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This is a Denarium 100 BTC physical coin, preloaded with 0.01 BTC, minted in 2015 by Finnish company Denarium, one of the most significant successors to Casascius in the lineage of physical Bitcoin. Unlike the earlier loaded coins by Casascius and Lealana, Denarium specialized in creating both funded and empty bearer coins designed as collectibles, gifts, and cold storage devices, offering ordinary users a way to hold Bitcoin in tangible form.

Following Charlie Shrem’s arrest in 2014, the founders of Denarium personally gifted this coin to him in recognition of his role as one of Bitcoin’s earliest builders and as a gesture of solidarity during his period of struggle. This personal provenance — directly linking one of the earliest Bitcoin entrepreneurs with one of the most important physical Bitcoin issuers after Casascius, makes this coin unique among its peers.

This particular coin is an extraordinary example: a 2015 Denarium 100 BTC piece, serial number L04188, housed in its original presentation case. Struck in gold-plated brass with the iconic winged Bitcoin design, it represents one of the highest-denomination issues of its kind. The obverse bears the holographic authenticity seal with unique serial, while the reverse is inscribed:

Denarium1/100th BTC2015

Details:

Year: 2015
0.01 BTC Preloaded
Issuer: Denarium (Finland)
Denomination: 100 BTC (unfunded)
Serial: L04188
Material: Gold-plated brass
Dimensions: Standard large-format Denarium coin, housed in original case
Provenance: Gifted directly to Charlie Shrem by Denarium founders after his arrest

Significance: Physical Bitcoin artifacts fall into a small, highly coveted canon. The most famous are Casascius coins (2011–2013), which realized hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction in recent years. Lealana coins (2013–2014) followed, expanding the medium into new denominations and designs. Denarium (founded 2015 by Henry Brade and his team at Prasos) represents the third great wave of physical Bitcoin issuers, with this 100 BTC issue among the largest denominations ever struck.

Unlike anonymous market purchases, this example carries personal provenance: a direct gift to Charlie Shrem from the creators themselves — making it not only a rare Denarium but also a unique relic of Bitcoin’s contested early history.