The internet is no stranger to weird and wonderful creations, with the cryptocurrency scene being no exception to this.
From currencies inspired by memes, Kanye West, and even a shared love of garlic bread, here are the top strangest cryptocurrencies to have ever graced the industry:
Garlicoin ? Created from “the s**tposts of Reddit”, Garlicoin is a cryptocurrency revolutionising the meme-coin sector, and offering up a digital currency for garlic bread enthusiasts.
Dogecoin ? Describing itself as “an open source peer-to-peer digital currency, favoured by Shiba Inus worldwide” Dogecoin is another wacky cryptocurrency inspired by the Doge meme.
Whoppercoin ? A cryptocurrency launched by Burger King in Russia, where users can earn coins when purchasing Whopper sandwiches. Once they have collected enough Whoppercoins (1,700), this can be spent on a free Whopper sandwich.
Coinye ? Formerly known as Coinye West, this former cryptocurrency unsurprisingly ran into trademarking issues with American music artist Kanye West (who was not involved with the digital currency in any way).
Useless Ethereum Token ? A form of cryptocurrency that holds no actual value, Useless Ethereum Token state on their website: “The UET ICO transparently offers investors no value, so there will be no expectation of gains” alongside the message “Seriously, don’t buy these tokens”. UET’s logo appears to denote someone giving the middle finger encased in the shape of a coin.
Unobtainum ? Being known for its rarity, Unobtanium describes itself as “the platinum to Bitcoin’s gold”, with only 250,000 of its coins able to be mined throughout the next 3 centuries.
Trumpcoin ? A coin created in honour of the U.S.A.’s current president Donald J. Trump. Trumpcoin have claimed the currency “shows that other digital currencies besides Bitcoin can be capable of great things. It will be the first to pave the way into fundraising support of Patriots worldwide who need support in their fight against corruption and tyranny.”
The Cypherfunks ? Another interesting cryptocurrency, which offers users FUNK coins that are essentially stock in the band. The Cyhperfunks website state that their “long-term goal is to have a community of musicians use FUNK as currency to help each other continuously create great new music.”
Mooncoin ? Mooncoin is a form of cryptocurrency that was initially created for “micro-transactions”, which is why the maximum supply of coins is 384 billion. Mooncoin claim this number has been chosen as it represents “one coin for every millimetre between Earth and the Moon”.
Insert Infographic
Betway recently published this infographic highlighting some of the strangest alt-coins of the past decade.
Infographic – Altcoins (Click for full-size)
(Click for full-size Infographic)
How Did Cryptocurrency Begin?
The idea for Bitcoin was first published in 2008 under the name Satoshi Nakamoto, who is presumed to be the founder, or group of founders, that developed and launched Bitcoin. More traditional forms of currency, such as Pound Sterling or the Euro, are regulated through banks to keep track of who owns what and to prevent people from duplicating money.
Bitcoin, as well as other cryptocurrencies, use a slightly different tactic to prevent the “Double Spending” problem from occurring. Bitcoin uses blockchain technology to help monitor all transactions made, and stop users from spending more money than they actually have.
Since its launch, Bitcoin has grown to impressive heights, and has been reported by many news outlets to be the top investment of the past decade. Many have benefitted from Bitcoin’s rise in value, with celebrities such as 50 Cent having “accidentally” made $8 million from coins that were initially worth $400,000.
Since Bitcoin’s rise in popularity, other cryptocurrencies began to emerge, including the wonderfully weird coins listed above as well as other, more serious currencies ? including Ethereum and Litecoin. This year, Facebook is also set to launch a cryptocurrency of its own called Libra, which, as with all other cryptocurrencies, investors should consider their mental health (more information), financial position and other investments..