Ross Ulbricht Collection Unveiled at Bitcoin Conference 2025: A Glimpse into a Historic Auction
The Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas has become a focal point for the crypto community, and this year, it hosts a unique event that bridges history, art, and advocacy.
On May 8, 2025, Scarce.City announced the display of the Ross Ulbricht Collection, a set of 13 deeply personal items from the Silk Road founder’s life, including his time in prison. The collection, showcased exclusively at the conference held from May 27 to 29, offers a rare look into Ulbricht’s journey, with bidding set to open on May 13 through Scarce.City, a platform dedicated to Bitcoin transactions.
This auction not only highlights Ross Ulbricht’s personal story but also underscores the ongoing conversation about his legacy within the Bitcoin community. Notably, Ulbricht’s decision to use Scarce.City came after a frustrating experience with eBay earlier in 2025. Ulbricht attempted to auction his belongings on eBay but encountered significant delays due to the platform’s verification process.
He publicly shared on X that eBay failed to resolve the issue despite being aware of it, leading him to feel discriminated against for the first time since his release from prison. This experience, coupled with broader criticisms of eBay’s inconsistent policies and seller-unfriendly practices, prompted Ulbricht to turn to Scarce.City instead, a platform more aligned with his values and the Bitcoin community’s ethos.
A Legacy Tied to Bitcoin and Controversy
The items on display are a mix of the practical and the profound. Visitors can see Ulbricht’s prison identification cards, a pair of well-worn Nike shoes, and a djembe drum, alongside more intimate pieces like a stack of folded towels and a backpack. Perhaps the most striking elements are the three original paintings, which Ulbricht created during his incarceration.
These artworks, crafted without the aid of computers, reflect his creativity and resilience. Ulbricht has a history of using art as an outlet, as seen in his 2022 auction of “The Growth Collection,” where he sketched a plant’s development using a makeshift lightbox made from a Tupperware container. That auction raised funds for charitable causes, and this latest collection continues to tell his story through tangible pieces of his life behind bars.
Ross Ulbricht, now 41, founded Silk Road in 2011, a darknet marketplace that facilitated anonymous transactions using Bitcoin. The platform, while innovative, led to his arrest in 2013 and a subsequent double-life sentence plus 40 years without parole for non-violent charges. Many in the Bitcoin community viewed his punishment as excessive. Ulbricht’s release from prison after his presidential pardon, and his first public appearance at the conference, marks a significant moment for his supporters.
The auction of his belongings at The Bitcoin Conference not only draws attention to his personal struggles but also reignites discussions about justice, innovation, and the early days of Bitcoin’s rise. Each item, from the paintings to the prison IDs, offers a tangible connection to a figure whose story continues to resonate with advocates of cryptocurrency and personal freedom.