins each with .1 on them instead of .01? and print 100 mBTC on them and such. If so what would be your shipped price for the lot?

Been a little busy lately but I wanted to reply,

Serp is great to work with, very professional and fast shipping.

I ordered them via PM on June 26th, They shipped out on the 27th via USPS first class mail delivered on July 1st.

The coins themselves are light as is to be expected for being aluminum and all but overall they are very nice.

Congrats serp, keep up the good work, please let me know when you have more in stock, I will be buying more for my twin 10 year olds.

If anybody wants pics, let me know and I will post some on this thread.

Happy Friday!

Thank you!  Glad you like them.

Hope to have a new set here soon.  Probably no paypal though
I'll have a new post when they are ready.

mine arrived today, very professional

any updates about the next batch and accepting paypal? 

Hey Serp I am interested in your coin design.  I sent you a PM.

Great!  Really glad you like them.

I received my 10 coins today! They are really nice. A little lighter in weight than I expected but very bright and shiny with a shimmering hologram sticker on the back. I can't wait to hand these out to friends. Thanks Serp!

They are not dependent on any website.  The QR code is a private key of a bitcoin address in WIF.  You can scan it in with a phone wallet app that supports it (the blockchain.info app for example) for easy import.  If you don't have one of those apps you can always scan in the QR code with any qr scanner and then copy/paste the text into any bitcoin wallet.

I would like to know if these are dependent upon a website outside of the BTC network.  If so, that would mean the site needs to be maintained online for these coins to work.  So they may not work 2 or 5 years from now.

I'm really sorry btceic.  Not this time.

Send me a PM with specific location so I can make sure but it looks like it will cost me 0.145 + the cost of the coins (0.025/each) to send to that area.  I can send 10 or less coins this way I know but I could probably fit more coins in with this method.

I technically have 16 coins left still but I'm waiting to hear back from a few people.  I'm going to keep coin #1 for myself and if any others aren't sold by tonight I'll keep them to hand out locally.

Shipping within the US is < 0.05 in all cases I've priced out so far so less than the flat rate envelopes.  I'm using padded envelopes and each coin is in soft plastic.

Can I please buy some with paypal?

...worth a shot

Yeah, I will possibly go to higher denominations in future versions.  With the effort and the loss from trial and error this first run is costing money for sure.  I put the scratch off on these because I really don't like the idea of just having the private code visible even on 0.01 BTC versions.  Once it's visible it's the same as redeemed to me.  But you are right, it hardly seems worth all the effort and cost.

Yeah, I picked up a few domains with that thought in mind as well.  I've just been so hesitant to flesh it out and put a URL on the coins though.  It's nice when the coins don't rely on any one website for anything.  I keep going back and forth on the idea but so far have settled with leaving a URL off.  A guide is a great idea and would be good for linking new users to it somehow but I imagine it would often be the case that some coins outlast the website.  As for including the coins in the guide, you should definitely put Casascius coins in there as he's the original and the basis for these coins too.

Great work on the site.  I would suggest you get into firstbits for the Checking Balance of coins since most the coins use that instead of a QR code.

i would also like some shipped to eu if you have any left.

Very cool! I love the holo and the scratch off. The engraved parts look very nice too!

I'm afraid I have to leave for a few hours.  I'm caught up on IRC but I have a couple more to answer on here.  I promise I will answer everything tomorrow.  There are currently about 16 coins left.  Cyrus I'll get you a quote.

I'm interested as well. Would you be able to ship to Europe?

I have been working on the link idea.
trying to put together a guide that explains:

1:bitcoin
2:checking balance
3:reedeming
4:spending

If you can help write the guide I could include your coins in the guide.
realbitcoin.info

I would like 10 of the coins loaded with .01 BTC if still available.

BCB, I'll catch you in OTC.

Serp This is great.

I have a bunch of these from the conference too.  I've been passing them out at bitcoin meet up and using them as conversation starters (but they have no value)

I spent (very little) time researching labels and trying to figure out how to print them.

I also want to try to use these as business cards with a qr code of contact info and maybe a link to weusecoins.com

Care to share you label / print method.

Thx.

I am doing international shipping for someone else but after pricing it out it REALLY isn't going to be worth the shipping cost for just a couple.  But if you want send me a PM with location and I will price it out.

I just priced out 4 for someone else and it is about 0.13 btc for coins+shipping.  Send me a PM with zipcode and I can price it out for you.

I really want one! no international shipping   

I'm interested in 4. How much would you charge for a first class envelope to somewhere in the United States?

Sorry I would like to deal in bitcoins only for now.

There are 35 left.  Post in this thread or send me a PM.

ill buy 10 if you will accept paypal, i spent all of my btc between terrahash and knc purchases.

So I've had a bag of these for a while now and have been working on scripts to create labels along with finding proper labels for them.  I have made 48 of them (1 sheet of labels) and loaded them with 0.01 bitcoins each.  I'm calling this first set version 0.1

v 0.1
 - weatherproof silver labels (laser printed)
 - full private key in a qr code
 - hologram scratch off covering private key
 - firstbits address on bottom
 - 10 mBTC at top
 - loaded with 0.01 BTC
 - sc v0.1 on left
 - numbered #/48 on right






Sorry for the picture quality.  I did them on my phone.

I used coin #2 as a test coin.  I scratched it off (as you can see above) and swept/tested the qr code with the blockchain.info app.  I wanted to use the mini key for the qr code but in my tests the blockchain.info wallet phone app would not read mini keys from a qr code (only the full private key).  Mt.gox's phone app was the only one to read the mini keys from a qr code I believe.  Anyways, the full private keys in a qr code seem to be fairly easily and reliably read from my phone at least.

I have 47 of the 48 coins left unredeemed.  I want to keep a few myself to hand out locally.  I would like to sell around 45 of them for 0.025 btc each plus actual shipping.  I'd prefer to ship within the US for now as I have no experience with the requirements otherwise.

Also, I'm really interested in ideas/suggestions for the next set.  I'd like to fit a link on there somehow which could teach someone more about bitcoins but not sure about it fitting.  I have some square hologram scratch offs on the way which would give a bit more room on the coin (and allow more room for error).  Any questions/thoughts?