A unique silver signet ring created in New York in 2012, conceived and personally produced by Charlie Shrem with his family’s jeweler. The oval bezel bears the raised Bitcoin “₿” over a stippled ground; the interior is micro-engraved with Shrem’s Bitcoin private key, intentionally omitting one character retained in memory for security.

The ring quickly became one of the most recognizable physical icons of Bitcoin’s early culture.

It was profiled in WIRED in March 2013, “Ring of Bitcoins: Why Your Digital Wallet Belongs on Your Finger”, which detailed Shrem’s practice of keeping a large share of his savings on the ring and the decision to memorize the missing digit for cold storage security.

Excerpt from Shrem’s forthcoming memoir (journal entry preserved in his own words):

I've walked around with this ring on my finger for over 10 years. I orange-pilled tens of thousands of people with it. And it was with me during my arrest, prison time, and so many moments of history. It's time to move on. I feel that I spend a lot of time holding on to mementos of the past. I only have one life to live, and I need to look forward and start living it.

The ring’s notoriety spread through the tech and mainstream press; the New York Observer reported contemporaneously that colleagues nicknamed him “four-finger Charlie,” a nickname echoed by later coverage, for wearing account access on his finger.

Provenance

• Designed and produced for personal use by Charlie Shrem, New York, 2012; kept by the owner since.
• Publicly documented and photographed in WIRED (2013) and subsequent profiles. WIRED Literature / Press
• WIRED, “Ring of Bitcoins: Why Your Digital Wallet Belongs on Your Finger,” Mar. 18, 2013. WIRED
• Observer, “It’s All About the Bitcoin, Baby,” Apr. 30, 2013 (origin of the “four-finger Charlie” nickname). Observer
• Business Insider roundup referencing Businessweek profile and the ring/nickname anecdote; CBS News likewise cites the Observer account. Business InsiderCBS News Details
• Date: 2012
• Size: Adult signet (dimensions on request)
• Condition: Worn with honest surface wear; engraving crisp and legible Significance
• Medium: Silver signet ring with relief Bitcoin emblem; interior micro-engraving of BIP38 private key. An additional password will be shared directly with the buyer to unlock the private key if they wish to do so.

Among physical Bitcoin artifacts, Casascius/Lealana/ Denarium pieces, scratchcards, and early ephemera, this ring stands alone as a singular work of personal cryptographic design: a functioning cold-storage device and a wearable symbol of the movement’s ethos. Extensively documented in the press and directly tied to one of Bitcoin’s earliest builders, it is arguably the most famous piece of Bitcoin jewelry ever made.

This Lot Includes:

Physical Good:

• Dimensions: 0.65 × 0.65 × 0.25 (in)
• Weight: 0.04 (lb)
• Materials: Silver
• Item Type: Art Collectible

A COA of the buyer's choosing can also be included.

No Reserve

Join the Scarce City Banter Telegram channel for auction updates, commentary, and sat giveaways.