Who Needs 280 Bitcoin Domain Names? Massive BTC Bundle Goes Up for Auction

A collection of more than 280 Bitcoin-themed domain names is up for auction via a single sale at Lloyds, the famed auction house announced on Tuesday. 

The collection includes dozens of geographical themed Bitcoin domains, like JapanBitcoin.com and AustraliaBitcoin.com, as well as more functional domains like BitcoinExchanges.com and BitcoinWallets.com.

Other notable (and/or amusing) names in the bunch include BitcoinforPizza.com, EmailBitcoin.com, BitcoinSpotETF.com, BitcoinSeedPhrase.com, TokenizedBitcoins.com, and BitcoinNetzwerk.com.

“This isn’t just a group of good domains,” Lloyds Auctions Chief Operations Officer Lee Hames said, in a statement. “It’s the architecture of Bitcoin’s internet presence. Whoever wins this auction won’t just own names, they’ll own the language of Bitcoin’s digital economy.”

The Australia-based auction house previously held an auction for XBT.com, an alternative ticker to BTC that is sometimes used for Bitcoin, selling it for more than $3 million on its own.

“After setting the benchmark with XBT.com, we’re now offering the infrastructure behind it, a full suite of digital assets that define the Bitcoin space online,” Hames added. 

Some domains in the lot were registered as early as 2010, shortly after Bitcoin’s emergence in 2009, leading Lloyds to speculate that the anonymous domain registrants may have been tied to the early Bitcoin developer community. 

In order to bid on the lots, users must be pre-approved by Lloyds. The firm began accepting payment in cryptocurrency as early as 2021, accepting Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other popular cryptocurrencies.

Lot estimates are not listed by Lloyds for the sale, though the firm calls the auction a “significant offering.” Other popular crypto domains, like BTC.com and ETH.com, have traded hands for more than $1 million in the past. 

A representative for Lloyds did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment or questions about lot estimates.