10,000 CENTS on 10,000 SATS
CENTS explores the multiple layers of value ascribed to the copper penny. After over a century in circulation the lowly 1¢ denomination is so commonplace that it is considered a worthless nuisance. But a penny from any given year will always be worth exactly 1¢ according to the United States Treasury. Furthermore those minted in 1982 and before were struck in copper and now have a metal value of approximately 2.8¢.
Recognizing these discrepancies in value, 10,000 copper coins were removed from circulation and archivally documented. Though manufactured for fungibility, history shaped these coins into unique metal discs, which in turn are now encoded as digital artifacts.
Images of these 10,000 individuals are inscribed on satoshis, the elemental unit of Bitcoin, while the physical coins themselves are smelted and cast into a solid copper cube. As the traditional penny fades into irrelevance and its production is ultimately terminated, this digitally scarce set of 10,000 will remain etched on the Bitcoin blockchain in perpetuity.