The global auction for the First Edition of History of Bitcoin, a limited-edition physical art book, is now officially open on Scarce City, giving collectors worldwide the first opportunity to bid on the one-of-a-kind visual chronicle of the world’s first decentralised monetary network. Open December 1-10, the landmark auction will run for ten days as the project travels from New York to Dubai, finishing its global tour in Abu Dhabi.
Smashtoshi, the team behind the curation and development of History of Bitcoin, has pledged to donate 79 percent of the auction proceeds to My First Bitcoin, a grassroots initiative that aims to ignite global, independent, and community-led Bitcoin education. The non-profit is expanding its global footprint, with a goal of providing accessible and community-led Bitcoin education to over 200 million learners. The remaining 21 percent of proceeds will be shared evenly among the 128 contributing artists whose work forms the foundation of the project.
Crafted over four years, History of Bitcoin documents Bitcoin’s evolution from its cypherpunk origins to its emergence as a global cultural and technological force. The First Edition features 128 original artworks created exclusively for the project and is accompanied by insights gathered from more than 100 interviews with early crypto contributors and long-standing Bitcoin figures, including Martti Malmi, an early Bitcoin developer who worked directly with Satoshi Nakamoto, Max Keiser, one of the first mainstream media figures to champion Bitcoin from 2010 onward and Aaron van Wirdum, long-time Bitcoin journalist and author. Artists and contributors to this historic collector’s item include some of the most highly regarded artists and cultural figures, including Jesse Draxler, Jake Fried, GMUNK, Billelis, Hackatao, Jenni Pasanen, and Paul Seibert, whose collective works have generated more than $250 million in art sales.
The book’s 256-page structure pays tribute to Bitcoin’s SHA-256 cryptographic foundation, while its physical production draws on more than 40 specialised print techniques and materials designed to mirror the network’s technical precision. The First Edition is encased in a 5,000-year-old fossilised black-oak collector’s box with a bespoke emblem handcrafted by Asprey Studio, elevated by a dual-sided opening mechanism created by a master craftsman.
The opening of the auction will be celebrated with the project’s U.S. launch event at Pubkey in New York later today, where the Smashtoshi team will be presenting History of Bitcoin alongside a panel discussion led by John Dennehy, Founder of My First Bitcoin, and Daniel Prince, Host of the Once Bitten Podcast. The event will bring together artists, collectors, builders, and media, offering U.S. audiences an up-close look at the First Edition before the project travels to Dubai for a showcase event at Mondoir Gallery.
Commenting on the Pubkey event and the much-anticipated auction, Jimmy Block, Representative of Smashtoshi, said: “Opening the History of Bitcoin First Edition auction in support of My First Bitcoin is a moment we have been building towards for years. Launching the auction at tonight’s event at Pubkey will be a powerful reminder of how deeply this project connects with people and makes the moment even more powerful. Seeing collectors and community members engaging in person, and now watching that excitement carry into the bidding reinforces why this project matters.”
Following the auction of this one-of-one First Edition, Smashtoshi will release 2,139 Collector’s Editions, bringing the total number of books to 2,140 in a symbolic nod to the year the final Bitcoin is expected to be mined. Each Collector’s Edition includes a unique fragment of Bitcoin’s original source code, meaning that together the editions collectively hold the complete code, a reflection of Bitcoin’s decentralised nature. With the First Edition now open for bidding, global interest continues to build across the art, Bitcoin, and collectables communities.
Commenting on the impact of the auction proceeds, John Dennehy, Founder of My First Bitcoin, said: “Every bid made in this auction directly supports our mission to expand accessible, independent Bitcoin education around the world. It’s crucial that we teach how to think, rather than what to think and support from the community, such as with this auction, makes that possible. We’re incredibly grateful to Smashtoshi and the artists for helping us reach more communities and empower more learners at a global scale.”
Bidding will remain open throughout the week, with the concluding stage of History of Bitcoin’s global tour taking place in Abu Dhabi at Bitcoin MENA on December 8.
For more information about the auction, please visit https://shop.historyofbitcoin.