The statue of Bitcoin’s (CRYPTO: BTC) legendary creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, which was reported stolen in Switzerland, was found tossed into a lake on Sunday.
What Happened: The statue, famous for its “disappearing” effect, was found by municipal workers from Lugano city, according to Satoshigallery, the designer of the statue.
Visuals showed workers recovering the damaged statue from the lake that flanked the Parco Ciani park in Lugano, where it was installed last year. Satoshigallery had promised a reward of 0.1 BTC, worth $11,472 at current prices, for the statue’s recovery.
The condition of the statue enraged Bitcoiners, with a user, Bitcoin Morfeo, calling it “an absolute disgrace.”
Noted Bitcoin technologist Jameson Lopp also voiced their disgust, stating, “You can destroy a statue. But you can’t destroy an idea.”
Why It Matters: The statue honors the anonymity of Nakamoto by appearing transparent from the front and changing the view based on the angle it is viewed. Like other statues of the mysterious personality, it became a symbol of Bitcoin’s decentralized origins and ethos.
Satoshi, who authored Bitcoin’s whitepaper, has been a figure of intrigue and speculation. As of this writing, the wallet linked to Satoshi holds $125.85 billion worth of Bitcoin, according to on-chain analytics firm Arkham, more than the total wealth of computer tycoon and one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, Bill Gates.
Price Action: At the time of writing, BTC was trading at $114,725, up 0.93% in the last 24 hours, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
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Photo Courtesy: Szabolcs Magyar On Shutterstock.com
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
