In this guide, we will introduce you to the most important cryptos other than Bitcoin. You will also learn about their core attributes, the role they play in the crypto verse, and why they are alternative to Bitcoin and worth buying before 2023.
This post acknowledges that Bitcoin is still the trendsetter in the crypto space. That it still is the lead crypto in terms of popularity, market cap, adoption, and real-world use cases.
By coming up with this basket of important cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin, we recognize that the crypto-verse wasn’t fashioned to be a monopoly – only be served by a single chain.
Top 10 Best Bitcoin Alternatives In 2023
If you're thinking of investing in alternative coins today other than Bitcoin, then Ethereum, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Cardano, Solana, and XLM are strong candidates for diversifying your crypto portfolio. Here is an outline of the most important cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin.
- Ethereum (ETH) — Overall The Most Important Crypto Other Than Bitcoin
- Bitcoin Cash (BCH) — Faster And Less Expensive Bitcoin Alternative
- Cardano (ADA) — Safest Bitcoin Alternative To Invest In
- Ripple (XRP) — Bitcoin Alternative With Massive Potential
- Litecoin (LTC) — Important Bitcoin Alternative With No Downtime
- Cosmos (ATOM) — Top Contender For Best Crypto Of The Future
- Monero (XMR) — Bitcoin Alternative For Anonymity
- Solana (SOL) — Fastest Growing Smart Contract Ecosystem
- Dogecoin (DOGE) — Most Popular Meme Currency
- Stellar (XLM) — Bitcoin Alternative Dedicated To The Unbanked And Underbanked
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
Below, we analyze each of the Bitcoin alternatives in detail. We also tell you why they are the best alternative to Bitcoins, their key attributes, how they performed in the past, and their profit potential. The latter two are achieved by studying their past and projected future price action.
A Closer Look At The Most Important Cryptocurrencies Other Than Bitcoin
In coming up with this list of important crypto other than Bitcoin, our analysts took several factors into consideration. These include the relevance and usability of the crypto and its underlying blockchain technology, the urgency of the real-world problem it seeks to solve, and its investor appeal.
We also seek to show you how different highly useful blockchains and cryptocurrencies can work together to champion a true crypto revolution. And when incorporated into your portfolio, they can lead to massive profitability.
Read on to learn more about the best Bitcoin alternatives with the most upside potential.
1. Ethereum (ETH) – Overall Best Bitcoin Alternative to Buy in 2023
Ethereum is arguably the second most important cryptocurrency after Bitcoin. It is also one of the most used digital assets - and some optimists have even argued the case of ETH eventually trumping BTC as the most valuable and most used crypto.
This argument is premised on the fact that Ethereum is home to virtually all the most popular emerging crypto technologies. It has also partnered with a great number of both on- and off-chain brands. And as crypto and blockchain technology adoption gathers pace over the next few years, these two will go a long way in helping increase the demand and use cases of ETH, which will have a direct impact on its value.
Ethereum also tops our list of most important cryptos other than Bitcoin today because – like Bitcoin – it has performed exemplarily well in the past and is expected to continue gaining in the future. By the time it peaked at $4890 in late 2021, for instance, it had grown its ICO price by more than 16300X. And by the turn of the decade, ETH price is expected to rally by a further 7500% to break above $100,000.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
2. Bitcoin Cash (BCH) – Faster and Less Expensive Bitcoin Alternative
Bitcoin cash is a successful Bitcoin hard fork and one of the most important cryptos other than Bitcoin. It was created in 2017 and fashioned to serve as the faster, more secure, and safer Bitcoin alternative. It was designed to address the expensive miner fee and low transaction processing speed challenges facing Bitcoin.
Today, Bitcoin Cash can process more than 100 transactions per second – which makes it 10X faster than Bitcoin, which only processes up to 10 transactions per second. The fact that BCH is less than popular, its adoption slow, and more block space have also ensured that transaction costs on the blockchain have remained relatively low – a fraction of a cent.
BCH optimists are confident that as crypto and blockchain technology gather pace, individuals and institutions looking for speed and cost-effectiveness will most likely turn to the Bitcoin fork. This, they believe, will play a key role in helping BCH price rally by as much as 1,000% before the turn of the decade.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
3. Cardano (ADA) – Safest Bitcoin Alternative to Invest in
Cardano is considered one of the most important cryptos other than Bitcoins because of the promise of its blockchain. It also makes it here because of the safety of its blockchain network. And just like Bitcoin, Cardano is dedicated to revolutionizing the global finance industry through smart contracts, DeFi, dApps, and DEX technology.
