At only 15 years old, cryptocurrency’s popularity and reach is going from strength to strength. We use it for a variety of things these days; for example, many of the best Australian online casinos let you gamble with crypto because it’s safe, secure, private, and, on top of all that, allows for super fast payouts. It’s also used more routinely than ever in e-commerce: the likes of Zumi and On The Run will allow you to pay with crypto, for instance. And, if you want to fawn over your favourite influencer, you can inflate their egos even further by sending them a tip in crypto, too.
It’s not all been so, well, normal, though. Crypto has been used for some bizarre purchases over the years. Let’s look at some of the strangest:
In 2014, an unconventional use of Bitcoin made headlines when an individual utilized the cryptocurrency to acquire a fully operational gold mine (yes, you read correctly) situated in the Yukon region of Canada. Despite the lack of comprehensive details surrounding this transaction, the mere fact that Bitcoin facilitated the purchase of a tangible and valuable asset like an actual real-life gold mine basically shows cryptocurrency’s versatility and willingness to embrace the weird and wonderful minds who seek it out.
Three years later, in 2018, a company claimed to be offering small plots of lunar land for sale, and the mode of payment? Cryptocurrency. This peculiar venture raised eyebrows due to some remarks about legitimacy, but as of 2024, there are several companies who will allow you to part ways with your crypto for a slice of the moon.
Fast forward to 2021, when the crypto market witnessed possibly its strangest transaction to date. A digital artwork titled “The Fart” was sold for $85 worth of Ethereum. This sale marked the acquisition of a non-fungible token (NFT) and although the purchase didn’t involve a physical commodity (thankfully), it gave the internet a chuckle and made a name for its creator, director Alex Ramírez-Mallis.
The weirdness of 2021 didn’t stop there, however; in the same year, a person spent 110 ETH (around $450,000 at the time) to buy a “metaverse mausoleum” in a virtual graveyard. This purchase included a digital crypt and a plot of virtual land.
Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, sold his first-ever tweet as an NFT for a cool $2.9 million in 2021 also. The tweet simply reads: “just setting up my twtr [sic],” which highlights the potential value some see in digital ownership of the seemingly humdrum.
In 2021 (again), someone spent $1 million to buy a digital rock from the popular NFT collection “EtherRock.” These pixelated rocks, with no inherent utility, became valuable due to their scarcity and the hype surrounding NFTs.
But, the best, the most infamous crypto transaction of all time occurred all the way back in 2010, when a seemingly mundane transaction quickly gained iconic status in the history of cryptocurrency. A man, driven by his experimental spirit presumably, used a whopping 10,000 Bitcoins to purchase two pizzas. If you wish to celebrate this momentous event, Bitcoin Pizza Day is on 22nd May each year.
