Topic: Ron Paul Bitcoin Cheque (Read 13766 times)

THESE ARE FREAKING AWESOME!

Update: I am running as a RP delegate! I should know by the end of the month if I get in.

robkohr "Last active April 30, 2012, 07:35:53 PM", so send him a PM and wait for his response.

I want to buy printcoins. Can someone fill me in on the details or a, sell me some?

Or even Chuck Norris? Please? 

I'm trolling? I'm being serious. OP was used as an example to confuse the purpose of Bitcoin.

"Bitcoin is just a stupid paper check with fucking Ron Paul on it. God these bitcoiners are retarded".


Ignoring someone only proves them right you know. It means that you cannot argue against them. I honestly expected more from you.


I'll be on later to post pictures of my house to show how in order it is. 

So I guess the whole song and dance about turning over a new leaf, acting more professional, and no longer trolling was just more bullshit.  How about you get your own house in order before insulting others?

Back on ignore (wow that is bright orange).

I know what you mean but it's not exactly relatable considering my blunder was early announcement whereas OP's blunder was making something at all. 

One could say the same thing about the Feb issue of your magazine.

Just want to let the OP know that these checks were used in an argument today as to why bitcoin is a joke from anti-bitcoiners. Thanks for that.

can we put someone cool like Burt Reynolds or Carrot Top on these instead?

Here in Brazil we pay a lot of taxes to send dollar to another country or to use credit card at external sites...

Yeah, I might do that. I might also run through a thorn bush and pour vinegar all over myself.

I am sorry, but $2500 of faith in paypal and yourself not to reverse the transaction I do not have. Also it is against the rules of paypal to sell bitcoins through them. (I am interpreting here, it doesn't specifically say so).

I will happily sell unfunded checks through paypal though.

That is a very large PayPal transaction, but there is physical delivery.  Interesting way to purchase BTC.  A LOT of trust is required.

To him to print you a check and load it with 500 BTC, and i will pay for this...

Are you asking him to print you a check and load it with 500 BTC or just print you a check that says 500 BTC on it and then you will add the BTC yourself?

I would like to buy a bitcoin check (printed) with 500 BTC with paypal, it´s possible?

Just a note: "QR code" is a legally registered trademark.
You may want to include something among these lines in your designs to prevent any legal problems with Denso Wave:

Also, good luck in your venture. I think it has very much potential and the cheques look great.

If anyone wants a 100 count stack of these (or the standard bitcoin bill), let me know. I can do volume discounts.

These were sent out 3 days ago via first class mail. You should be receiving them shortly.

Bidding! I'm edplive

I got my "standard" checks but have not gotten my Ron Paul's yet.  Any idea when they will ship?

That is a great idea. Thanks!

The original bills looked like this on the back:
http://printcoins.com/images/gallery/back.jpg

but I took it off the cheques since I didn't want to encourage circulation.

Someone at work has been interested in bitcoins, but not enough to install any software. He bought a cheque off me funded with a bitcoin for a couple 1oz Ron Paul copper coins. He now uses it as a chip with other coworkers that do have bitcoins for our daily bitcoin gambling foosball game.

He is big on double or nothing, so more coins will end up going to the bill over time.

They are great for people who are into bitcoin, but too lazy to bother with it.

Two others bought them with cash. One bought a set of 5 to send to his family members.

For those who don't want to part with bitcoins to buy cheques, I put up an auction on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ron-Paul-Bitcoin-Cheque-Set-5-/130613951333

Got my order of 5 Ron Paul cheques today... they turned out pretty nice.  They are sized like dollar bills, and they are cut nice and straight.

The back has room to explain "What is Bitcoin?" if it were handed out to somebody or left as a tip at a restaurant.

If anyone is interested, I can easily do vanity bills (your image or business icon in the middle). There is no extra charge for this, but the minimum order is 28 bills (must be a multiple of 4). The image must be square and I would recommend at least 400x400 px. Alpha transparent PNG images work fine.

I'm not good at this  

Was trying to bait a Ron Paul Zealot an now this.  

Wagner Bucks: Yes, why not make a new fiat currency, 'backed' by bitcoin.

