Counterparty

New release! Counterparty Core v11.0.4! Much faster node startup / shutdown time; less memory consumption + DB connection management; bugfixes too

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Memory Chain (2017) full set has just been SOLD! Memory chain is a bitcoin counterparty Japanese collection that is made of 152 cards! And only 4 full sets exist!

Every now and then the FAKETORCH gets passed to the next faker We have been blessed to see it get passed 3x this week! A record - and we are doing a first ever 3 card series 0 drop Some good lore in these cards The legend of Xcp @jp_janssen rejected Pepe joins fake Rares…

@CounterpartyXCP is going to remain a staple of NFT history far into the future. New upgrade proposals talk w/ @agkrellenstein this this Sunday afternoon 1pm Pacific. Study up, state your case or just listen in. Slick new wallet from @droplister (XCP Wallet) - most features included in a wallet so far!! New projects? - Rare PenPen Agency, Rare Horses? x.com/i/spaces/1qGvv…

Before OpenSea, before Blur, before the 2021 NFT explosion... There was Spells of Genesis. 2015. Bitcoin. Counterparty. The first blockchain game. The first crypto collectibles that actually did something. Some of us never left. 🧡

Creator of @CounterpartyXCP and @kontornetwork drops takes on the various ways Bitcoin metaprotocols may outperform Layer-2s 🌶️ Lots to dig into into this episode, but one clear advantage: they are infinitely simpler, easier to build, and rely on Bitcoin’s existing consensus mechanism for security. We know you’re gonna ask about 10 minute blocks… he has a solve for that too… full ep in comments 👇

Bitcoin Native DeFi: The Future of Metaprotocols Adam Krellenstein at @EthereumDenver 2026

BITCOIN RAILS #51: HISTORY OF METAPROTOCOLS ON BITCOIN I with Counterparty Creator @agkrellenstein 🔗 YOUTUBE: youtu.be/vOUubNr3Q44 🌿 SPOTIFY: open.spotify.com/episode/3scwcA… Metaprotocols on Bitcoin have a long and complex history—stretching far before the launch of Ordinals, the most widely used metaprotocol in Bitcoin’s history. Ordinals’ creator @rodarmor credits much of his inspiration to these early projects—including Yoni Assia’s Colored Coins, @ErikVoorhees Satoshi Dice, and of course, @CounterpartyXCP (widely considered the first NFT protocol) developed by Evan Wagner and Adam Krellenstein. While CounterParty was not originally intended for the use of on-chain art, its use for art developed a cult following—used by projects like RarePepes, which remain some of the most valuable NFTs on the market. cc @ScrillaVentura @theog__ In this interview, I sit down with Krellenstein to review the full history of metaprotocols on Bitcoin—the complex history of the first NFT protocol in history—and why, after a long hiatus from Bitcoin, Krellenstein is back in action with metaprotocol @kontornetwork ...with the aim of giving all Layer 2s a run for their money. In this episode, Adam and I cover: - Why early Bitcoin metaprotocols (pre-Ethereum) didn’t take off for DeFi—and what's different today - His personal experiences with @LukeDashjr and the early “spam wars” of 2014 - Why Adam left the Bitcoin space for 8+ years after the creation of Counterparty, and is making a dramatic return with @kontornetwork this past year - The rise of Pepes—and the pros and cons of frogs in pushing forward DeFi metaprotocols - How Kontor is solving the 10-minute block time issue - Why metaprotocols will ultimately outperform Layer 2s for Bitcoin DeFI 🌶️🌶️ This episode of Bitcoin Rails is powered by: — Best In Slot (@bestinslotxyz) - the leading API for Ordinals and BRC-20 data aggregation and indexing. — Spark (@lightspark) - a statechains implementation advancing Bitcoin-powered payments. — Citrea (@citrea_xyz) - a leading Bitcoin rollup technology and BitVM alliance contributor. 📌 TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:25 How Adam Got Into Bitcoin 03:06 Counterparty: Bitcoin’s First Smart-Contract Meta-Protocol 05:01 History of Mastercoin, Smart Contracts & Counterparty 11:12 Why Adam Built Counterparty 14:02 Early Days of NFTs Projects 17:28 Counterparty’s Pivotal Role in Bitcoin’s History 26:23 Proof-of-Burn and Why XCP Exists 33:50 DAO Hack Reversal & Why Bitcoin’s Ethos Still Wins 36:01 NFTs on Counterparty: Rare Pepes & Community Adoption 38:50 How Ordinals Brought Adam Back Intro Bitcoin 43:25 Counterparty in 2024: Governance, Code Decay & Community Rescue 48:09 The Future of Counterparty 50:43 Kontor: Bitcoin’s Next Gen Metra-Protocol 01:02:46 L2 vs Meta-Protocols 01:04:03 Optimistic Verification & BLS Signatures 01:07:38 WASM vs EVM on Bitcoin: Performance & Ecosystem Design 01:15:16 Bitcoin-Secured File Storage: ZK Proofs & the Roadmap Ahead