We also feature it among the best Bitcoin alternatives because it has proven its resilience and potential as an investment. Launched in 2017, Cardano has been accused of a lack of dynamicity owing to the slow progress of its network. For example, even though it has been around since 2017, it only embraced smart contact technology in late 2021 and started onboarding the rest of the emerging technologies in early 2022.
But even with such slow progress, ADA was still able to grow its ICO price by more than 100000% by the time it peaked in 2021. Moving forward, ADA price is expected to sustain this uptrend, rallying by as much as 10000% before the turn of the decade. Some Cardano maximalists have even argued for the case of ADA trumping ETH as the most used smart contract platform.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
4. Ripple (XRP) – Bitcoin Alternative with Massive Potential
Of Bitcoin’s check competitors, Ripple is the most formidable. Created to complement Bitcoin in disrupting the global finance industry, Ripple found massive success in the banking industry.
Through the ultra-fast, hugely reliable, and highly affordable Ripple network, Ripple sought to transform the global banking industry. And given the rate with which it has been adopted by the banking industry players, it is a matter of time before Ripple replaces SWIFT as the preferred cash transfer and money and inter-bank communication tool.
It also ranks this high among the best Bitcoin alternatives for 2023 because of its resilience. Since December 2020, for example, Ripple has been battling a case in the US federal courts against the SEC. This has crashed its price, as evidenced by the low trade volumes for XRP and that it hasn’t reclaimed its 2018 highs.
These notwithstanding, it has maintained its position among the top 10 most valuable cryptos. Ripple has also maintained an overall positive ROI throughout this period. And moving forward, we expect the court to render its verdict in early 2023. XRP token prices will then be expected to sustain their current uptrend and possibly explode by more than 3000% to break above $10 by 2030.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
5. Litecoin (LTC) – Important Bitcoin Alternative with no Downtime
Launched in 2011, Litecoin is one of Bitcoin’s oldest and most successful spin-offs. And like all other Bitcoin-focused crypto projects, Litecoin was meant to address the scalability and cost problems facing Bitcoin. And it archives this by being faster in transaction processing and maintaining low transaction fees than Bitcoin. And these are some of the factors that make it one of the most important cryptos other than Bitcoin.
In addition to these, Litecoin has a few more unique strengths that make it the best Bitcoin alternative. For starters, it has not suffered any major network downtime for the 11 years it has been around. It has also proved its resilience by sustaining an overall uptrending price action. It achieved this despite the Charlie Lee controversy and being subjected to some of the most volatile crypto market crashes.
We feature it here because the many developments taking place in the Litecoin ecosystem are expected to continue catapulting its price action to new highs. Both fundamental and technical analysis also indicates that it will sustain the uptrending price action heading into the future. And by the turn of the decade, forecasters expect LTC to have rallied by as much as 8000% to break above $4000.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
6. Cosmos (ATOM) – Top Contender for Best Crypto of the Future
Cosmos is arguably one of the most important cryptocurrencies and blockchain projects of the future. While Bitcoin pioneered the crypto revolution, Cosmos is dedicated to establishing a harmonized crypto-verse by helping usher in an interoperable blockchain.
Cosmos hopes to achieve this through its innovative Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol as well as the Cosmos SDK. And these are part of the reasons why we consider ATOM among the most important cryptos other than Bitcoin.
Through the IBC technologies, Cosmos hopes to make it possible for blockchains including Bitcoin - to share data. And through the SDK, Cosmos seeks to make it possible for virtually anyone - individuals and brands to create and launch programs in the crypto-verse.
As crypto and blockchain adoption gathers pace over the next few years, more blockchains are expected to connect to the Cosmos IBC. This is expected to have a direct impact on the value of ATOM tokens. This effectively makes it one of the best long-term investments in the crypto space and one of the best Bitcoin alternatives in 2023. By 2030, for instance, ATOM is expected to have rallied by as much as 7000% to break above 800%.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
7. Monero (XMR) – Bitcoin Alternative for Anonymity
Launched in 2014, Monero is one of the most popular privacy-focused cryptos and blockchain technologies. It, too, borrows heavily from the Bitcoin blockchain technology by enhancing it to make transactions on the network more private by employing “Ring Signature” and “Stealth Address” technology.
We feature the highly controversial digital asset among the most important cryptos other than Bitcoin because of its commitment to privacy. And with rising adoption for both crypto and blockchain technology, we are witnessing a growing demand for anonymity which may see Monero continue attracting more users.
