The Original MtGox Protest Sign

The original "MtGox Where is our money?" protest sign, framed, plus additional handwritten replica, framed. The “MtGox Where is our money?” sign became the defining image of the protest which helped accelerate the collapse of MtGox in Tokyo in 2014. At the time, MtGox was the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, processing an estimated 70-80% of the world’s bitcoin trading volume. After they froze withdrawals citing technical issues, the ensuing two-man protest outside their offices drew extensive mainstream media coverage and became a fixture in the global news cycle. As MtGox scrambled in secret to obtain more funds, the mounting pressure eventually made their position untenable. After two weeks they admitted to losing 845,000 bitcoins and filed for bankruptcy. 200,000 of those coins were found a few days later. The collapse of MtGox was one of the most consequential events in Bitcoin’s history, involving the disappearance of roughly 5% of the global bitcoin supply and prompting heavy political scrutiny in Japan and beyond. Evidence suggests that without the pressure generated by the protest, MtGox may have remained open longer term using the remaining 200,000 bitcoins as a float - likely leaving even less for the creditors to recover. The full story of the MtGox protest can be found at http://mtgoxprotest.com/history Why two Signs? ----------------- The sign evolved during the protest. It began handwritten but as the protest became more mainstream it was papered over with printed text of the same message to be clearer for the TV cameras. The handwritten sign included in this package is a handmade framed replica of the original surface of the sign before it was papered over - created and signed on the back by protester Kolin Burges. 75% of the sign's use was during its printed state and so that was more widely circulated in the media. However many of the iconic photos of the early protest show the handwritten version. That's why both are included in this package. The original handwriting can still be seen faintly underneath the printing. The text "mtgoxprotest.com" was scrolled onto the sign in the heat of the protest during its chaotic later days, to direct viewers to the protest website. Condition of front face ------------------------ The sign has metaphorically been through the wars, used in rain and snow and handled a lot in chaotic circumstances. All as part of its history in the protest. For much of that time it was protected by a plastic wrapping or umbrella. Its condition is surprisingly good given the circumstances, but it has clear general wear as shown in the framed photograph. It is structurally solid. The wear on the bottom edge is higher as it was often placed with its base on the pavement. After the protest ended it was kept undisturbed in a suitcase for 10 years. There is also the occasional small stain mark. Reverse side -------------- The reverse side (not visible while inside the frame) shows "MtGox Where is our money?" written in Japanese, as shown in the second last picture. This was sometimes used to show to the Japanese media. The surface condition of this side has seen a significant degree of deterioration through protest use.