Vitalik Buterin Sells Meme Coins, Donates $1.7M to Cryptocurrency Policy Group Coin Center

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently made headlines for selling four meme coins for 24.5 ETH, valued at over $81,000, before donating a significant sum to the cryptocurrency policy group Coin Center.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has sold four meme coins for 24.5 ETH ($81,800) and donated 320 ETH ($1.07 million) to Coin Center, a non-profit organization that advocates for cryptocurrency policy in the U.S.

Buterin's donation will go towards Coin Center's efforts to shape the regulatory landscape for digital assets in the country. The organization's work includes submitting comments to government agencies, organizing events and conferences, and publishing research on cryptocurrency-related topics.

The meme coins that Buterin sold include 330 billion units of LEDOG, which were sold for 10.96 ETH ($36,700); 3.03 trillion units of DOGC, which were sold for 10.8 ETH ($36,000); 19.95 million units of #99, which were sold for 1.5 ETH ($5,300); and 100 billion units of BONE, which were sold for 1.2 ETH ($4,100).

Buterin's decision to sell meme coins and donate to Coin Center is consistent with his previous charitable actions. In October 2024, Buterin converted $1.6 million worth of the meme coins that he was given into ETH, promising to donate the funds to charity.

At the time, Buterin expressed appreciation for the meme coin issuers who sent him coins for charitable purposes, but suggested that these issuers might consider making direct donations instead.

"I'm very grateful for the meme coin communities that wanted to send me coins to be donated to charity. However, I think it might be better if you considered donating directly yourselves," Buterin wrote.

"I think that direct donations from the issuers would probably have a larger impact on the causes you care about, and I'm not sure if having the donation come through me adds anything except making the donation less efficient."

In 2021, the Shiba Inu community made a significant move by sending 50% of the total SHIB token supply to Buterin. Buterin burned 90% of these tokens, an act that was valued at around $6.7 billion at the time.

Over 410 trillion SHIB tokens were sent to a dead wallet address, effectively removing them from circulation. Buterin then gave 50 trillion SHIB tokens, which were valued at around $1.2 billion at the time, to an Indian COVID-19 relief fund.

Buterin's decision to burn a vast number of SHIB tokens is still regarded as a significant moment in SHIB's history. This act helped to increase the value and visibility of SHIB.

Moreover, his decision to donate 10% of the remaining tokens to charity solidified his personal commitment to philanthropic causes, adding a layer of goodwill to the action.