The Birth of a New Bitcoin Era: Ordinals
In January 2023, the Ordinals protocol was introduced by developer Casey Rodarmor, allowing individual satoshis (the smallest Bitcoin unit) to be inscribed with data, images, and even 3D models. This breakthrough transformed Bitcoin into an immutable ledger for art, collectibles, and culture, leading to a surge of digital artifacts permanently etched onto theblockchain. This was an unprecedented moment in Bitcoin’s history, the blockchain was no longer just for transactions. It had become a monument to digital permanence.
The Genesis of the Runestone Initiative
By the end of the first year of Ordinals, Bitcoin’s digital art movement had exploded. Collectors, artists, and developers embraced Bitcoin-native NFTs, but something monumental was about to happen, the biggest airdrop in Bitcoin history. At the center of this initiative was LeonidasNFT, the most influential figure in the Ordinals space. His vision was to reward the earliest adopters of Ordinals by giving away the first-ever Bitcoin artifact collection at scale, the Runestone collection. However, inscribing over 100,000 digital artifacts onto Bitcoin was an extremely costly endeavor, requiring upwards of $400,000 in Bitcoin transaction fees. To makeit happen, a grand auction was needed to fund this historic drop. Thus, the 4-Megger Runestone was born, the cornerstone of the biggest Bitcoin airdropin history.
The Creation of the 4-Megger Runestone
To symbolize the permanence of Bitcoin inscriptions, a 3D digital sculpture was designed by renowned French sculptor Leo Caillard, known for his marble sculptures. As part of the Runestone initiative, its creation was a donation to the movement, reinforcing the ethos of decentralization and collaboration.
His Vision
“Just as the great marble sculptures of antiquity have been preserved through millennia, so too will the Runestone. This endeavor was more than a technical achievement. It is a bridge between past, present, and future, a reminder that art, in all its forms, seeks to capture the ephemeral and make it eternal.”
The result was a breathtaking metallic runestone, weathered with rust, giving it anancient yet futuristic aesthetic, a true monument to digital permanence. The 4-Megger Runestone was now ready to be auctioned, the first step toward funding the largest Bitcoin Ordinals airdrop.
The Auction That Funded the Largest Airdrop in Bitcoin History
On March 8, 2024, the 4-Megger Runestone was auctioned on Scarce.City. The winning bid came from Buoyant Capital, a prominent Ordinals and cryptocurrency investor, who secured the artifact for 8 BTC ($544,000 at thetime, now ~$640,000). This was the highest price ever paid for a Bitcoin inscription, setting a newbenchmark for digital artifacts on Bitcoin.
Proceeds of the Auction: Funding the Largest Airdrop in Bitcoin History
The 8 BTC raised from this auction funded:
• 112,384 Runestones — distributed for free to early Ordinals collectors.
• $DOG — the #1 Rune Token on Bitcoin, airdropped to all Runestone holders.
This single artifact reshaped the entire Ordinals ecosystem, forever linking it to Bitcoin’s first major fungible token experiment, the Runes Protocol.
The Aftermath: The Runestone as a Monument of Bitcoin Culture
The impact of the 4-Megger Runestone was immediate:
✅It became the most iconic inscription in Ordinals history.
✅ It was acknowledged by Beeple, the artist who sold a $69M NFT at Christie’s, further cementing its place in digital art history. (Beeple created a piecetitled New Landscape on April 6, 2024, which garnered over 1M views reflecting this movement.)
✅ It received a private offer for 12.9 BTC (~$1M), which was rejected by Buoyant Capital.
✅ It remains the highest-valued Ordinals artifact (8 BTC).
✅ It led to the largest airdrop in Bitcoin’s history and an unprecedented collaborative movement in BTC.
✅ Due to the size and significance of the community, Runestone holders began receiving additional airdrops, including Lobo, one of the first 10 Runes, created by Buoyant Capital.
Unlike traditional NFTs that rely on centralized servers, the 4-Megger Runestoneis permanently inscribed on Bitcoin itself, forever viewable and unchangeable.
With its unmatched historical significance, singularity, and strong market demand, the 4-Megger Runestone is positioned as the most valuable Ordinals inscription ever created.
Contract and Technical Details of the4-Megger Runestone
Contract & Ownership Details
📌Inscription ID: ed76bf35918948b8 b78be0e6397ad4916d926dd 3d65679a8b7e67d8699a672a0i0
📌 Parent Inscription: 63,026,232
📌 Parent Inscription ID: fdb2df5d2b16db1ebcb f09e2d23b3f4e417db44b58e71 2c99b61f26b52c7cbb5i0
📌 Ownership Status: Currently held by Buoyant Capital
📌 Marketplace History: Sold once via Scarce.City auction for 8 BTC
📌 Offers Received: 12.9 BTC offer rejected
Technical Specifications
📌Blockchain: Bitcoin
📌 Protocol: Ordinals
📌 File Type: GLTF Model (model/gltf+json)
📌 File Size: 3.97MB (One ofthe largest Ordinals ever inscribed)
📌 Creation Block: 832,947
📌 Creation Transaction ID: ed76bf35918948 b8b78be0e6397ad4916d 926dd3d65679a8b7e67d8699a672a0
📌 Inscription Number: 63,140,674
📌 Creation Fee: 109,773,730 sats (~1.1 BTC at the time)
🔗On-Chain Record: View Inscription #63140674
Legal & Licensing
📌License Type: CC0 (Creative Commons Zero) → Public domain, freely usable by anyone.
📌 Artist Statement: Leo Caillard released it under CC0 to alignwith Bitcoin’s cypherpunk ethos, ensuring it remains a monument to digitalpermanence.
📌 Auction House Compliance:
● As a fully on-chain artifact with no third-party ownership, there are no legal restrictions for sale in traditional auction houses.
Security & Verification
Blockchain Verifiability:
● The inscription can be independently verified on Ordinals explorers like ord.io, unisat.io, and ordinalscan.com.
●SinceBitcoin is immutable, its authenticity cannot be altered or disputed.
Smart Contract Risk:
● Unlike Ethereum NFTs, there is no smart contract risk, this is directly embedded in the Bitcoin blockchain, making it immune to exploits, contract failures, orcentralized interventions.
References & Verification
Below are on-chain records, media articles, and social accounts verifying theprovenance, auction history, and cultural impact of the 4 Megger Runestone.
🔹On-Chain Verification
● Runestone On-Chain Viewer: View Inscription #63140674
● Parent Inscription (Sent to Satoshi’sWallet): View Parent #63026232
● Auction Sale Record: Scarce City Auction (Sold for 8 BTC)
● Current Owner's Wallet (BuoyantCapital): View Wallet & Holdings
🔹Key Figures & Community Mentions
● Buoyant Capital (Auction Winner &Current Owner): X Profile
● LeonidasNFT (Creator of the RunestoneInitiative): X Profile
● Leo Caillard (Renowned Artist Behind theRunestone): X Profile
● Beeple Mentions the Runestone (NFT Icon,Sold $69M NFT at Christie’s): Beeple’s Post
🔹Media Coverage & Articles
● CoinMarketCap: "Bitcoin Ordinals Runestone Up for Auction Ahead of Airdrop"
● DeCrypt: "Bitcoin Ordinals Runestone Auction Ahead of Airdrop"
● DeCrypt (Parent Inscription Story -Satoshi Wallet): "Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Holds Ultimate Runestone Ordinal"
● NFTPlazas: "Bitcoin Runestone Inscription"
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