Kamehameha Eight-Coin Koa Set
Eight two-ounce silver Kamehameha coins arranged as four regular-finish and four reverse-proof-like pieces in paired Hawaiian koa plaques.
Coin and set specification
| Denomination or variant | Metal / format | Maximum mintage |
|---|---|---|
| Eight × 1 BTC | Each 2 troy oz .999 silver | 27 complete sets maximum |
Set composition
Four regular-finish coins in one engraved koa plaque and four reverse-proof-like coins in a second. Existing owners could buy the six additional coins and plaques needed to complete a set.
Original offer price
The surviving first post does not retain a fixed sale price. This archive leaves the value blank rather than inferring one from later auctions.
The release story
Maker statements and surviving thread evidence, organized as one continuous record.
Koa presentation and customization
Sixteen ounces of silver
Each set contains eight two-ounce coins: four regular finishes in one Hawaiian koa plaque and four reverse-proof-like finishes in the second.
Unique woodwork
Laser-engraving position, size, and frequency could vary with each koa set. Buyers could add a phrase or name to the lower half of the reverse of the plaques.
Upgrade path
Owners of the earlier two-coin Kamehameha pairing could buy the six missing coins and both plaques, then insert their original pair on arrival.
Demand delay
After the prepared koa plaques ran out, new buyers were warned of a five-to-seven-week wait while additional Hawaiian koa was obtained and finished.
The signed warning about set no. 17
What happened
The original buyer asked to receive the eight coins and certificates before providing the promised 8 BTC funding, then resold the set without funding it.
Not an error set
Smoothie expressly rejected the “error” label: the coins were made as intended; the private agreement to fund them was simply not completed.
Address disclosure
The October 19, 2017 PGP-signed notice published all eight public addresses so future collectors could verify the unfunded state.
Policy lesson
The notice documents why apparent presentation and separate certificates cannot substitute for checking on-chain funding and the exact public addresses.
Sales and fulfillment timeline
First-party updates posted by smoothie, arranged chronologically.
Eight-coin set announced
The extension was finally released after a planned 2016 launch was delayed by the maker’s schedule.
Koa inventory exhausted
Unexpected demand consumed the prepared plaques and extended new-order lead time.
Set no. 17 warning signed
Smoothie published the eight addresses and explained why the set remained unfunded.
Archival notes
- The first post was later amended with a long notice about set no. 17. The original fixed sale price is no longer present, so this archive does not invent one.
- Unfunded pieces were marked as buyer funded; only funded coins received paper certificates.
Recovered photographs
17 image files from the first post were recovered and re-hosted here. Select any photograph to enlarge it.
Sources
- Original eight-coin set thread · Bitcointalk topic 1898907
- Original single-coin release · Bitcointalk topic 1615738
- Ninjastic archived topic record · smoothie’s posts and later thread replies reviewed
- Internet Archive Wayback captures · 2 unique captures indexed; 2024-12-12 to 2024-12-12
- CoinMarketCap historical snapshot for 2017-05-03