What Are Rare Sats? A Guide to Collecting Rare Satoshis

The emergence of Ordinal Theory in early 2023 ushered in several new use cases for Bitcoin. Arguably, one of the most unique ones has been the introduction of rare satoshis. 

Keep reading to learn what rare sats are, how they came about, and what types of rare and uncommon satoshis you can collect.

What Are Rare Sats?

Rare sats are satoshis with special attributes that make them unique and, therefore, rarer than others. 

A satoshi is the smallest Bitcoin unit. There are 100 million satoshis in one bitcoin. 

Casey Rodarmor’s Ordinals protocol makes rare sats possible. The protocol allows for the systematic numbering of satoshis, giving them individual identities and making it easier to track them. As such, data can be inscribed on individual satoshis, turning them into unique digital assets akin to NFTs. 

The Ordinals protocol allows satoshis to be categorized into different levels on the rarity index, as not all satoshis are equal. For instance, sats with unique attributes or those exchanged in famous transactions are considered “rare”’ than others and valued as collectibles.

Types of Rare Sats: The Rodarmor Rarity Index & Rarity Categories Explained

The Rodarmor Rarity Index is used to classify satoshis into various rarity categories. The index categorizes rare and uncommon satoshis based on factors such as halving events and mining difficulty adjustments. 

Common sats are the least rare, while mythic sats have the highest rarity. Additionally, the Bitcoin community has derived other rarity levels, which we’ll also touch on below.

Common Sats 

Common sats don’t have any unique attributes. They represent around 99.99% of all satoshis, approximately  2.1 quadrillion sats. As their name implies, they are the sats you will most likely come across in anyone’s Bitcoin wallet. 

Uncommon Sats 

The uncommon group contains all of the first satoshis of each new block. Since a new block is minted every ten minutes or so, these sats mark the start of a new transaction in every block. There will only ever be 6,929,999 uncommon sats on the Bitcoin network. 

Rare Sats 

The Bitcoin network adjusts the mining difficulty after 2016 blocks to ensure blocks are added every ten minutes, roughly every two weeks. The first satoshi minted after the new difficulty level is called a rare sat, and the supply is limited to 3,437 sats.

Epic Sats 

This category includes the first sats mined after a Bitcoin halving epoch. A halving event on the Bitcoin network occurs every 210,000 blocks, approximately every four years. There are only 32 epic sats, which makes them very unique. 

Legendary Sats 

On the Bitcoin network, each sixth halving event marks a unique event where halving and difficulty adjustment coincide. This unique merge marks a new era for the network, which is once every 24 years. 

The first sats minted after this event are legendary. 2032 will be the first time that this conjunction occurs.

Mythic Sat

The first sat ever minted on the first Bitcoin block on January 3, 2009, is known as a mythic sat. There will only ever be that one mythic sat, and acquiring it is nearly impossible. 

Exotic Sats 

Besides the rarity levels created by the Rodarmour Rarity Index, there are other satoshis with unique historical significance. These sats are classified based on notable events surrounding their transactions. Collectors have given these sats the moniker exotic sats. 

Examples of exotic sats include:

• Pizza Sats: On May 22, 2010, a programmer paid 10,000 Bitcoin for two pizzas. The sats used in this transaction are called Pizza Sats.
• Block 9: These are sats from one of the first Bitcoin blocks to be mined.
• Vintage: These sats were mined within the first 100 blocks of the network.
• Block 78:These are sats mined by Hal Finney, one of the earliest contributors to the Bitcoin network.

Why Are Bitcoiners Collecting Rare Satoshis?

The allure of rare satoshis to collectors is their unique rarity and history. It is the confluence of history, technology, and the human desire to hold onto something rare and precious. 

Another reason for collecting rare satoshis is monetary value. For instance, in April 2024, an epic sat was sold for $2.1 million on the CoinEx crypto exchange. The auction took place on April 20, 2024, with a starting bid of 1 Bitcoin worth around $63,300. The epic sat eventually sold for 33.3 BTC.

A satoshi’s rarity level is crucial in determining its worth, as the rarer the sat, the more expensive it is. For this reason, many Bitcoiners are on the hunt for rare sats whose value could increase over time.

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FAQs

How do I know if I have rare sats?

One of the easiest ways to find out if you have a rare sat is to use an online rare sat detection tool like the one offered by Magic Eden. There, you enter your wallet address, and it generates a detailed classification of the satoshis in your possession by rarity. Alternatively, some Ordinals wallets like Xverse will show you if you hold any rare sats among your Bitcoin holdings. 

What are the rarest sats?

The Rodarmor Rarity Index determines the rarity of sats. According to this index, the rarest sat is only one, called the mythic sat. It was the first sat to be mined on the Bitcoin network.

How can you hunt for rare sats?

To hunt for rare sats, you can use the discovery tool by Magic Eden to find out if you have rare sats in your Bitcoin wallets. Alternatively, you can transfer BTC to a Bitcoin wallet that supports Ordinals and shows if you hold rare sats. Examples include Xverse and Magic Eden Wallet. 

You can also go on Ordinals marketplaces to purchase rare sats or purchase bitcoin and run your newly purchased coins through a rare sat discovery tool to see if you’ve scored any. 

What is the rarest sat score?

According to the Rodarmor Rarity Index, the rarest sat score is Mythic, held by the first ever BTC block mined in 2009. This is because it is the only one of its kind that will ever exist.