WTF?  That was going to be my business plan.  Wagner bucks.  The public key is hidden under a hologram so you can't verify the value until you accept it and there is no private key.

Well back to the drawing board.

Did you get Ron Pauls permission to do this? You know politics....

Also, given a eventual smear campaign against him do you think it wise to do this. Bitcoin could easily be see in the wrong light depending on the results. Not that could get any worse with Bruce Wagner.

This cheque rocks! 

I actually believe that these bills/coins that appeal to fringe groups may bring at least notoriety to Bitcoin. Commemorative FED obituary bills, Andrew Jackson (who was anti-FED) might be an appropriate prez, and the religion angle is always provocative.

Yep, Ron Paul coins are all over the net in a variety of forms and materials.

I think it is actually a common thing for many potential and actual presidents to be on random non-official coins and bills.

Though it does seem like it is good for business for people to think that my printing press will be stopped by someone. So, yeah, get'em while you can.

They aren't going to care. It's free campaigning as far as future President Paul is concerned. Ergo:

http://www.usrarecoininvestments.com/images/coin_articles/1oz_$2000_Ron_Paul_Liberty_Dollar.jpg

I bet all of the dead people pictured on Federal Reserve notes would want nothing to do with the Federal Reserve if they were still alive!

Congratulations for selling out and for having created something people clearly want.

Hopefully the uptick in demand doesn't lead to Ron Paul's campaign asking you to quit it.  But if it does, chances are Dr. Paul will have held one in his hands.

Due to an unexpected increase in demand, I have had to reorder supplies. A few of the orders that have been placed will be sent out this week, but new orders will be delayed about 5 business days.

I am sorry for the delay,
Rob

As a big supporter of bitcoin and Ron Paul, I gotta say I don't like this at all.  Associating the two serves to discredit both from different angles.  There is no reason why they should be linked and Ron Paul's campaign has refused anything associated with bitcoin.  I would not use this.

These are one time checks, not notes for circulation.  They are designed for one time use just like the cheap paper checks in your check book.  They are for those times when I want to give someone some BTC and I want to "write a check" and give it to them.  The expectation is that they would then peel off the sticker and cash the check when they get a chance later on.

Bills for circulation would need custom holograms (two holograms from two different trusted entities is my preference), higher quality paper, etc.  There are a couple other thread discussing the creation of Bitcoin notes for circulation at https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/pics-physical-bitcoin-bills-for-real-world-transactions-printcoinscom-52998 and https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/elliptic-curve-math-question-53177

If you read these threads you will find that the design is coming along nicely.

using the image of a public figure is a poor choice in this case fair use wouldn’t hold up if Mr. Paul didn't like them and decided to take you to court(send him one with a letter explaining what they are and how they work if you insist on using his image)

as far as the quality is concerned, your media doesn’t appear to be something that would hold up if it got wet once too many times i don't see these being something that could be circulated more than a few times esp. considering that the paper you've chosen to use is thin enough i can see the next bill there's nothing to stop me from buying the same hologram, making a good scan and issuing 3 or 4 of the same bill to people (which will check as funded until someone redeems one)

Getting back on topic ...
I might buy one just to donate it to Ron Paul. 

My guess (and before someone slams me for being a mind reader it is just my opinion) is that if Mr. Paul had anything negative to say it wouldn't be using his image from the public domain but rather the bills could be construed as people putting faith into Mr. Paul.

I am moving this discussion back to the other thread since it has nothing to do with Ron Paul.  Why don't we all go back to https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/elliptic-curve-math-question-53177

Sounds good.  You are right about not being able to look up firstbits on a nonfunded account (what was I thinking?).  That is why we have peer review, right?

1) Make the item with spots for two holograms and a final public key address
2) First party gets the item
3) Put the first private key in mini private key format under the first hologram
4) Ship the item along with the actual public key to the second party
5) Second party puts the second hologram on the item
6) Second private key in mini private key format under the second hologram
7) then adds the two public keys together, creating the final public key
9) From the final public key calculate the final public key address
10) This final public key adddress is etched/printed on the item somewhere, possibly on the hologram
11) The BTC funds are transmitted to the final public key address

At this point no one could possibly know the private key since it has never even been calculated.

