"Buy Bitcoin" notepad auctioned for one million US dollars

A notepad that reads "Buy Bitcoin" has been auctioned off for a million dollars. It enjoys cult status in fan circles.

A notepad marked "Buy Bitcoin" has been auctioned off for 16 Bitcoin, the equivalent of one million American dollar.

The document enjoys cult status in fan circles. During a speech by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in July 2017, an intern held the document up to the camera. The photos went around the world.

Countless memes arose and "Buy Bitcoin" became a slogan.

The original notebook is now up for auction through the Scarce City auction platform.

According to the platform, it is "one of the few commonly known Bitcoin physical artifacts."

"This iconic drawing, hastily drawn on a yellow notepad, marked Bitcoin's entry into the global currency landscape," the website said.

The notebook also contains "notes on the hearing, monetary policy, Bitcoin and also an unseen rough draft."

The auction ended Wednesday. A bar in New York broadcast the auction live.

The vendor is Christian Langalis, who as a 22-year-old intern held up the sign during a speech by Janet Yellen to the U.S. Congress. He was then escorted out by security personnel.

The PR stunt sent the price soaring. The cryptocurrency reached a high of $2,418 after the broadcast.

"When I am asked by Bitcoiners about the sign, I say, "If you were me, you would have done the same thing." Yes, I was the only person present at the hearing, I drew the sign and held it up to the camera. But it was the spirit of the Web that picked up the image and manufactured the memes," Langalis says.

In 2019, there was already a circulation of 21 replicas. They all sold for an average price of 0.8 BTC.