Revolutions leave behind artifacts. Sometimes they end up in museums. Sometimes they spend a decade in a suitcase. Kolin Burges became one of the defining figures of Bitcoin’s first financial crisis when he flew from London to Tokyo in February 2014 and stood outside the offices of Mt. Gox — then the world’s largest Bitcoin exchange, handling an estimated 70–80% of global Bitcoin trading volume — with a hand-lettered cardboard sign reading “MTGOX — WHERE IS OUR MONEY?” Day after day, in the snow, he held that sign while international media gathered and the exchange’s leadership scrambled to contain the fallout. Mt. Gox filed for bankruptcy shortly after, revealing that approximately 850,000 Bitcoin — belonging to customers, not the exchange — had been lost. The sign Burges carried during those weeks has become one of Bitcoin’s most iconic artifacts.
This is Part I of a three-part series accompanying the Relics of a Revolution exhibition.
Fix the money. Fix the world.
Burges is exhibiting the Mt. Gox signs at Bitcoin 2026, April 27–29, at The Venetian Resort, Las Vegas, and is a speaker on a panel titled “Looking at Bitcoin Art Through a Protest Lens.” The signs can be previewed on BMAG here, with bidding set to begin April 17.
The Bitcoin Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG) is the curatorial and cultural programming division of BTC Inc and the Bitcoin Conference. Since 2019, the BMAG conference art gallery has facilitated more than 120 BTC in art and collectible sales. Learn more about BMAG at museum.b.tc. Follow BMAG on twitter @BMAG_HQ.
Bundle your Bitcoin 2026 pass with a stay at The Venetian and get your fourth night free. Use code AFTERS for a free After Hours Pass, or get your pass alone here.
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