We are very excited to announce the 5 design finalists from our physical Bitcoin design contest - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=693176.0.

Our congratulations go to the following five members whose design concepts have been selected for the final vote;

iawgoM
elianite
bit0
S4VV4S
bonksnp2

The winning designer will be the designer that collects the most votes before 10:30pm GMT on Sunday the 7th September 2014. The prizes will be as follows;

1st Place Limited Edition coin number 001/100 of the coin, in 2 ounces of solid gold, fully loaded with 5 Bitcoins!

2nd 5th Place 0.25 BTC

To Vote for your favourite design please follow the rules below;

1)   Please post a message on this forum with the name of the designer you are voting for. Feel free to post any comments you may have for suggested improvements to the design, these comments may be taken into consideration when we work on the final design from the winning concept.
2)   Any vote from an account created after 31st August 2014 will not be counted. This is done to prevent cheating, we hope you understand.

The winning designer confirms that;

1)   They agree to work with us after the voting is complete until the final coin design is produced, no matter the amount of time this takes
2)   That the design does not infringe on any copyright and is an original work created for the purpose of the competition
3)   They agree to sign a copyright release for the finished design over to us

We want to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their support. We look forward to seeing your votes, reading your comments and creating the most exclusive physical Bitcoin ever created!

Without further ado please view the fantastic designs below and cast your vote Thank you.

Design One by iawgoM

Quote from: iawgoM on August 31, 2014, 11:26:43 AM

Design Two by elianite

Quote from: elianite on August 31, 2014, 12:06:13 AM

I present to you the most secure physical Bitcoin ever designed: The Double Universal.

It is Luxury. It is Power. It is Symbol.

The Double Universal has it all.

Description of symbolism:
The rim is normal, shiny gold, encircling the work of art. The outer side rim has a binary code spelling out January 3rd, 2009, the date of the Genesis Block. A matte gold base highlights the shiny raised Latin text, Strength in Numbers, in between which is a number: Five. 5 BTC. Four arrows on the coin appear as those of a compass leading the way for universal adoption, but also hold a greater significance. This arrow containing the Bitcoin amount is the highest, pointing to the astronomical upward trend of it and other digital currencies, figuratively all the way up to the North Star. Contrasted with it is the downward arrow, which has the text 2 ozt 999 Au. Though having near equal value to its sky-high counterpart at the time of the coins inception, the arrow signifies the declining importance of gold in the future of wealth, pointing it back towards the ground from which it was mined. Physical value is the past, Digital value is the future.
In the Center of the coin is a beautiful scene; the incorruptible bitcoin is shown amidst the Earth, Moon, and stars. To the left, is an arrow, as if a rewind button with the year 2009. A small triangle symbolized the initial idea of, the completion of, and the presenting of the Bitcoin Whitepaper by Satoshi Nakamoto while the year signifies the beginning of the Bitcoin Era as the first block was mined. Next, one can imagine pressing the opposing fast-forward button to visit the year 2140 when the last block will be mined. The great Bitcoin transition will be complete, with all 21 million Bitcoin remaining for eternity as signified by the infinity symbol following the year.
Now we zoom out to view the entire face, where three major constellations each bearing seven stars poke out as intrusions to the mirror-like gold surface. 3 constellations of 7 stars each add up to 21, with each star symbolizing 1 million Bitcoins. As the stars, the incorruptible code will outlive this planet. As such the meaning of the lower text (H) becomes apparent: Universal Currency.

The Star Constellations displayed:
-Great Bear (Big Dipper)
-Little Bear (Little Dipper)
-Cassiopeia

More Description
On the BACK of the coin, you will find the standard information of year; hand engraved serial number, company name and 5 BITCOIN denomination, all separated by circuits to symbolize computers and mining which power Bitcoin. The hologram is where things start to get special:
The Hologram itself is the most secure ever created. It contains the popular safety feature of having a private key window, but it goes much farther than that. There are two more windows, showing both the Denomination AND serial number so they can be compared to those written on the coin. This takes away the possibility of someone somehow obtaining another hologram and using it. The hologram also features LASER RIMMING which has been utilized by Casascius for some of the most premium coins. The Hologram features a swirl-like chain to symbolize the blockchain which holds everything together and protects private keys and balances within it. The hologram is mostly black with gold and rainbow sparkles shining through, contrasting perfectly with the gold. there are also two smaller swirls and they key logo, both demonstrating the Cryptolator brand.

Hologram colors: B is bright gold, and private key windows are gold-like. The 'empty space' is mostly black, with gold sparkles and purple and red/yellow undertones. The Laser rimming is golden and blends in with the metal.

