In June, a friend of mine who is a sailor and works in aerospace asked me to take a look at an unusual "bitcoin" his family friend had received. He sent me an image of a plastic bitcoin wallet with a partially obscured private key. The wallet was given as a novelty at a conference and had been stored away.
At that moment, I felt the familiar pang of imposter syndrome. Having spent two years in the cryptocurrency field and another two experimenting with a personal account, I didn’t feel confident enough to say, "Oh, I remember these." Realizing my inexperience, I made an excuse to change the topic.
Returning home, I scrutinized the image with obsessive determination, akin to a detective trying to uncover the secrets of ancient wallets—how they function, how secure they remain if the private key is visible.
Soon, I discovered that the wallet had one bitcoin transferred to it nearly a decade prior, at a time when each bitcoin was valued at just over $325. It hadn't been touched since. There was also this BIP38 "private" key that needed a passphrase to decrypt it. I wondered, had the family friend preserved it somewhere for a decade, maybe written on a Post-it® that might now represent a fortune?
Later in the week, while attending a performance with friends, I felt inspired to offer them tickets in cryptocurrency. I suggested they set up a Phantom wallet and send me their Ethereum address. Their expressions ranged from amusement to curiosity.
In 2025, Bitcoin has demystified itself for many; people recognize it as a valuable asset. However, Ethereum and smart contracts remain obscure to a lot of potential users. For those just beginning to engage in the cryptocurrency world, these platforms seem crucial, representing an intuitive leap into understanding digital assets.
Through small trials—using learning dollars instead of investment dollars—I hope to encourage my friends to engage with the blockchain directly, perhaps by interacting with decentralized finance platforms.
The journey is about making personal connections with these tools and technologies. Whether it's learning through practice or embracing the investment landscape, it's crucial to bring more individuals into the crypto community, much like the dust-covered bitcoin wallet once hidden away is now drawing new interest.
