‘It’s Just a Meme Coin’ – Fact or Fiction?

Some brief context: Bitcoin burst up from glances of support at the $92,500 and $93,000 levels earlier this month. On Wednesday, Jan. 15th, the world’s first cryptocurrency flew over $100,000 in daily spot prices for the fourth time since December.

This time, BTC may stay above medium-term support for the $100,000 mark. Strong whale moves in the old Satoshi blockchain’s assets and robust network activity are signal portents for the rally to continue.

Peter Schiff Questions Bitcoin’s Value

Meanwhile, EuroPacific Capital founder and chief global strategist Peter Schiff posted a note on X this week to remind readers that “Bitcoin is a meme coin.” But is that true? And if so, does it mean gold is nothing more than a “meme rock,” as one feisty reply said?

Remember, Bitcoin is a meme coin.

— Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) January 21, 2025

Meme coins are cryptocurrencies that feature a meme with a public and automated blockchain currency maintained by cryptographic security. In a 2022 article, the New York Times defined memes as “a piece of media that is repurposed to deliver a cultural, social or political expression, mainly through humor.”

For example, President Donald Trump supporters recently launched a TRUMP meme coin on Solana. On January 21, the day of the incoming president’s inaugural, it was the top trending meme coin in the cryptoverse.

Is BTC a Meme Coin?

So, is Bitcoin a meme coin?

According to Coinbase, meme coins “are cryptocurrencies often inspired by internet memes or trends.” But the financial crisis of 2008 inspired Bitcoin, not a meme or online fashion.

According to Bankrate, “A meme coin is a type of cryptocurrency that draws its inspiration from internet memes, characters or trends.” However, Bitcoin draws its inspiration from cryptography and P2P networks for distributed databases.

According to Investopedia, “A meme coin is a cryptocurrency named after characters, individuals, animals, artwork, or anything else in an attempt to be humorous, light-hearted, and attract a user base by promising a fun community.”

Meanwhile, Bitcoin is not derivative of any character, individual, or artwork. It is original and one of a kind, just like every digitally serialized and protected bit of coin on its network.

So, it seems as if Peter Schiff is just doing more Peter Schiff things.