Ordinals have emerged as a groundbreaking innovation on the Bitcoin blockchain, bringing NFT-like functionality to the world’s most secure and decentralized network. Unlike traditional NFTs that primarily reside on Ethereum and other smart contract platforms, Ordinals allow individual satoshis—the smallest units of Bitcoin—to be inscribed with images, text, or code, effectively turning them into unique digital artifacts.
Launched in early 2023, the Ordinals protocol quickly ignited a cultural and economic movement within the Bitcoin ecosystem. Over a year later, it continues to evolve, with high-profile collections, rare sats, and utility-driven projects capturing attention from collectors, investors, and crypto enthusiasts alike.
Let’s explore some of the most influential and popular Ordinal projects shaping this new frontier of digital ownership on Bitcoin.
NodeMonkes: The First Original 10K PFP on Bitcoin
Launched in December 2023, NodeMonkes made history as the first original 10,000-piece profile picture (PFP) collection inscribed directly onto the Bitcoin blockchain. While earlier projects like Bitcoin Punks and OnChainMonkeys were Bitcoin-based adaptations of Ethereum NFTs, NodeMonkes was built from the ground up for Bitcoin—a milestone in the Ordinals space.
The mint price was set at 0.03 BTC (approximately $1,250 at the time), reflecting both the novelty and confidence in the project. The return for early adopters was staggering: within weeks, the floor price surged to 0.89 BTC—an increase of nearly 2,870%.
👉 Discover how early Ordinal projects are reshaping Bitcoin collectibles.
Although market dynamics have cooled since the initial hype, NodeMonkes remain one of the most actively traded Ordinal collections. Their market capitalization ranks among the top in the broader NFT landscape, trailing only blue-chip Ethereum projects like CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), and Pudgy Penguins.
This enduring value underscores a key trend: scarcity, provenance, and community matter—even on Bitcoin.
Hashlings: Where Ordinals Meet Real-World Utility
While many Ordinal projects focus on art and speculation, Hashlings stand out by offering tangible utility. Owning a Hashling isn’t just about digital status—it unlocks access to real-world Bitcoin mining infrastructure.
Each Hashling grants holders the right to purchase a high-performance Antminer S19K at a discounted rate. But the benefits go beyond cost savings:
- Free shipping: Unlike retail buyers who pay hefty international shipping fees, Hashling owners receive their rigs with all delivery costs covered.
- Fault replacement guarantee: If a miner arrives damaged or fails early, Hashlings replaces it—no questions asked—using their own inventory.
- Full revenue retention: There’s no profit-sharing model. All mined Bitcoin belongs entirely to the holder.
With the Bitcoin halving in April 2024, block rewards were cut in half, increasing the importance of efficient mining hardware. As difficulty rises and competition intensifies, demand for affordable, reliable rigs is expected to grow—potentially driving up both adoption and value for Hashlings.
This blend of digital collectibility and physical utility makes Hashlings a rare example of an Ordinal project bridging Web3 with real-world applications.
RSIC Metaprotocol: Merging Ordinals with Runes
The Runes protocol, launched shortly after the 2024 halving, brings fungible token capabilities natively to Bitcoin—complementing the NFT functionality of Ordinals. And one project sits at the intersection of both: RSIC Metaprotocol.
Airdropped in January to over 9,000 wallets holding various Ordinal inscriptions, RSIC (Rune Specific Inscription Circuits) represents a new class of hybrid assets. There are only 21,000 RSICs, each capable of generating runes—Bitcoin’s new native tokens.
Here’s how it works:
- Each boosted RSIC mines 42 runes per block.
- If the hash of your RSIC’s symbol matches a block’s hash, your inscription earns a bonus: 336 runes for that block.
This mechanic introduces an element of chance and rarity, similar to lottery-based mining rewards. At the time of writing, the RSIC rune is trading at $0.017 on major Runes markets.
RSIC exemplifies the next evolution of Bitcoin-based assets: not just static images on a blockchain, but dynamic tools integrated into Bitcoin’s emerging token economy.
