Description
These copper rounds depict the logo of ‘The Silk
Road’, which was an online marketplace on the socalled
‘Dark Web’ accessible only via the specialized
‘Tor’ browser. The marketplace exclusively used BTC
as the medium of exchange. Anyone could create an
account to buy or sell anything anonymously, leading
to an almost unimaginable offering of illegal drugs,
fake identification documents, counterfeit money, and
various ‘hacking’ services. The Silk Road gained some
notoriety in the media as a hub of internet ‘lawlessness’.
Launched in 2011, The Silk Road was perhaps the first
practical indication of Bitcoin being a viable economic
system, with price fluctuations having little effect on
the transactions taking place. Due to its use on The
Silk Road, Bitcoin’s early reputation of being linked
to drugs and other criminal activities was influential
in the media. The website was shut down by the FBI
in October 2013, and Ross Ulbricht was sentenced
to life in prison due to his involvement in creating
and running it. Over 144,000 BTC was seized from
Ulbricht’s computer, which was later sold in a series of
auctions by the U.S. Marshals Service. This sale by the
U.S. government was seen as an important indicator of
Bitcoin’s legitimacy and acceptance by government.