Set up the key
The artist contributes entropy, SATSCHIP creates the key, and the factory PIN is changed before the work changes hands.
Embeddable NFC Bitcoin key for physical art
Give the artwork
a key of its own.
Embed SATSCHIP in a physical work. Anyone can tap the genuine Coinkite chip. The PIN holder can use its private key to sign proof of control.
- 30 × 30 mm
- No battery
- Open protocol
The idea
The artwork carries a non-exportable Bitcoin key. The cryptography makes the chip independently verifiable. Physical embedding connects that chip to the work.
One deliberate path
Set it up. Embed it. Tap it.
Embed the chip
Place the thin, flexible chip inside the physical work. A card version is available when embedding is not practical.
Tap and verify
An NFC phone can verify the genuine chip. The PIN holder can authorize signatures that prove control of its key.
What the cryptography proves
The key stays with the chip.
A genuine SATSCHIP
A factory certificate lets compatible software distinguish it from a generic NFC sticker.
Control of the private key
The PIN holder can ask the chip to sign. The private key cannot be exported or backed up.
An inspectable protocol
The NFC protocol and Python reference implementation are public for independent verification and integration.
The important boundary
The chip can prove itself.
The art still needs provenance.
SATSCHIP does not by itself prove the artist's identity, legal title, an unbroken ownership history, or that nobody moved the chip to another object. Strong physical embedding and clear records still matter.
Images and artwork metadata are associated through this website; they are not stored inside the chip. The open protocol can verify SATSCHIP without depending on this website.
Read the complete security and ownership modelTwo sides of the work
Useful to the artist.
Verifiable by the collector.
The artist creates the physical association. The collector can verify the chip and later prove control without exposing its private key.
For artists
Embed a cryptographic identity, add a public image and metadata, and transfer the changed PIN with the work.
Start the setup →For collectors
Tap before accepting, preserve the PIN privately, and use signatures when proof of key control is required.
Browse verified SATSCHIP pages →Choose the right physical key
Three cards. Three different jobs.
SATSCHIP
Embed a key in physical art
No private-key backupTAPSIGNER
Keep and reuse a signing key
Encrypted XPRV backupSATSCARD
Hand physical Bitcoin to someone
Ten sealed bearer slotsBuilt to become part of the work