Rare Casascius Bitcoin Awakens: 2,000 BTC Moved After 13 Years
Two extremely rare Casascius physical Bitcoins, each loaded with 1,000 BTC, have moved for the first time in over 13 years, unlocking more than $179 million worth of Bitcoin.
Key Highlights
Two dormant Casascius coins (1,000 BTC each) moved after 13+ years.
Minted in Dec 2011 ($3.88 BTC) and Oct 2012 ($11.69 BTC).
December 2011 coin shows a gain of 2.3 million%.
Movement doesn’t confirm selling — only that the private key was accessed.
Historic Bitcoin Collectibles Come Alive
On-chain data shows both coins were minted during Bitcoin’s early days:
December 2011 mint: BTC price was $3.88
October 2012 mint: BTC price was $11.69
The 2011 coin has now seen an astronomical 2.3M% return, highlighting the extraordinary growth since Bitcoin’s early era.
A tweet by TimechainIndex confirmed the rare activity:
“Two Casascius coins, each containing 1,000 BTC, have just moved after being dormant for more than 13 years.”
What Are Casascius Bitcoins?
Casascius coins were created by Mike Caldwell between 2011–2013.
They are physical metal coins with a private key hidden under a tamper-proof hologram.
Once the hologram is peeled and the BTC redeemed, the physical coin loses its Bitcoin value but remains a high-end collectible.
Rarity
Only 16 bars of 1,000 BTC were ever produced.
Only 6 physical 1,000 BTC coins still exist.
These two activated coins are among the rarest in Bitcoin history.
Redemption Doesn’t Always Mean Selling
Peeling the hologram gives access to the private key — but doesn’t confirm liquidation.
Example:
In July, the owner of a 100 BTC Casascius coin moved it to a hardware wallet simply for safety and accessibility, not to sell.
Why This Matters
This rare movement signals:
Old Bitcoin-era wallets waking up
Rising activity among early holders
Renewed interest in Bitcoin’s historic collectibles
$BTC Bitcoin Unlikely to Repeat January Rally, Says 21Shares Co-Founder
21Shares co-founder Ophelia Snyder believes Bitcoin is unlikely to repeat its strong price surge from January 2025 when entering 2026, mainly due to weak market sentiment and unresolved macroeconomic pressures.
Market Sentiment Still Weak
Snyder told Cointelegraph that the factors behind Bitcoin’s current volatility are unlikely to be resolved soon.
She said January rallies often occur because investors rebalance and add new inflows to Bitcoin ETFs — but this year’s environment is different.
“A repeat performance next January will depend heavily on broader market sentiment,” Snyder said.
Downtrend Not Crypto-Specific
Snyder emphasized that Bitcoin’s current decline has little to do with the crypto industry itself.
Instead, it reflects a general risk-off mood across global markets.
Bitcoin:
Hit $109,000 on Jan. 9 (ahead of Trump’s inauguration)
Reached an all-time high of $125,100 on Oct. 5
Fell sharply after a $19 billion liquidation event on Oct. 10
Is now trading around $92,150, down nearly 10% in the past month
Long-Term Outlook Still Positive
Despite the pullback, Snyder said she is more bullish long term, as the correction appears driven by macro factors and not crypto-specific issues.
Possible Upside Catalysts
Snyder believes Bitcoin could outperform in the future due to:
Expansion of crypto ETFs
Increased government adoption
Growing demand for alternative stores of value beyond gold
Possible Downside Risks
Bitcoin could underperform if:
Risk-off sentiment intensifies
Gold continues to attract more traditional investors
Other Analysts Are More Bullish
Not everyone agrees with Snyder.
BitMine chair Tom Lee predicts Bitcoin will hit a new all-time high before January 2026 ends.
Historically, Bitcoin has averaged +3.81% returns in January since 2013, according to CoinGlass.
$BTC $XRP XRP Faces Renewed FUD as Social Sentiment Turns Negative
XRP traded near $2 on Friday as another wave of fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) hit the market. New data from Santiment shows social sentiment around XRP turning sharply negative after the token fell 31% over the past two months.
