Bitcoin MENA 2025 has announced that it will feature and auction the History of Bitcoin First Edition, a one-of-one, museum-grade fine-art book positioned as a major physical artifact within bitcoin culture. According to the sponsor-provided press release, the project was developed over four years by the collective Smashtoshi and brings together contributions from 128 artists across 37 countries. The work is designed to trace bitcoin’s path from its cypherpunk roots to its emergence as a global technological and cultural movement.
A Physical Artifact Built Around Bitcoin’s Narrative
The book’s structure and production are meant to mirror key themes from bitcoin itself. It spans 256 pages, a reference to bitcoin’s SHA-256 cryptographic foundation, and reportedly incorporates more than 40 specialized print techniques. The First Edition is housed in a collector’s box made from 5,000-year-old fossilized black oak, bound in bull leather, and finished with a bespoke silver emblem from Asprey Studio. In framing the work this way, the organizers present it not merely as a book, but as a long-lasting physical record of a story that has largely unfolded in digital environments.
That framing is central to the exhibition’s appeal. In the press materials, the curatorial emphasis is on preserving bitcoin’s cultural memory in a tangible form, especially at a time when much of early internet history has already disappeared. Rather than relying only on online archives, screens, and memes, the project argues for a durable, collectible object that can preserve and communicate the movement’s milestones across generations.
Exhibition Tour Culminates in Abu Dhabi
Before arriving in the UAE, the First Edition was presented on a tour that included stops in the UK, Bitcoin Amsterdam, Pubkey in New York, and Mondoir Gallery in Dubai. The final stop in this phase is scheduled for December 8 at Bitcoin MENA in Abu Dhabi, where the work will be shown inside the event’s art gallery as a dedicated multi-wall installation.
The exhibition is expected to include selected artworks from the broader project, projected visual materials, supporting research volumes, and live auction coverage. Organizers say the installation is intended to transform bitcoin’s history from a purely technical chronology into something more human and emotional through visual storytelling. The 128 commissioned works reportedly reinterpret major moments, tensions, and turning points that shaped bitcoin’s rise.
Auction Proceeds Tied to Bitcoin Education
The online auction is being hosted by Scarce.city, where the First Edition has been presented as the headline lot linked to the Bitcoin MENA program. One of the most notable claims in the announcement is the planned use of auction proceeds. Smashtoshi says that 79% of all proceeds will go to My First Bitcoin, a nonprofit focused on community-led bitcoin education. The remaining 21% is set to be distributed among the 128 participating artists whose original works make up the book.
My First Bitcoin is described in the press release as a leading nonprofit in bitcoin education, with structured programs already active across Latin America and expanding internationally. The organization’s stated ambition is to help make bitcoin education accessible to more than 200 million learners worldwide. For collectors, this positions the auction as more than an art-market event: buyers are also being invited to view participation as a direct contribution to expanding educational access.
This educational angle gives the auction a dual narrative. On one side, the First Edition is marketed as a singular collectible and cultural artifact. On the other, it is presented as a fundraising vehicle tied to a broader social mission in bitcoin literacy. Whether that combination broadens the audience for the work remains to be seen, but it clearly forms the core of the project’s public messaging.
Research, Interviews, and Artistic Collaboration
The broader History of Bitcoin project extends beyond the single auction lot. According to the announcement, it includes more than 100 interviews with early bitcoin contributors, including Martti Malmi, Max Keiser, Samson Mow, Trace Mayer, and Aaron van Wirdum. It also features visual and conceptual contributions from a roster of recognized artists, including Jesse Draxler, GMUNK, Billelis, Cypherpunk Now, Ryan Koopmans, Jenni Pasanen, Robert Alice, Jake Fried, and Hackatao, among others.
The project team says the goal is to merge artistic interpretation with documentary intent. Commissioned works revisit key historical moments from 1979 to 2025, creating a timeline that reaches from pre-bitcoin cryptographic ideas through the network’s major social and technological phases. Supporting materials include a companion research volume for note-taking, a public digital archive at historyofbitcoin.io, and a global series of talks and exhibitions tied to the initiative.
This layered structure suggests the First Edition is not meant to stand alone. Instead, it functions as the flagship object of a wider archival and educational ecosystem—one that combines physical editions, digital resources, public programming, and institutional-style exhibition design.
Collector Editions Planned After the Main Auction
Following the sale of the one-of-one First Edition, the organizers plan to release 2,139 Collector’s Editions. Each of these editions is said to contain a unique fragment of bitcoin’s original source code. Collectively, the full set would hold the complete codebase, an idea the project presents as a symbolic reflection of bitcoin’s decentralized architecture.
That concept adds another layer of meaning to the publication strategy. Rather than producing identical copies alone, the project aims to embed uniqueness and distribution into the collectible editions themselves. For bitcoin-native audiences, this symbolism may resonate strongly, connecting the format of the release to the ideology of decentralization that underpins the network.
Dates, Venue, and Program Details
The auction preview is already live online, with in-person events having been held at Pubkey in New York on December 1 and Mondoir Gallery in Dubai on December 4. The bidding window runs from December 1 to December 10, with the auction concluding on December 11. The Abu Dhabi exhibition is scheduled for December 8 at ADNEC as part of Bitcoin MENA.
Organizers also say the First Edition will be accompanied by curator-led walkthroughs, venue-wide LED wall features, gallery programming, press access, and appearances by members of the Smashtoshi team. Bitcoin MENA itself is part of the broader event series organized by BTC Media, the parent company of Bitcoin Magazine. The conference brand includes international gatherings aimed at bringing together industry participants, developers, investors, and enthusiasts.
As with many event-linked announcements in the crypto sector, readers should note that this story is based on a sponsored press release. The details around cultural significance, market reception, and educational impact are presented from the perspective of the organizers and affiliated parties. Even so, the project stands out for attempting to position bitcoin history not only as code and market data, but also as an artistic and archival subject worthy of physical preservation.