Canny investors have the chance to bid on a whopping £500,000 worth of seized criminal cash – in the first police auction for BITCOIN.
Police seized the criminal stash from a crook who provided hacking services in exchange for the cryptocurrency and illegally sold personal data.
But now the electronic currency is being sold at auction for the first time on behalf of UK authorities, starting today (Weds).
Other seized items to go under the hammer include cars, diamond jewellery and luxury watches including an 18ct Gold Rolex.
Wilsons Auctions are managing the sale of the £500,000 haul on behalf of the UK authorities which is set to go under the hammer on Thursday.
The Irish Auction House sold almost £2.5 million of seized Bitcoin on behalf of the Belgian government in March and have helped return over £100 million to the public purse.
This week’s auction marks the first time they will be selling-off Bitcoin on behalf of UK police and will launch online today (Weds).
Aidan Larkin, director of asset recovery at Wilsons Auctions, said: “We have a very exciting week ahead at Wilsons Auctions.”
“Not only are we auctioning a range of luxury seized assets but we are marking another milestone by auctioning bitcoin for the first time under the instruction of a UK police force.
“Not only is this auction highlighting the broad range of items we auction on behalf of our police force and government clients but we are making these items more accessible to all bidders, with the added value that they are going under the hammer with no reserve.
“Wilsons Auctions is proud of the role it takes in realising these seized assets, having been responsible in returning over £100 million back into the public purse, ultimately going back to the victims of crimes or into local community initiatives.”
The Unreserved Government Auction launches online tomorrow (Wed) and opens up to physical bidders on Thursday.
Also up for grabs are a selection of Louboutin shoes, Louis Vuitton luggage, Canada Goose coats and Dom Perignon Champagne.
The cryptocurrency lots range between 0.25 and 2BTC will be sold across two days, worth the equivalent of around £1,950 to £15,500,
Other crypto assets to go under the hammer include Ethereum, Ripple XRP, and other unnamed tokens.
Bidders must provide a passport or driving license and proof of address to take part in the auction.