To redeem:

1) Pull off both stickers
2) Get the two private keys
3) At a web site that supports the two key option, enter both private keys (Mt Gox, StrongCoin, etc. could be talked into supporting this option)
4) The web sites that support this option would then simply add the two private keys together
5) You now have the private key for the combined public key address etched/printed on the item
6) Redeem the BTC from the item

The other redemption options mentioned above are also possible.

The bolded steps are incorrect.  There is no address for the two partial keys.  There is also no reason to record the two partial public keys because they can't be looked up. You can't get a firstbits of a non-existent address.

Remove/change steps 4, 8, 9 and it is a good summary.  In the redeeming section for section 4 I would indicate you have multiple options
a) use a website which supports dual private keys
b) use a standalone client designed for loading dual private keys
c) use a simple non-networked application which generates the single key from the dual private keys and use it anywhere a single private key can be used.

As for what to put print on the hologram
a) nothing
b) some serial number which could be used to lookup the partial public key (not very useful)
c) the combined public key (i.e. step 10).  This would require some pre-coordination between two parties.

A is the easiest.  B isn't too tough but doesn't provide much value. C is the best but may requires some pre-coordination.

Here is my explaination from another thread:

1) Make the bar or paper bill with spots for two holograms and a final public key address
2) First party gets the item
3) Put the first private key in mini private key format under the first hologram
4) Put the firstbits of the public key address on the outside of the first hologram
5) Ship the item along with the actual public key to the second party
6) Second party puts the second hologram on the item
7) Second private key in mini private key format under the second hologram
8. Firstbits of the second public key address on the outside of the hologram
9) NOW the second party verifies the public key shipped with the item with the public key address on the first hologram
10) then adds the two public keys together, creating the final public key
11) From the final public key calculate the final public key address
12) This final public key adddress is etched/printed on the item.
13) The BTC funds are transmitted to the final public key address

At this point no one could possibly know the private key since it has never even been calculated.

To redeem:

1) Pull off both stickers
2) Get the two private keys
3) At a web site that supports the two key option, enter both private keys (Mt Gox, StrongCoin, etc. could be talked into supporting this option)
4) The web sites that support this option would then simply add the two private keys together
5) You now have the private key for the combined public key address etched/printed on the item
6) Redeem the BTC from the item

The math is complicated, I started a thread about it, but consensus is, it works.  That thread: https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/elliptic-curve-math-question-53177

Basically, what you have given me is not a public and private keypair, but a Bitcoin address and a private key.  What I would need is the public key.  The public key that goes to the example you just gave me is:

04 92 A6 99 F8 76 DC 73 2F A6 02 F5 BA ED 2A 98 5E 8C 47 53 CC CF DA 3A BE DB 96 3F C6 42 B9 87 0E 45 92 A0 E2 B3 0A F3 61 77 09 06 7D C4 09 41 30 A0 82 0A F8 D1 E4 98 1E 1C ED 24 32 10 8F 78 A4

And I calculated it from the private key you just posted.

From this number alone, I cannot determine the original private key.  But I can mathematically combine it with a second public key from a different keypair, and compute a THIRD public key.  We generate the bitcoin address from that third public key.

To get the private key that matches the third public key, one must have BOTH private keys.  You just take the two private keys, add them together, and divide them by a certain number, keep only the remainder from the division, and you end up with the private key for the third public key.

It provides greater security to the customer, as they can be assured that it's far less likely they will get burned if TWO people must collude to compute their private key, rather than one person deciding to scam on their own.

How the user would redeem the funds: they would use a simple utility program to combine the two private keys into one.  And, MtGox could probably be talked into adding a spot for the 2nd private key on their redeemer screen (it would not be difficult on their end).

Besides the issues of extra work and cost, it might be a little more complicated for the user. But that is something that can be resolved with pricing and tiers, and maybe a handy tool that does all the work for the user.

Now I am admittedly a little confused as to how this can all be calculated smoothly.