This NFT just sold for $54k. The Rare Pepe NFT series was one of the earliest experiments in tokenising internet meme culture on the blockchain. Through NFT technology, which allows digital assets to have verifiable ownership and scarcity, you can self-custody these assets and collect them as digital artefacts. Art has often moved upstream of wealth and speculation, and pieces like this continue to be viewed by collectors as culturally significant long-term digital collectibles.

Everyone thinks NFTs started on Ethereum. They didn’t. In 2016, Rare Pepes launched on Bitcoin using the Counterparty protocol, years before Ethereum NFTs went mainstream. There were ~1,700 unique Rare Pepe NFTs, created by dozens of anonymous artists and curated by the Rare Pepe Directory (led by Joe Looney). Most of them were minted for almost nothing, often free or for a few dollars worth of BTC/XCP. No royalties. No marketplaces. No speculation meta. Just internet culture experimenting with digital ownership. Fast forward, and individual Rare Pepes have sold for six figures. And the Pepe meme itself became one of the most iconic symbols in crypto. From early Bitcoin culture to NFTs to memecoins. What people called “just a meme” ended up becoming crypto history.

"we are rich in lore, we are rich in people, we are rich in grassroots experimentation, rich in trading culture, and rich in community coming together to create" Monthly community sync touching protocol upgrades, infra, and the ever-expanding creative surface. Big thanks to @davesta_xcp for holding the @CounterpartyXCP space. github.com/CounterpartyXC…

The Digital Art Pantheon: Chronological, unranked celebration of 100 of the most influential works in blockchain-based digital art history. The inaugural v.1, dynamic and iterative. This is our Pantheon. What is yours? annual.24hours.art/pantheon

Counterparty is easily one of the most influential crypto protocol designs — and not just metaprotocol designs — in Bitcoin's history. Arguably the first true “smart contract” system on the market (and this was pre-Ethereum), there are few people on the planet more qualified to share the history of metaprotocols on Bitcoin than Counterparty’s primary architect and creator, @agkrellenstein. We sat down to cover the history of metaprotocols all the way back to Hal Finney [see vid below]. Interview out tomorrow. Drop a follow so you don’t miss it 🔥

My groundbreaking “illiquid old coin reprices when people remember it exists” thesis for Counterparty. 21e14.com/articles/xcp-s…

12 years ago today, a group of developers sent 2,130 Bitcoin to an unspendable address. This was no accident. Here is the story of Counterparty. Art by @bettidlomas

@CounterpartyXCP is a staple of NFT history. Listen in on new upgrade proposals with @agkrellenstein this Sunday afternoon. Study up, state your case or just listen in: github.com/CounterpartyXC… New projects too... Faux Bitcorns? Rare Pigeons? x.com/i/spaces/1eaJb…

Forgot to mention it in the release notes, but it's now possible to have <1 sat/vByte for Counterparty transactions!

New release! Counterparty Core v11.0.4! Much faster node startup / shutdown time; less memory consumption + DB connection management; bugfixes too

Join me for the next @CounterpartyXCP community Space with @agkrellenstein ! Set a reminder for my upcoming Space! twitter.com/i/spaces/1ZkJz…

The history of Counterparty and the future of Kontor! Metaprotocols discussion with @agkrellenstein on The Rollup (@therollupco). Full interview below 👇