We’ve Ranked the World’s Strangest Cryptocurrencies Because, Why Not?

Turns out, strange cryptocurrencies are not in short supply.

This post is presented in partnership with NCX.

We are now in 2019, which means Bitcoin (and all the cryptocurrencies that followed) have been circulating in our lives for a full ten years.

Naturally, people have started to branch out and find their own niche corners of the crypto market in an attempt to make unique offerings (and a bunch of money).

That's where 'strange' cryptocurrencies (or 'cr-eep-ytocurrencies') come in. Need a cryptocurrency to demonstrate your love of garlic? There's one. What about one based on a monster from an old horror novel? It already exists. Has someone already capitalised on a CoinYe West? Yes.

But despite their very limited usefulness in day-to-day life, many of these coins have raised thousands of dollars and for that, you've got to commend them (or wonder what souls might be legitimately purchasing these memecoins).

So, because it seemed like the natural thing to do, we've decided to rank the cryptos based on their strangeness and niche-ness. The more freaky and eyebrow raising, the higher up they go.

Hey now, we don't make the rules.

5. Dogecoin

The wonderful, original weird memecoin. The Dogecoin was plunged into existence in 2013 as a bit of a "lol" but has since gained traction as an internet tipping system for ~good boy~ content. Though it seems like a just-for-fun currency, each Dogecoin is actually valued around $USD0.002.

And yet, in the nearly six years it has existed, stranger and even more niche cryptos have been concocted, relegating the Doge to the category of 'actually pretty standard'.

4. PutinCoin

With altcoins being a hotbed for memes and viral sensations, it only made sense that Vladimir Putin would be re-imagined as a cryptocurrency.

According to PutinCoin's Facebook, they simply provide "this digital decision as a tribute to the most famous person on the Earth, to Vladimir Putin."

Of course, since being released, it's been accused of being a 'pump and dump' (an altcoin that garners a lot of initial interest because of#lememes, artificially inflating its value, before being sold off quickly, leaving many shortchanged). Unlike the man to whom it pays tribute, it has been pretty unsuccessful, dipping to around $USD0.0001 a coin.

3. VeggieCoin

Unlike the other altcoins, Veggiecoin actually seems to have a purpose other than raising money for the lols. This Australian altcoin aims to provide a cryptocurrency that lets you make a bit of cash while giving a bonus to charities improving animal welfare.

Their site explains that "by leaving the software running overnight, you can help the animals while you sleep and earn a currency with real-world value." They do that by having the coins' owners decide on which animal charities they donate funds raised to.

I mean, it sorta sounds great. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

2. Garlicoin

Universally renowned as the world's most important ingredient, the garlic has made its way into the crypto world too.

The Garlicoin makes no secret that it's a copy-and-paste job of other currencies with a sprinkle of irony and ~good times~. Its creator, Reddit user DigitalizedOrange, describes it as "a new, freshly baked cryptocurrency, born from the s***posts of Reddit," and it really didn't venture far from there, except that, at one point, its market cap reached more than $USD1 million. Not bad for a "friendly, decentralized cryptocurrency you've never heard of."

1. Cthulhu Offerings

Rounding off our list is Cthulhu Offerings; the darkest, spookiest crypto in the land.

Based on the mythos of Cthulhu (first created by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft in 1928), the coins, referred to as 'offerings' or 'blessings', work like any other cryptocurrency, but with a bit of spooky storytelling behind them.  

At the of writing, each Cthulhu Offering is worth around $USD0.004, meaning they're double the value of Dogecoins (and double the fun?) but developer Adam McKinney told The Verge there's very little point in trying to invest in them.

"It was not released to make money or even to be profitable," McKinney explained.

"It was released because Cthulhu deserves a way for people to waste electricity in his name."

And that, it most definitely does.

But while these memecoins are great for having a bit of classic internet fun, Daniel Garnsey from National Currency eXchange (NCX) reminds us there are cryptos out there that have real-world applications. 

"These coins are fun to talk about, [but] NCX focuses on listing coins that have substance and a real business backing," Garnsey explains.

One he cites is Soar, which is using blockchain technology to create a supermap of the world using drone footage. Another example is Bitcar, which is a utility token that allows the owner to purchase the CAR (Asset Token) representing fractional ownership of an exotic car. Pretty neat.

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Header Image: Student Edge