[...] otherwise I will check back in a few years - thanks for the help!
Hi there,
Shiny! Checking back in after a few years does not sound like a good plan considering bitcoin’s tendency to increase against the dollar. It gets harder and harder to sell, you already see that trend with the bitnickels (5btc) and even the singles.
Same argument goes in case you like to maximize the number of bitcoins you receive. So I would say: auction time
It gets harder and harder to sell....until suddenly when it is super easy to sell. Case in point: take some of the most famous artists as an example. $15,000 Basquiat in 1983 selling for ~$30 million in 2018. No one wanted Basquiat in 1983, but times have changed.
I agree that, in general, as Bitcoin rises against the dollar, the BTC value of collectibles including Casascius tends to fall (in other words, Bitcoin appreciates faster than the collectible premium does). However, certain collectibles like Casascius could eventually become seen as a rare piece of history and art, and might eventually outpace Bitcoin's growth.
In short, my opinion is that now is not necessarily the time to auction. In 10-30 years, Casascius will have much greater appreciation in a much larger market. Not to mention the # of Casascius coins that will be peeled in that time / lost / etc.
A great example and analogy