Artist Pepenardo has transformed six copies of the 2036 edition of Bitcoin Magazine into original art pieces drawn directly onto the cover with a Sharpie marker. The run, which included two unique trading cards per copy sold, sold out shortly after being listed, as confirmed by the publication on October 22, 2026.
The graphic intervention incorporates recurring characters from the author's iconographic universe, including the Sleeping Knights, the masked rider from his work FAKEGENESIS, Dorian Nakamoto, and Pepe the Frog. Each copy includes the artist's signature on the outer cover and a second signature in gold ink on an inner page that reproduces his painting The Dreamer.
History of the works and previous auctions
The current project is an extension of the MEMETIKRON exhibition, organized by the Bitcoin Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG) and initially displayed in Nashville and at the Bitcoin 2026 conference in Las Vegas. At the latter event, the 30 by 39.5-inch oil paintings The Dreamer (Red Knight) and The Dreamless (Green Knight) were the highlights of the gallery's official auction.
Both works, which depict reclining knights in red and green armor in reference to financial market candles and classical portraiture, sold for 0.32698802 BTC each, a figure close to 26,500 dollars per piece. The auction accumulated a total of 197 bids across both lots.
This series builds on a market previously established by the creator himself. In 2023, his oil painting FAKEGENESIS, a reinterpretation of Jacques-Louis David's painting of Napoleon crossing the Alps featuring a masked rider on a green horse, sold for 1.625 BTC at the Miami conference after having started as a Fake Rares trading card in 2022.
The market for historical Bitcoin publications
Collecting physical copies of Bitcoin Magazine began with its first issue published in May 2012, a project co-founded by Mihai Alisie and Vitalik Buterin. In September 2012, during an event held in London, seven inaugural copies were signed by more than 20 early industry figures, and one of them reached a winning bid of 7 BTC, although the transaction was never completed by the buyer.
Over time, the first issues of the publication have become historical objects appraised and graded by certification companies. In 2023, parent company BTC Inc. launched the Genesis Box, a limited edition of 21 sets that brings together the first 22 issues of the magazine published between 2012 and 2014 inside protective acrylic cases.
Mark Mason, director of media at Bitcoin Magazine, explained that the company's editorial policy strictly prohibits reprinting past editions. This fixed print limit consolidates an invariable supply that has driven secondary market prices for both old issues and covers signed for charity auctions.
Exchange of formats between canvas and card
Pepenardo's interest in this physical format was born from activity surrounding trading cards on Counterparty, which he has followed since 2016. The creator himself traces his references to the 1993 proposal by Hal Finney regarding cryptographic trading cards.
The transfer of visual motifs from canvas to printed pages and trading cards with color variants or handcrafted Creator Rare finishes reflects a dynamic of circulation between physical media. Other pieces linked to this exhibition cycle, such as Master cuts out the stone (after Hemessen), remain cataloged following their appearance at the Nashville and Las Vegas events.
The next checkpoint for demand in art linked to this circuit will take place from November 4 to 6, 2026, during the Bitcoin Amsterdam conference, where BMAG will present new exhibitions by European artists focused on money, power, and Bitcoin.
