Kamehameha I: Sailing Into Uncharted Waters
A two-ounce .999 silver physical Bitcoin honoring King Kamehameha I and paralleling his voyages with Bitcoin’s own uncharted course.
Coin and set specification
| Denomination or variant | Metal / format | Maximum mintage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 BTC | 2 troy oz .999 silver; 47 mm | 250 maximum |
Set composition
Offered in proof-like and reverse-proof-like qualities. Serial number and first bits were laser marked on a gold honeycomb hologram.
Original offer prices
| Offer | As posted | Historical equivalent | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| One coin · metal only | 0.26 BTC | 0.26 BTC ≈ $158 | Face-value funding excluded |
The release story
Maker statements and surviving thread evidence, organized as one continuous record.
Symbolism and production comments
Historical parallel
The design links King Kamehameha I sailing to unite the Hawaiian islands with Bitcoin moving through technological and economic “uncharted waters.” The post also cites the Law of the Splintered Paddle.
Hidden Monero symbol
Asked about the Monero logo in a Bitcoin-denominated piece, smoothie said it symbolized Monero “going dark” in its technological advancement and setting like the sun on the horizon.
Laser and hologram effect
The maker tuned laser settings for a sparkle effect while keeping the figures legible and avoiding damage to the gold honeycomb hologram. He posted videos of both the hologram and laser marking.
Hand-traced binary sea
Smoothie said he manually traced the binary pattern in the ocean to create a usable vector because neither the artist nor vendors could supply one.
Mintage and ordering policy
Maximum, not initial production
Smoothie explicitly said he had not minted all 250 of either finish. He would produce more only if sales required it and reserved the right to lower, but never raise, the maximum.
No preorders
Only pieces already in hand were offered. The maker described preorders as inconsistent with his policy after prior community scams.
Random serials
Regular buyers could not reserve a specific number; only auction winners could secure one. Singles as well as pairs were allowed.
Presentation
Capsules and certificates were confirmed. A fitted wooden presentation box was considered as an optional added-cost item.
Archival notes
- Paper certificates were intended only for fully funded pieces; unfunded pieces were to receive a buyer-funded hologram marking.
Recovered photographs
21 image files from the first post were recovered and re-hosted here. Select any photograph to enlarge it.
Sources
- Original Kamehameha sales thread · Bitcointalk topic 1615738
- Ninjastic archived topic record · smoothie’s posts and later thread replies reviewed
- Internet Archive Wayback captures · 1 unique captures indexed; 2024-12-12 to 2024-12-12
- CoinMarketCap historical snapshot for 2016-09-13