A 'Buy Bitcoin' sign flashed behind Janet Yellen during Congressional testimony back in 2017 is fetching bids of almost $140,000 in an online auction

A legal pad bearing the words "Buy Bitcoin" scribbled on it is currently attracting bids of nearly $140,000 in an online auction.

The hastily written message became a rallying cry for cryptocurrency supporters after it was displayed behind then-Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen during Congressional testimony almost seven years ago. Bidding for the ink drawing is scheduled to close late Wednesday.

Christian Langalis, a 22-year-old Bitcoin owner and intern at the Libertarian think tank Cato Institute at the time, created the sign after securing a seat behind Yellen during her appearance before the House Financial Services Committee in July 2017. After the sign appeared on television, Langalis was promptly escorted out of the hearing but received about seven Bitcoin in unsolicited donations.

At that time, Bitcoin was experiencing its initial surge in public awareness, trading at around $2,300, up from less than $1,000 just over six months earlier. The original cryptocurrency surged more than 13,000% in 2017, only to plummet 74% the following year in a pattern that has become familiar for the digital asset. Now, with major Wall Street players like BlackRock and Fidelity endorsing the token, Langalis is looking to capitalize on the current momentum that drove Bitcoin to a record high of nearly $74,000 in March.

In 2019, Langalis sold 21 replica editions of the sign for an average price of 0.8 Bitcoin each. The replicas, which are numbered and time-stamped, were handmade by Langalis.

A few weeks ago, Langalis was offered five Bitcoin — currently valued at around $330,000, he said — but decided to auction it off instead, hoping to fetch an even higher price for his Bitcoin software work and his family.

The auction listing describes the item as an "Ink Drawing on Legal Pad" weighing half a pound. The legal pad also contains Langalis's notes from the hearing that day. "The page with the sign drawing was removed from the notepad shortly after the hearing. It has since been reattached with clear archival wire," the description said.

The winner will be announced at a Bitcoin-themed eatery called the Pubkey in New York, where Langalis uses a co-working space. The sign was displayed at the bar.