Smashtoshi will unveil History of Bitcoin, a limited-edition physical art book chronicling Bitcoin’s cultural rise, at Asprey Studio in London on November 11. The project brings together 128 leading Bitcoin and digital artists, aiming to make the asset’s history more engaging for mainstream audiences through visual storytelling.
Bitcoin’s rise from a niche cypherpunk experiment to a global financial force remains unprecedented. The network launched quietly in 2009 when Satoshi Nakamoto mined the genesis block during the global financial crisis. Early adoption grew slowly through forums, meetups, and small peer-to-peer exchanges before institutional attention emerged in the mid-2010s. Bitcoin’s first major milestone came with the 2017 bull run, which pushed its market cap past $300 billion and forced regulators to recognize its growing influence. Today, Bitcoin is held by public companies, sovereign funds, and millions of retail participants worldwide. It has surpassed the value of many national currencies and several major banks. With U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs drawing billions of dollars in inflows this year, the asset now sits deeply embedded in global financial markets, strengthening its status as digital gold.
History of Bitcoin examines this journey through a visual lens, tracing the network’s evolution from Satoshi’s early emails to its emergence as a cultural movement. The book features original artworks that capture defining moments, including the publication of the Bitcoin whitepaper and the legendary Bitcoin “Pizza Day.” Each piece is paired with detailed research sourced from more than 100 interviews with early contributors such as Martti Malmi, Max Keiser and Aaron van Wildrum.
The creators say the goal is to document how Bitcoin evolved from open-source code into a cultural phenomenon influencing finance, politics, and digital identity.
The First Edition uses 256 pages as a symbolic reference to SHA-256, Bitcoin’s foundational cryptographic algorithm. The book incorporates over 40 specialised print techniques designed to mirror the network’s technical depth. It is encased in a collector’s box made from 5,000-year-old fossilised black oak and sealed with a custom emblem handcrafted by Asprey Studio. The team describes it as both a work of art and a preservation vessel for Bitcoin’s early history.
The First Edition will be auctioned via Scarce City from December 1, with bidding concluding at Bitcoin Abu Dhabi on December 9. The auction will serve as the finale of the project’s global launch series, which begins in London and continues through Amsterdam, New York, and Dubai.
After the auction, Smashtoshi will release 2,139 Collector’s Editions. Each is wrapped in Bitcoin Orange Bull Leather and displayed on a stainless steel stand engraved with the complete Bitcoin whitepaper. Every edition includes a fragment of Bitcoin’s original source code, meaning the full 2,140-copy collection collectively holds the protocol’s complete codebase — a symbolic nod to decentralisation and Bitcoin’s capped supply timeline ending in the year 2140.
Jimmy Block, a representative of Smashtoshi, said the book reflects a massive collaborative effort. “Over three hundred people have contributed to bringing History of Bitcoin to life,” he noted. “It’s not just an art book. It’s a shared effort by artists, writers, and craftsmen who believe in preserving this technological marvel through art.”
Eighty percent of the auction proceeds will be donated to My First Bitcoin, a nonprofit focused on independent, community-driven Bitcoin education. The group has already taught thousands of students in El Salvador and aims to reach more than 200 million learners worldwide as it expands.
With its combination of artistic craftsmanship, historical research, and cultural preservation, History of Bitcoin marks one of the most ambitious attempts yet to document the network’s expanding legacy. The global tour will highlight Bitcoin’s growing influence far beyond markets, cementing its status as both a technological breakthrough and a cultural movement.
More details about the event can be found at https://www.historyofbitcoin.io/events.
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