A 'buy bitcoin' sign flashed behind Janet Yellen during a 2017 hearing just sold for $1 million
Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI
- A"Buy Bitcoin" sign held up behind Janet Yellen during a 2017 testimony just sold for over $1 million.
- Christian Langalis, a then-22-year-old intern who held the sign, decided to sell it to fund his crypto startup.
- Bitcoin has surged more than 2,000% since Langalis photobombed Yellen.
A sign with "Buy Bitcoin" written in all caps on cheap yellow legal pad that was held up behind Janet Yellen during a 2017 congressional hearing was just sold at auction for over $1 million.
According to Bloomberg on Thursday, the "Buy Bitcoin" sign held by an intern during then-Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's 2017 Congressional testimony went for $1.027 million at auction.
Christian Langalis, the seller and the sign holder, was then a 22-year-old intern at the Libertarian think tank Cato Institute, swiftly crafting the message while seated behind Yellen during her July 2017 appearance before the House Financial Services Committee. The clip went viral shortly after.
Bloomberg said an undisclosed buyer clinched the deal with a 16 Bitcoin bid on Scarce City, a. marketplace for crypto paraphernalia and ephemera.
The sign was labeled as "Ink Drawing on Legal Pad" during the auction. Nestled in the pad are Langalis's notes from the day's hearing. The description mentioned that the page featuring the signature drawing was swiftly removed from the notepad after the hearing and promptly reattached using clear archival wire.
Christian Langalis previously told CoinDesk that the proceeds would fund his crypto startup.
Bitcoin has surged more than 2,000% since Langalis photobombed Yellen, and the world's largest cryptocurrency soared to a record high of nearly $74,000 last month, boosted by the SEC's approval of spot bitcoin ETFs and anticipation for the halving, which occurred earlier this month.
Bitcoin was trading at $63,629 as of 10:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.