I've mentioned this before... I WOULD WELCOME COMPETITION... and would sell some of my supplies to anyone who wanted to make physical bitcoins. (Not the holograms, but the coin blanks etc... and also assuming I felt they were qualified and had a decent enough standing with the community to be trusted.) I would also be a willing participant in a two-party signature scheme (elliptic curve addition) to enable the creation of secure physical bitcoins where nobody has the full private key until the piece is ripped open.
The price of my coins is high strictly as a result of supply and demand. I sell every 1BTC coin I make, and can only make so many and still devote appropriate attention to my payroll software business.
Topic: Physical Bitcoin - Alternatives to Casascius? - page 2. (Read 3059 times)
Cheaper methods are possible.
For instance, using scratch-off vendors as suggested by Casascius.
I think the PIN mailer technology from Page-International would provide the ability for a company or community to issue their own paper, so no trust for an external party is necessary. Cheap enough so that if the paper gets worn or the PIN mailer tab shows tampering the issued document can be redeemed without worrying about the replacement cost.
- http://page-international.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=41&lang=en
For instance, using scratch-off vendors as suggested by Casascius.
I think the PIN mailer technology from Page-International would provide the ability for a company or community to issue their own paper, so no trust for an external party is necessary. Cheap enough so that if the paper gets worn or the PIN mailer tab shows tampering the issued document can be redeemed without worrying about the replacement cost.
- http://page-international.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=41&lang=en
Paper money form-factor compatible with USD sounds good. But the unfunded approach seems kind of awkward to me, given that all that's guaranteed by the bill itself is that a wallet exists. You can see the public key, sure, but you then have to check the balance every time the bill is used, instead of being able to use it "like cash" (as with Bitbills/Casascius).
(Also, Bitbills still has you beat on mint prices below 20BTC, although you're ahead of Casascius in that respect.)
(Also, Bitbills still has you beat on mint prices below 20BTC, although you're ahead of Casascius in that respect.)
Disclaimer: I am tooting my own horn.
I am currently producing Bitcoin cheques that are the same form factor as a dollar bill. It works on the same principle as the Casascius coins, with a hidden private key and an exposed public key. You buy these unfunded, and you can fund them with whatever amount you like and write the amount on the bill.
They are produced on 100% cotton archival quality 25lb paper, and can withstand the abuse of being in a physical wallet quite well.
http://printcoins.com
I am currently producing Bitcoin cheques that are the same form factor as a dollar bill. It works on the same principle as the Casascius coins, with a hidden private key and an exposed public key. You buy these unfunded, and you can fund them with whatever amount you like and write the amount on the bill.
They are produced on 100% cotton archival quality 25lb paper, and can withstand the abuse of being in a physical wallet quite well.
http://printcoins.com
The idea of being able to "spend" Bitcoins via passing around a redeemable note seems pretty neat to me, but the only such hat in that game right now seems to be Casascius, who have really daunting mint fees (65% for the "pocket change" size!)
I looked into Bitbills too, but, although their mint fees seem more reasonable, from what I hear they haven't actually been selling for several months now...
Does anyone know of any other such endeavors, or possibly what's going on with Bitbills?
I looked into Bitbills too, but, although their mint fees seem more reasonable, from what I hear they haven't actually been selling for several months now...
Does anyone know of any other such endeavors, or possibly what's going on with Bitbills?
Jump to: