🎉Bitcoin Stamps are hot! 🎉

The Bitcoin Stamps system has been gaining traction recently, having been released by Mike In Space in March 2023, initially as a proof-of-concept project on Counterparty. Originally conceived as a way to mint permanent Bitcoin NFTs, Stamps have expanded to replicate BRC-20, a batch-fungible token.

The main difference between Stamps and Ordinals is the architecture. Stamps store metadata in multi-signature unspent transaction outputs (UTXOs), while Ordinals store metadata in the “witness” portion of a Bitcoin transaction. This difference in design makes Stamps appear permanent, even though they are more expensive to make than Ordinals cast.

However, not everyone thinks these Stamps and Ordinals are harmless. For example, old-school hardline Bitcoin supporter Luke Dashjr recently launched an attack on Ordinals and Stamps, calling them spam attacks targeting Bitcoin. This may cause the Bitcoin community to be divided again. On one side are the technological innovations that support Ordinals and Stamps, and on the other side are the conservatives who believe that "Bitcoin is just currency."

For now, though, the attention and activity surrounding Stamps appears to have reached new all-time highs. The first and second-ever Stamps have just been bundled for 1.7 Bitcoin (approximately $150,000), signaling a surge in interest.

Stamps and Ordinals open up new possibilities for Bitcoin that didn’t exist before, making the Bitcoin innovation scene likely to increasingly flourish in the coming years. Of course, this also means more fights with JPG-hating Bitcoin maximalists.

So, assuming you've tried Ordinals, how do you explore Stamps? In terms of wallets, start with a Bitcoin wallet like Leather (formerly Hiro), which supports Ordinals and Stamps as well as BRC-20 and SRC-20. Once you have the appropriate Bitcoin wallet ready, you can start looking for Stamp NFT minting or SRC-20 tokens. OpenStamp is a platform where you can currently do both, but there are some other early-stage marketplaces you can consider right now, including RareStamp, Stampscan, and StampedNinja.

What do you think of Bitcoin Stamps and Ordinals? Welcome to share your opinions in the comment area!