Social Sentiment Turns Bearish
Santiment shared a chart comparing XRP’s price with positive and negative comments:
Recent data shows bearish commentary dominating, pushing XRP into the fear zone.
Earlier this year, sentiment was more balanced, but the shift is now clearly negative.
According to Santiment:
XRP is seeing its highest levels of fear and FUD since October.
On Santiment’s model:
Red circles = Bullish commentary spikes (Greed Zone)
Green circles = Bearish commentary spikes (Fear Zone), often linked with weak-hand capitulation Historical Parallel: November Rebound
Santiment noted that the last time XRP entered this level of fear (on Nov. 21), the price rallied 22% in three days before optimism slowed the move.
The firm suggests a similar opportunity may be forming now and advised traders to watch sentiment shifts closely.
Price Performance
XRP is down 4.5% on the day at $2.09
Down around 7% in the past month
The global crypto market cap dipped 1% to $3.22 trillion, weighing on major altcoins
Despite the decline, XRP has shown more stability than smaller tokens but still faces pressure due to:
Reduced liquidity
Market uncertainty
Leverage unwinding
Global risk-off sentiment
Analysts believe XRP could still move towards $2.50–$2.75 if liquidity increases and momentum builds around XRP Ledger’s stablecoin projects.
Ripple Expands Institutional Services
Ripple continues to grow on the institutional side:
Recently launched digital asset spot prime brokerage services in the US
Integrated Hidden Road (a multi-asset prime brokerage it acquired) into Ripple Prime, creating a unified trading and custody platform for professional clients
$BTC $ETH $SOL Solana (SOL) Pulls Back as Momentum Shows Early Weakness
Solana is retreating from recent highs after failing to hold above key resistance levels. The price has now dropped below $140 and may find support near the $135 zone.
Key Highlights
SOL failed to break above $148, starting a downside correction.
The price moved below $145 and $144, entering a short-term bearish phase.
A bullish trendline near $144 was broken on the hourly chart.
SOL is still holding above $135 and the 100-hour simple moving average.
Resistance Levels
$142 – Immediate resistance
$145 – Strong resistance
$148 – Key breakout zone
A close above $148 could trigger a fresh rally toward $155 and potentially $165.
Support Levels
$135 – Initial support
$132 – Major support
$128 – Critical support
A close below $128 may push SOL down toward the $122 level.
American Bitcoin (ABTC) Crashes 50% Despite Bitcoin Rally
BTC Status: Bitcoin climbed from $86,286 (Dec 2) to $93,324, up ~8%, due to improved macro conditions and Vanguard opening crypto ETF access.
ABTC Status: American Bitcoin (Trump-linked miner) plunged up to 50% intraday, settling ~35% lower. Shares hit by first major lock-up expiry, releasing pre-merger/private-placement stock.
Reason for Divergence:
BTC vs ABTC: Bitcoin’s supply is stable; ABTC’s float surged suddenly, flooding the market.
Equity & Political Risk: ABTC carries Trump-linked and small-cap equity risks, unlike BTC.
Leverage & Miner Risk: ABTC is a leveraged miner stock; lock-up expiry amplified concerns.
Takeaway: “Proxy trade” failed—ABTC does not track BTC closely in short term; it reacts to stock-specific events, not Bitcoin moves.
$BTC $XRP Ripple CEO Garlinghouse Predicts Bitcoin Could Hit $180K by End of 2026
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated at Binance Blockchain Week that Bitcoin could reach $180,000 by the end of 2026.
He highlighted U.S. regulatory clarity as a key factor that could unlock institutional capital currently on the sidelines.
Garlinghouse also noted the entry of major financial institutions like BlackRock, Vanguard, and Fidelity into Bitcoin as a sign of long-term structural participation.
Additionally, he pointed to growth in tokenization, payments, and Web3 infrastructure as supporting factors for sustained Bitcoin adoption.
Other executives at the event expressed bullish views on Bitcoin, while cautioning that macro liquidity and global adoption will influence its short-term performance.