Ross Ulbricht, the person as soon as behind the Silk Highway darkish internet market, has turned artifacts from his jail years right into a multimillion-dollar Bitcoin windfall.
Following his latest launch, Ulbricht auctioned off private gadgets by means of a Bitcoin-only market, netting over $1.8 million regardless of a market dip.
Essentially the most priceless merchandise was his jail ID card, which offered for 11 BTC. Different memorabilia, together with his worn sneakers, handwritten pocket book, and prison-issued clothes, attracted aggressive bids from collectors and crypto lovers desperate to personal items of one among Bitcoin’s most notorious tales.
Past jail gear, Ulbricht additionally listed a number of oil work he created whereas incarcerated. Considered one of them, titled Archway, introduced in simply over 1 BTC, whereas two others mixed for 1.4 BTC. His paintings provided a extra private and inventive glimpse into his time behind bars, and bidders responded enthusiastically.
The sale occurred amid broader modifications within the regulatory local weather. With U.S. authorities softening their stance on some crypto-related circumstances, together with dismissals towards privateness software builders, the atmosphere appears to be shifting. Ulbricht, now again within the public eye after receiving a pardon from former President Donald Trump, made his first post-release look on the Bitcoin 2025 convention, thanking supporters and talking onstage alongside key figures within the trade.
What as soon as marked the downfall of a crypto outlaw has now turn out to be a logo of rebirth—and worthwhile redemption.