We also feature it among the best Bitcoin alternatives because it has proven its resilience and has a massively promising future. It has sustained an uptrend, survived even the most devastating market crashes, and analysis indicates that XMR coin prices will continue rising in the foreseeable future. By the turn of the decade, they are expected to have rallied by as much as 4000% to tear above $5500.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
8. Solana (SOL) – Fastest Growing Smart Contract Ecosystem
Solana is the fastest-growing smart contract platform and one of Ethereum’s fiercest competitors. We include it in our basket of the most important crypto other than Bitcoin for a number of reasons. For starters, it, too, seeks to disrupt the global finance industry by creating an enabling platform for the creation of revolutionary DeFi and finance-oriented technologies.
We also feature it here because it is as profitable and as it is resilient. Like Bitcoin, Solana has sustained an overall uptrending price action since its launch. It has also survived and recorded rather fast rebounds after some of the most devastating crypto market crashes.
Even more importantly, we feature it here because both technical and fundamental analysis indicate that SOL token prices will continue rallying into the foreseeable future. This makes it an excellent long-term investment, and this is one of the best Bitcoin alternatives for 2023.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
9. Dogecoin (DOGE) – Most Popular Meme Coin
Dogecoin is one of the oldest, most popular, and most valuable meme currencies around. It mirrored Bitcoin technology and was initially designed as a meme and aimed at introducing fun to the crypto space. For close to a decade, however, it remained unknown but shot to popularity in the periods leading to the early 2021 crypto market rally.
This sparked a massive meme currency frenzy which saw Dogecoin adopted by many celebrities and crypto influencers. To date, these have played a key role in triggering price pumps for the joke currency and keeping its price on an uptrend. They have especially been instrumental in helping DOGE sustain its position among the top 10 most valuable cryptocurrencies.
This massive popularity, growing use cases, a large community of supporters, and resilience are some of the factors that informed our decision to feature DOGE in our list of most important crypto other than Bitcoin. We also list it here because of its promising future. This implies that we expect DOGE token prices to continue rising in future - possibly rallying by as much as 10000% and breaking above $5 in the next 10 years.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
10. Stellar (XLM) – Bitcoin Alternative Dedicated to the Unbanked and Underbanked
Stellar Lumens and Ripple are eerily similar - probably because they were designed by the same individual, Jed McCaleb. And like Ripple, Stellar makes to our list of most important cryptos other than Bitcoin because it too proposes a shake-up of the conventional financial system. But while Ripple seeks to replace SWIFT, Stellar proposes to serve as the digital bank for the unbanked and underbanked populations of the world.
Other factors that informed our decision to feature Stellar here include the fact that it, too, has performed exemplarily well in the past. Plus, it has proven its resilience in surviving some of the most volatile crypto market crashes.
Further, its massive popularity and its highly promising future also have most crypto enthusiasts convinced that Stellar is a good long-term investment. They, alongside a majority of forecasters and amounts, believe that XLM token prices will sustain an uptrend. By the turn of the decade, they expect it to have rallied by as much as 5000% to reach $5.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
Honorable Mentions
We had just included 10 alternative altcoins, but there are many other important cryptocurrencies out there. Some other important cryptocurrencies include but are not limited to:
Binance Coin (BNB)
The Binance Exchange’s handy little discount coin is much more than it looks. Rampaging upwards in price, BNB looks like a great investment right now.
Why Is Binance Coin A Good Alternative To Bitcoin?
Binance Coin has experienced a period of immense growth over the last year, slowly and steadily getting into the top five (and occasionally top three) in terms of market capitalisation.
Fundamentally, BNB doesn’t have too much to do with Bitcoin, that said many use BNB to pay for fees on the Binance Exchange to buy Bitcoin.
So, what this generally means is that when Bitcoin is on the rise, you can expect a lot of Binance Coin trading as well.
But there is another thing the two have in common; Binance Coin has a simplicity like Bitcoin that is easy to grasp. Both are easy to grasp concepts.
And further to that, they both work the way there are intended to. We’re not waiting around speculating if BNB will work or not - we already know that it does.
Furthermore, Binance Coin also has stepped into DApps with its Smart Chain - a separate chain to the main chain - with this it can make a major dent in Ethereum’s hold over the market.
Why Could Binance Coin Be A Bad Alternative To Bitcoin?
Just like Ripple, Binance Coin is centralised! It is completely owned by Binance and they can do whatever they want to the coin. It’s 100% theirs and coin holders have absolutely no say.
To make things worse, Binance has reminded us why we don’t like centralised cryptos at all. Binance has made changes to the whitepaper and not told people and has been called out on transparency.
It may be the case of just not thinking they need to inform coin holders of changes, but to many of us, it comes across as untrustworthy, which is the last thing you want to be in the crypto market.
Could you imagine the whole world’s wealth being controlled by a corporation? And to make it worse, a corporation that you don’t trust?
Should You Invest In Binance Coin?
Centralised or not, it’s not likely people will stop trading BNB any time soon!
