It comes complete with a QR code for easy transfers, an unbreakable design that’s water and fireproof, and due to its analog nature, it’s virtually hack-proof too.
Meet Material Bitcoin, a physical card that acts as your crypto address. Think of it as your business card, but for your crypto wallet. Material Bitcoin isn’t a hardware wallet. It doesn’t actually store any coins, it just acts as a gateway to your online wallet, thanks to what’s printed on it. The metallic card comes with your crypto address and its companion QR code printed on the front. Want to get paid in crypto? Just show your card to someone and they can scan the QR code and make the payment directly into your wallet. But the Material Bitcoin goes above and beyond that too. It lets you (the owner) log into your wallet as well, allowing you to check your funds, add funds, or withdraw money. How does it enable that? Well, each Material Bitcoin comes with your unique password printed on the back. The password sits behind a secure magnetic strip that you peel away to reveal the text underneath. It’s printed on, so a digital hacker can’t access it unless they physically have the card with them. Even if the card does get stolen, the magnetic sticker is designed to look like branding, so it won’t occur to someone to peel it away and read the password underneath – sort of like an extension of the fake rock on the porch with the key strategy. Unless someone knows exactly what they’re looking for, they won’t find it.
Designer: Material Bitcoin
So what’s really the purpose of such a device? Well, for starters, it’s a combination of convenience and vanity. It’s an undeniably cool way to show people you own crypto, and to facilitate funds. Instead of sharing your address via a text message or displaying a QR code on your phone, you get to whip out a flashy metal card that people can admire. Moreover, if you don’t happen to have your phone with you (or if your phone’s discharged), this analog print makes for a great substitute.
Unlike actual hardware wallets that store your crypto offline, Material Bitcoin doesn’t quite do that. Your cash remains on a server somewhere, but its access point exists in the form of a physical card. How is it better than a hardware wallet? For starters, it’s virtually indestructible. Made from stainless steel, the card is water-resistant, fireproof, and can practically even survive taking a bullet (unlike your phone or hardware wallet). It has an undeniably cool modern-dog-tag aesthetic, and comes with the details etched onto the metal, so there’s no way the text or QR code is smudging or chipping off. In fact, the card comes with a 100-year guarantee, if that helps.
Now, to address the obvious caveats – What if someone steals your card? Well, Material Bitcoin may be hacker-proof due to its analog nature, but it isn’t theft-proof… and just like if someone stands behind you as you type a password on a laptop, someone behind or beside you could theoretically see your password when you lift the magnetic strip – these are just things you need to keep in mind with something like the Material Bitcoin.
What about the folks making it? Surely they’ll see your password since they’re printing it. Well, to allay that concern, the designers mentioned that the entire process for making the card is automated and no human ever gets to see the card’s details, especially the password. In fact, the card comes sealed in a metallic envelope too, making it impervious to scanners and X-rays.
