The first legal-tender physical bitcoin ever issued is among the headline attractions in Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ Physical Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency session taking place today as part of the firm’s June 2026 Showcase Auction.
Online bidding remains open, with live bidding scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. PDT (7 p.m. EDT) on June 18. The sale features more than 120 lots with a combined intrinsic value exceeding $500,000, making it one of the most significant offerings of physical cryptocurrency material to reach the market in recent years.
Leading the sale is serial number one of the 2025 Niue Island 0.001 bitcoin silver issue. Loaded with 0.001 bitcoin, the coin is promoted as the first legal-tender physical bitcoin ever released, combining precious metal content, legal-tender status and redeemable cryptocurrency in a single collectible.
Struck in one ounce of .999 fine silver, the piece represents what Stack’s Bowers describes as a historic milestone in the evolution of cryptocurrency collecting. As coin No. 1 of a limited mintage of 1,000 pieces, it is expected to attract significant attention from both numismatists and cryptocurrency enthusiasts. The auction also marks the first appearance of the issue in a major public sale.
The landmark auction includes examples from many of the best-known names in crypto numismatics, including Casascius, BTCC and Lealana, alongside modern issues from MyBits, Satori, Polymerbit, 1HoDLCLUB, VIP Bitcoins, Denarium, Freedom Bitcoin, Ballet and others.
Leading the Casascius section is a selection of silver and brass pieces spanning denominations from 0.1 bitcoin to one bitcoin, highlighted by an extremely rare redeemed Casascius 10 bitcoin issue. Widely regarded as pioneers of the physical cryptocurrency market, Casascius pieces remain among the most sought-after collectibles in the field.
Another major attraction is a strong representation of BTCC material, including a six-piece Poker Chip set housed in its original presentation case and signed by creator Bobby Lee. Individual Poker Chip examples from across the series will also be offered, including the scarce Black 0.1 bitcoin and Purple 0.5 bitcoin issues.
Lealana collectors will find several notable offerings, including a matching three-coin set containing the 2013 0.1 bitcoin, 0.25 bitcoin and 0.5 bitcoin denominations accompanied by their original certificates of authenticity. Also featured is a 2013 “Gold B” one bitcoin issue, considered one of the key rarities of the series.
Beyond the physical coins and notes, the sale includes early cryptocurrency memorabilia highlighted by the debut issue of Bitcoin Magazine alongside a consecutive run of issues nine through 15. Also crossing the block are cryptocurrency-themed trading cards issued by Topps and Allen & Ginter, a crossover category expected to attract interest from both crypto enthusiasts and traditional sports-card collectors.
“We are extremely proud to present another landmark offering in this category as part of our June 2026 sale,” said James McCartney, director of consignments and numismatics at Stack’s Bowers Galleries. “Many of these pieces have ultra-low mintages and tremendous rarity that easily rivals some of the most legendary issues in traditional numismatics.”