Here is a public and private keypair
19nDePrutBKBNqv7XkAQ5XLBZtiM5gavic
5KAmAqhDs7bazHSYyJBPSenPJVXpBdissXaA9ApUWi9Rj1Aa5h3

This would normally be printed on the bill. So where do we go from here?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ron_Paul,_official_Congressional_photo_portrait,_2007.jpg

I think his stance on alternative currencies at least puts him as a supporter of what bitcoin stands for, and I doubt that he would have any problem with this. I don't think he will ever directly endorse bitcoin though.

I am a True Believer® and I don't believe that bitcoin's value should be soaring. Before it became a hot press item, it has a slow steady appreciation rate, and if you cut out the bubble on the graph, we are pretty much back on track. If Bitcoin had an annual value change of +/-2% I would be happy with that, as it would make a useful currency. 10-20% swings in the course of a week make it a speculation/investment item, and a lousy currency.

Money is a medium of exchange, not an investment item. Holding on to dollars or bitcoins is foolish, and any currency should be diverted into wealth generating or life improvement rather than being hoarded for potential future valuations.

Just two bitcents from a True Believer®

Please include the allegations of "the manipulator" rather than referencing them. I am ignorent of what he has said about anything. From what I can tell he can make the speculators dance, and he helps clear any imbalances in the valuation of bitcoins. On both accounts, I approve.

Please hurry and ship mine to me before he finds out and asks you to stop

Of course it is different.

If a manpulator exists he isn't granted some special powers by the government (and thus indirectly via their police/military force).  He is risking his capital to influence the market (just as every other market participant does).  The size of his wager gives him an advantage but he can still lose.  He is putting capital at risk calling that manipulation is weak IMHO.  If you had two "manipulators" each deploying $1M capital in opposite directions the net effect on the market would be nothing (actually it would be improved price stability).

The difference w/ the fed is they are risking nothing.  When the fed decides to raise or lower the value of the dollar they are operating out of decree.  You can't challenge them in a free market.  They can create or destroy infinite amounts of currency to force their will on the market.  The fed could make the value of the dollar double or get cut in half and there is nothing anyone on the planet could do about it.

I am not that good, I am just using common sense.  I also know that Ron Paul won't point an RPG at an aircraft tomorrow, without needing to read his mind.

Ron Paul suing Rob Kohr over a picture he prints on his home printer would be like using a bazooka to blow Rob off the face of the earth when a phone call would be enough.

I don't think Ron Paul will sue us.  If anything, his campaign will politely ask Rob to stop, and Rob will.  Meanwhile, Rob will take the time to answer a couple questions about Bitcoin for the person who calls, who might drop a hint that Paul is interested in the success of Bitcoin but is just keeping his mouth shut while we either work all the bugs out, or get replaced by something better.

I think I would share the sentiment if it were something professionally done, but it looks like a small-time homebrew hobby project done on a laser printer in personal quantities, and it seems pretty apparent to me that it's not endorsed by Ron Paul.

If Rob had cranked out 100,000 of these from a printing company, I would probably feel different.

I have mixed feelings about this, solely because I feel like it uses Dr Paul's name, words and likeness almost to promote Bitcoin.

Also, given that a good many "True Believers®" genuinely believe that Bitcoin's value would be soaring right now were it not for some mysterious "manipulator", the quote chosen almost seems counter-productive: if the allegations of "the manipulator" are true, then Bitcoin is no better than USD, except you have the option not to use Bitcoin.

I like it a lot.  I am ordering some now.

Would you be interested in going in on some physical bitcoin items with two private and public keys, using the ECC addition discussed in another thread?

In other words, you make some of these items, and put your hologram on them, and you give me the PUBLIC key... then I add a 2nd private key and hologram, and compute a combined bitcoin address from both public keys.  The end result is NEITHER of us knows the true private key, but it is easily recalculated when someone peels off both holograms.  It's more secure for everybody, since for us to do a scam, we would have to both collude (and I'm not willing to participate in a scam =) ).

So last night I was thinking about how closely Ron Paul's desires to end fiat currency tie with Bitcoin and came up with a new Bitcoin Cheque Design:



I am selling them for the same price as the normal bitcoin cheques.
http://printcoins.com/

Ron Paul has many very controversial positions on different issues unrelated to fiat currency. Please refrain from political discourse outside of issues related to money & bitcoins.