Hydrogen Helix

The Hydrogen Helix release, with software-history details carried into the coin and hologram.

Production record

Exactly 200 maximum across all finishes. The original post’s comments and mintage table allocate 25 antique, 75 silver, 70 reverse mirror, 13 gold plated, and 17 reverse-mirror gold plated.

Historical market snapshot · 2020-11-25

1 BTC = $18,7321 LTC = $82 ≈ 0.0043711 BTC1 XMR = $129 ≈ 0.00689457 BTC

CoinMarketCap daily snapshot; approximate and not an appraisal. Rate source

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Coin and set specification

Denomination or variant	Metal / format	Maximum mintage
Antique finish	2 troy oz .999 silver	25
Standard silver	2 troy oz .999 silver	75
Reverse-mirror silver	2 troy oz .999 silver	70
Gold-plated silver	2 troy oz .999 silver	13
Reverse-mirror, gold-plated silver	2 troy oz .999 silver	17

Set composition

A 1.008 XMR, 2 troy oz .999 silver coin mounted in a 304 stainless-steel housing with tempered glass. White or rainbow steel housings could be paired with any coin finish.

Original offer prices

Offer	As posted	Historical equivalent	Note
Base package · silver + white steel	4 XMR	4 XMR ≈ 0.0275783 BTC ≈ $517
Reverse-mirror finish surcharge	0.17 XMR	0.17 XMR ≈ 0.00117208 BTC ≈ $22	Seller also listed 0.0011 BTC
Gold-plated finish surcharge	0.85 XMR	0.85 XMR ≈ 0.00586039 BTC ≈ $110	Seller also listed 0.0055 BTC
Antique finish surcharge	0.65 XMR	0.65 XMR ≈ 0.00448147 BTC ≈ $84	Seller also listed 0.0045 BTC
Rainbow steel housing surcharge	1.7 XMR	1.7 XMR ≈ 0.01172078 BTC ≈ $220	Seller also listed 0.011 BTC
Serial selection or custom engraving	0.85 XMR	0.85 XMR ≈ 0.00586039 BTC ≈ $110	Per coin; seller also listed 0.0055 BTC

Denomination at the post date

These values describe the loadable face amount, not the price of the metal collectible.

Item	Face amount	BTC and USD equivalent on 2020-11-25
Coin denomination	1.008 XMR	1.008 XMR ≈ 0.00694973 BTC ≈ $130

Reconstructed narrative

The release story

Maker statements and surviving thread evidence, organized as one continuous record.

Chapter

What smoothie added in the thread

Software history on the piece
The maker recorded activation on March 20, 2016, blocks 1,009,827–1,288,615, activation difficulty 1,442,763,710, the v0.9 GitHub release/commit, and the “infamous” block 913,193.
Privacy information
Even unfunded versions retained their public address on the steel housing. The private view key and address were sent by PGP-signed message only to the original buyer.
No preorder for the late antique finish
Smoothie said the antique version was announced only after he had it in hand because he did not take preorders for products he did not possess.

Chapter

Construction and customization

Coin and housing
A 47.7 mm, two-troy-ounce .999 silver coin sits in a 304 stainless-steel housing behind tempered glass and ships in a protective TPU case. The private spend key beneath the hologram uses Base64 format.
Mix-and-match formats
Buyers could combine any of five coin finishes with white or rainbow steel. Paid serial selection accepted three preferences; serials 1–5 were held back for possible auctions.
Personal engraving
A custom message of up to 60 characters could be engraved on the housing. The maker selected its font, size, position, and orientation, and warned that engraving added a week.
Physical assembly
The first post states that housing screws were cold-welded with J-B Weld and their heads drilled out after curing. Coin-to-art alignment was performed on a best-effort basis.

Chapter

Funded and unfunded delivery states

Funded before shipment
The buyer received a PGP-signed address and funded the exact 1.008 XMR denomination before shipment. The seller described the in-transit cryptocurrency value as the buyer’s risk.
Unfunded version
The alternate version carried prominent “UNFUNDED” markings, plainer reverse housing art, and a different hologram. It could not receive a metal certificate.
Certificates
Paper certificates were discontinued. Funded pieces received a PGP-signed digital certificate after delivery; an optional metal certificate had to be ordered before shipment and added a week.
Key and proof workflow
The documented process used an air-gapped computer, view-only wallets, key images, and a degenerate one-output Monero ring signature. Transfer CDs and the retained private-spend-key data were then destroyed.

Archival notes

Maximum mintage is 200 total, not 200 of each finish. The five stated finish allocations are 25 + 75 + 70 + 13 + 17 = 200.
The base price excluded the XMR loaded value. Paper certificates were replaced by digital records, with an optional metal certificate.