There is also an EASTER EGG under the hologram: If one redeems the coin they may find under hologram two circles of currency symbols that is otherwise hidden. In the outer circles every major world currency; Dollar, Yen, Euro, Pound, Ruble is represented, and another circle with the signs of various alt-coins. A Bitcoin symbol reigns supreme in the middle. None compare with Bitcoin, and are buried underneath it's private key.

FRONT
Gold in text section is MATTE, with text being raised and POLISHED.
The face is POLISHED, with the B, Earth, and Moon in MATTE.
Compass arrows are POLISHED
BACK
POLISHED, except for raised MATTE letters and under the hologram for grip.

Presentation:
The coin will be presented in the standard Coinographic box, but with a twist! The front will indicate that the coin is to commemorate 5 years of bitcoin, and showing the 'Bitcoin Era' of 2009-2140, and onwards to Infinity.

There will be a certificate card which will have an identical hologram attached in the middle, so as to make it visible when the box is open (so one can admire both the art and the hologram). The first bits are BLANK on the hologram, so it cannot be used for fraud. The denomination and serial number however are visible in the windows of the 2nd hologram, as to confirm the certificate belongs to the coin and is original. There is also a gold thread placed inside the hologram so it wraps around the card. For extra luxury, this could be replaced by a real gold chain!
In the box, the coin arrives in a classy black slab that can be opened by the buyer. (alternatively, it can be in a standard coin capsule)

About the artist: I am the author of a 30 page ebook about Casascius coins, and am working on a 150+ page book detailing all physical cryptos made to-date. To arrive at this design, I looked at dozens of coins by various makers, drawing inspiration. I humbly present you this coin, which I hope the community will find to be most symbolic, touching, and representative of Bitcoin; demonstrating both the past, present, and future hopes of all Bitcoin supporters.

Design Three by bit0

Quote from: bit0 on August 31, 2014, 10:54:52 PM

Design Four by S4VV4S

Quote from: S4VV4S on August 31, 2014, 08:01:44 PM

My idea is to create the coin using both yellow and white gold as to give attention to detail (yellow gold only version also included). I wanted something that truly stands out in terms of design, material, craftsmanship and presentation. A true luxurious coin that would make any coin collector proud to own one.

Design Details:
FRONT:
First as you have probably noticed, the Bitcoin logo is placed on top of an image of the moon (TO THE MOON!!!!) which is escorted by another 7 circles (or planets) giving a total of 8 planets as much as the planets in our Solar system as to state that Bitcoin is Universal currency.
The moon behind the Bitcoin logo also resembles the earth.
The circle containing the number 5 is earth 5 continents - and the number 5 also symbolizes the years of Bitcoin and how fast it has been widely adopted.
The stars are also symbolic as there can be as many (maybe more) Bitcoin addresses as there is stars.
(Total number of Bitcoin addresses is: 1,461,501,637,330,902,918,203,684,832,716,283,019,655,932,542,976)
The two circles containing stars have a trail which is also a simplified version of open wings, symbolizing freedom monetary freedom without any third party or middle man involved (banks, etc).
Around the edges the binary code translates to five btc.
On the sides of the coin (rim) the word Coinographic is engraved going all the way around.
BACK:
The hologram contains all the important information and has a geometric pattern (the one right after the bitcoin keys) that symbolizes the use of the net and the blockchain which is the basis of Bitcoins success. The trustless distributed consensus.

PACKAGE:
For the package I wanted to create something unique that will accompany the coin and give it the class and projection it deserves. It allows the coin to be displayed in all sides and provide protection at the same time. No need to open a box to view the coin. A coin like this should not be enclosed in a box.
The base will be plastic and the coin itself will be placed in between two, hard plastic sheets (plexiglass?)
The shape of the coin will be laser engraved on the sheets as to allow the coin to fit in properly.
The sheets will then slide in to the side of the base.

Design Five by bonksnp2

Quote from: bonksnp2 on August 31, 2014, 06:11:16 PM

Here's an another version of my previous submission, plus the box to go with it. I apologize for the graininess but I tried to illustrate how the engraved lines should look. I'm unfortunately out of time so this is as pretty as it's gonna get. This is what I was originally going for anyways, so I guess make this my official submission. Grin

The back is almost the same as previous except I added a little black gloss to match the front.

The box is gloss black with a "BTC" window to look in and see the coin. Engraved gold lettering on the front and sides help match the coin.

BTW, There have been some AWESOME submissions! I think whatever design gets chosen, it's going to look amazing.

Best of luck to everyone!