Rare Sats: The Scarcity Within Scarcity
Bitcoin has a fixed supply of 21 million coins—or 2.1 quadrillion satoshis. But not all sats are equal.
Thanks to the Ordinals protocol, individual satoshis can be tracked, collected, and inscribed. Some sats carry historical significance or mathematical uniqueness, making them far more valuable than their nominal worth—one-hundred-millionth of a BTC.
Casey Rodarmor, creator of the Ordinals protocol, developed the Rodarmor Rarity Index to classify sats into six tiers:
- Common: Any sat that doesn’t qualify for higher tiers (~99% of all sats).
- Uncommon: The first sat of each block (mined every ~10 minutes).
- Rare: The first sat after each difficulty adjustment (~every two weeks).
- Epic: The first sat after each halving event (~every four years).
- Legendary: The first sat when a difficulty adjustment aligns with a halving (~every 24 years; first expected in 2032).
- Mythic: The very first sat ever mined—the genesis sat from Block 0 in 2009.
Beyond these algorithmic rarities, some sats gain value through cultural significance:
- Palindrome sats: Numbers that read the same backward and forward (e.g., 2570752).
- Pizza sats: From the famous 2010 transaction where 10,000 BTC bought two pizzas.
- Vintage sats: From the first 1,000 blocks of Bitcoin’s history.
Collecting rare sats has become a niche but passionate pursuit—akin to numismatics in the digital age.
Ordinal Maxi Biz: A Controversial Origin Story
Some projects gain fame through innovation. Others through controversy.
Ordinal Maxi Biz (OMB) rose to prominence in June 2023 when a group of Bitcoin maximalists orchestrated a bold stunt: they pooled funds to buy CryptoPunk #8611, transferred it to an Ethereum burn address—and effectively destroyed it.
This act was framed as a symbolic rejection of Ethereum-based NFTs in favor of Bitcoin-native digital ownership. In return for participating, contributors received whitelist access to mint OMB—a new Ordinal collection with three variants: Blue Eyes, Red Eyes, and Green Eyes.
Notably:
- All Green Eyes PFPs were inscribed on sats from Block 9, one of Bitcoin’s most historically significant blocks—the site of the first peer-to-peer BTC transfer between Satoshi Nakamoto and Hal Finney.
The project’s floor price peaked at 4.2 BTC during summer 2023. As of now, it trades around 0.42 BTC, still placing it out of reach for many retail collectors.
👉 See how cultural narratives influence digital collectible value.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What are Ordinals?
A: Ordinals are a protocol that allows individual satoshis on the Bitcoin blockchain to be inscribed with data—such as images or text—making them unique digital collectibles similar to NFTs.
Q: How do Ordinals differ from Ethereum NFTs?
A: Unlike Ethereum NFTs that rely on smart contracts, Ordinals are stored directly on Bitcoin via inscription. They leverage Bitcoin’s security and immutability without requiring a separate token standard.
Q: What makes a satoshi “rare”?
A: Rarity is determined by mining order and historical context. For example, the first sat of a block or one involved in a famous transaction (like the pizza purchase) can be considered rare or valuable.
Q: Can I use Ordinals for utility beyond art?
A: Yes—projects like Hashlings demonstrate real-world utility by linking digital ownership to physical assets such as mining rigs.
Q: Are Runes related to Ordinals?
A: Yes. While Ordinals enable NFTs on Bitcoin, Runes enable fungible tokens. Projects like RSIC combine both technologies for enhanced functionality.
Q: Is investing in Ordinals risky?
A: Absolutely. Like all digital assets, Ordinals are speculative. Prices can be highly volatile, and there is no guarantee of future value or liquidity.
The Ordinals movement has redefined what’s possible on Bitcoin—transforming it from a pure store of value into a platform for digital expression, collectibles, and innovation.
As protocols like Runes expand Bitcoin’s utility and new use cases emerge, early projects like NodeMonkes, Hashlings, RSIC, and OMB will likely remain reference points in this evolving story.
👉 Stay ahead in the Bitcoin revolution—explore tools to track and trade Ordinals today.