July 16, 2024
The Hobby debut of the most exciting trading card project of the 2020’s!
In a world dominated by Sports and Pokémon, Bitcoin, a Top 10 global brand, stands out.
Bitcoin Trading Cards, a trading card project that made its debut in November 2022 with the Series 1 Orange Pill in a Pack, finally made an appearance at a Hobby event. This appearance was anything but understated. As the headline sponsor, equipped with a Bitcoin Trading Card Lounge located in front of the center-stage booth, the team was prepared to introduce the cards to the Hobby community.
The team handed out over 800 Genesis Packs to attendees and vendors, hosted on-site breaks, featured a 7-foot tall Satoshi Nakamoto walking around in a costume created by an Emmy-award winner, and unveiled their newest set — the Spirit of Satoshi Collaborative Packs. The conference was abuzz with excitement as attendees eagerly learned about this hot project.
The Front Row Card Show in Las Vegas proved to be an event filled with energy. Bitcoin Trading Cards found new collectors, forged great relationships, and set a new standard for transparency and scarcity in the Hobby community.
In the midst of the summer of 2024, Bitcoin Trading Cards has excelled in scouting trading card shows and preparing meticulously for this moment. In Parts 1 and 2 of this blog series, we detailed our experiences as attendees and vendors at FRCS Pasadena and Phoenix, where we listened and learned from the community. However, it was at the Front Row Card Show Vegas, FRCS’ largest show to date, where BTCTC truly shone, hitting a grand slam.
In this blog, I delve into everything that contributed to the incredible excitement surrounding this event.
- The Booth — Rips, Showcase, Breaks + a Legendary Guest Appearance
- The Show — Pokemon, Sports, + Everything in Between
- The Aftermath — Relationships, Lessons, + Future Shows
THE BOOTH
With a setup spanning three tables wide and “The Bitcoin Trading Card Lounge” positioned prominently in front of the booth, Bitcoin Trading Cards made a memorable impression. The booth was both comfortable and educational, featuring a showcase on the right, fresh inventory and wax in the middle, and rips/artwork to the left.
Positioned at the heart of foot traffic, everyone was drawn in to experience the excitement firsthand, stopping for some RIPS.
The team distributed the educational Genesis Packs V1 (with a supply of 100,000 packs) for community members to enjoy a good rip and learn about money and Bitcoin in the process. Others stayed to rip the newest packs, Spirit of Satoshi, relishing the experience.
The SHOWCASE, curated by Bitcoin Brandon, proved to be a hit among collectors. Some were eager to delve deeper into the cards and the secondary market, while others were intrigued enough to allocate part of their show budget.
The standout transaction of the weekend totaled $15,000 and included:
- 1 box of 2022 Series 1 Orange Pill in a Pack — valued at $13,000
- 1 box of 2023 Series 2 Orange Pill in a Pack — valued at $1,600
- 1 box of 2024 Spirit of Satoshi — valued at $400.
On Sunday, I made my latest KOIL BREAKS appearance, featuring three brand-new Spirit of Satoshi boxes and a Series 2 Orange Pill in a Pack box. It was a fantastic opportunity to open packs live for show attendees, with additional viewers tuning in via the stream. In total, twelve participants joined in across the breaks, making it a memorable session for everyone.
An incredibly special moment for me, and one of the core memories from Koil Breaks BTC, was when Hector, played by Noel Gugliemi, the actor from The Fast & The Furious and Furious 7, joined the stream. As a kid, I watched these movies repeatedly, and their influence on me as a car enthusiast, collector, and community member is profound. It’s always a poignant reminder — we miss you, Paul.
Hector joined us to open a pack of Spirit of Satoshi as we delved through over three boxes — totaling 39 packs for packstackers! What’s truly rewarding about these events and live breaks is that Bitcoin Trading Cards collectors can take home incredibly unique collectibles, such as the Bitcoin Pizza card that Hector signed.
Some of the highlights from the SOS break were:
- Box #1 — A complete #/121 set with Hal Fin, Adam Back, and Nick Szabo
- Box #2 — A complete #/256 set with Samson Mow, Giacomo Zucco, and Guy Swann
- Box #3 — Noteworthy numbers with #69/500 Maximalist and #420/420 Svetski
In the latter part of the break, we opened a Series 2 Orange Pill in a Pack box. All packs had been pre-sold to various packstackers before the event, ensuring we wasted no time digging for Gold and 21 Clubs!
With so much excitement packed into just an hour and a half, you can revisit the entire break and catch all the highlights on my @koilbreaksbtc YouTube channel.
SHOW WALK-AROUND
After the break on Sunday, I took a moment to explore everything the conference had to offer. The energy, smiles, and passion brought by both vendors and attendees, starting with POKEMON, were truly uplifting.
As the show’s title suggests — Front Row Cards — this wasn’t just another exclusive sports card event, which I find refreshing for several reasons, especially the diversity and lively atmosphere of the crowd.
However, SPORTS CARDS are always a highlight for me to explore. From impressive patches to blue-chip cards, superfractors, and wax, the vendors showcased an impressive array of inventory.
One final note to mention — all the other incredible COLLECTOR ITEMS available, including Comics, Video Games, Youtooz, and more. With over 450 vendors at the show, I was impressed by the variety of opportunities for enthusiasts of all ages to engage with The Hobby and discover new collectibles.
The organizers of the Front Row Card Show did an excellent job of strategically placing vendors throughout the conference floor, a sentiment confirmed by conversations with several satisfied vendors.
TAKEAWAYS
Aside from the obvious fact that Bitcoin Trading Cards is firmly establishing itself in the market, I departed the card show with some notable impressions:
- We are at such an early stage. The enthusiasm from kids and collectors alike impressed me.
- The Hobby scene welcomes a breath of fresh air. Innovation is not always frequent or common in the industry, and BTCTC has certainly delivered it.
- Bitcoin truly ranks among the top 10 global brands, making it highly appealing to collectors.
The team at the event, consisting of 4 individuals, distributed packs, gathered content, portrayed Satoshi, and managed point-of-sale operations throughout the event. It was a solid team, though an additional member would have been beneficial during peak times at the booth to capture content and answer collector questions.
In less than ten days, this team, along with over thirty community members and packstackers, will be heading to Nashville for The Bitcoin Conference 2024. It’s the premier event in the Bitcoin world, and it feels like home turf for us. With confidence gained from our past year of hard work, the Bitcoin Trading Cards Team will be out in full force.
I leave you with this: Fix The Money, Fix The World. The Hobby is now aware, and the next steps are up to you. We look forward to seeing you soon in Nashville and at Hobby shows in SoCal later this summer!
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