Not All Satoshi’s Are Created Equally.
People who enjoy collecting special things are always on the lookout for unique items to add to their collections. Just like some collectors consider CryptoPunks to be the ultimate treasures in the world of digital art, there are also highly valued artworks called Chromie Squiggles that are admired by generative art collectors. When it comes to collecting Bitcoin Ordinals, a fascinating type of collectible are the rare satoshis, also known as "sats," which I personally find to be incredibly appealing.
These rare sats are becoming highly sought after by collectors, some of these sats that are uninscribed trade for minimally $1,500 USD (at the time of writing this article) while ordinals inscribed on rare sats trade for even more. Now, let's explore the different levels of rarity that exist among these collectibles.
Common Sats
First, we have the Common Sats. These are any sats that aren't the very first sat of their block. There are quite a lot of them, with a current supply of 1.9 quadrillion, and a total supply of 2.1 quadrillion.
Pizza Sats
Next, we have Pizza Sats. These are sats from the first ever commercial Bitcoin transaction on May 22, 2010 where Laszlo Hanyecz bought two supreme pizzas from Papa John's for a whopping 10,000 BTC. This day is known and celebrated as “Bitcoin Pizza Day”.
Uncommon Sats
Moving on, we have the Uncommon Sats. These are the very first sats of each block. They're significantly more special than the Commons, and still affordable, for now. Right now, there are 745,855 of them in existence, and the total supply is 6,929,999. However, due to the fact that many wallets that hold uncommon sats have been inactive for years, its safe to assume that there are only about 30,000 uncommon sats in circulation. With so few in circulation and literally quadrillions of total satoshi’s uncommon sats are insanely rare.
Rare Sats
Now, we have the Rare Sats (yes “rare” is also a tier of rarity). These are the first sats of each difficulty adjustment period. They're even rarer and more sought after. At the moment, there are only 369 of them, and the total supply is 3,437. These trade for around 3 BTC at the time of writing this article.
Epic Sats
Then, we come to the Epic Sats. These are the first sats of each halving epoch. They're extremely rare and highly prized by collectors. Currently, there are only 3 of them, and the total supply is 32.
Legendary Sats
Following that, we have the Legendary Sats. These are the first sats of each cycle. They're exceptionally rare and hold immense value. There are currently none in existence, and there will only be a total supply of 5.
Mythic Sats
Finally, we reach the most extraordinary of them all, the Mythic Sats. These are the first sats of the very first block, called the genesis block. They're one-of-a-kind and truly mythical. There is only one of them, and there will ever be only one.
So, as you can see, rare sats come in different levels of rarity, each more unique and special than the last. Collecting them is like embarking on a thrilling adventure through the history of the blockchain!
Where can I find rare sats?
As the Bitcoin Ordinal ecosystem has begun to mature developers have done what they do best, build, here are a couple of websites which are incredibly useful for detecting if you have a rare sats in your wallet.
How do I acquire a rare sat for myself?
Currently there is no infrastructure built for buying and selling rare sats (for now), all trading is done OTC (over the counter) the same way Bitcoin Ordinals were sold OTC prior to marketplaces like Magic Eden came to market. If you are interested in inscribing an ordinal on various types of rare sats, services like SatScribe offer the ability to select from multiple types of sats to inscribe on!