WalletInvestor gives Binance Coin a positive outlook, predicting that it could reach $716 in one year and $2,094 in 5 years!
Read Our Binance Coin Price Predictions here.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
Dash (DASH)
Founded in 2014, Dash is another crypto that came about early on in the altcoin boom. Like Bitcoin, it primarily aims to help people transfer money without the use of third parties.
Why Is Dash A Good Alternative To Bitcoin?
Dash is one of the most popular in the developing world, rivalling both Bitcoin and Ethereum in Latin America and Africa.
A key reason Dash has an edge over Bitcoin is that BTC has become problematic in terms of useability as so much money is being pumped into it by investors.
As we mentioned in the introduction of this article, Bitcoin is now seen as a store of wealth. This raises the question: What about its original purpose? Has Bitcoin given up on its goal of knocking down the banks?
Dash meanwhile appears to be doing a better job. Particularly in Venezuela where after the collapse of their currency, the Venezuelan bolívar, many turned to crypto, specifically Dash.
Also, Dash features the option to send crypto anonymously. A major feature that critics say is missing from Bitcoin (it’s not too hard to track transactions using Bitcoin’s ledger).
Why Could Dash Be A Bad Alternative To Bitcoin?
Like Litecoin, Dash has been moving out of fashion over the last few years. Both coins have been around for a long time and a new generation of coins have started to emerge with more complex features, goals and technology.
Perhaps though it is not so much that Dash is slowing down, it’s that other coins are growing at a much faster rate. Either way, it could mean that Dash is destined for the altcoin graveyard.
Dash perhaps needs something much bigger to differentiate itself from everyone else. But this might not be possible.
Should You Invest In Dash?
Digitalcoin predicts that Dash could reach $133 in 2022 and as high as $337 by 2028.
Read Our Dash Price Predictions here.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
Uniswap (UNI)
We’ve added Uniswap to our cryptocurrency list as an example of how far the cryptocurrency market has come in the 10 plus years since Bitcoin was created. For some, it may be very new.
Essentially, Uniswap is a decentralised exchange (DEX).
Why Is Uniswap A Good Alternative To Bitcoin?
Founded in only 2018, Uniswap’s price has improved in leaps and bounds. In March 2021, Uniswap finally stepped into the top 10 by market capitalisation, taking the eighth spot according to CoinMarketCap, at the time of writing.
It’s a huge achievement for such a little-known coin. It shows us that new altcoins really can make a big impact. (It took Bitcoin years to reach the prices Uniswap reached in just three!)
The idea of Uniswap is very interesting. Working on the Ethereum blockchain, it is a decentralised exchange that allows anyone to list and trade any coin.
Decentralised exchanges have several advantages over traditional exchanges because firstly they do not charge fees and give traders much more control over the assets they are trading.
And functioning on top of Ethereum as an ERC-20, enables it to be compatible with all other tokens built on the Ethereum blockchain, enabling more people to trade crypto.
Uniswap is a big threat not only to crypto exchanges like Coinbase and Binance but brokerage firms too and could potentially move into other assets like stocks and currencies.
DEXs may end up being just as innovative as Bitcoin was when it first came around which could make it an excellent alternative to Bitcoin.
Why Could Uniswap Be A Bad Alternative To Bitcoin?
Uniswap is a super young crypto, so it may be wiser for traders to wait and see how it performs. More cautious crypto traders are more likely to take this approach with other DeFi projects too.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin has been around for more than a decade and people understand it a lot better.
Aside from this, another major concern about Uniswap is that in a sense it is not completely decentralised! This is because approximately 40% of all UNI tokens are held by investors and developers.
This is slightly concerning because it perhaps gives them far too much control over the price. If there were to all simultaneously sell off their coins, the price would plummet.
And finally, due to the complex nature of Uniswap, it might be more recommended for advanced crypto traders who are more knowledgeable of the state of the crypto market and can judge how feasible Uniswap’s goals are.
Should You Invest In Uniswap?
If you’re looking for something super innovative, Uniswap might be your best bet.
Digitalcoinprice seems to suggest that Uniswap is going to increase in value. They predict that it could reach $13.45 in 2022 and $33.30 in 2028.
Read Our Uniswap Price Predictions here.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
Why Is Bitcoin So Popular?
Bitcoin remains the most popular and most valuable crypto asset in the world today. Currently valued at $370 Billion after losing more than two-thirds of its market cap in the last few months, it dominates the crypto market – accounting for 40% of the entire ecosystem’s market cap.
It is also one of the most adopted digital assets. It, for instance, has already been adopted as legal tender by two countries – El Salvador and the Central African Republic. Additionally, it has also been adopted as a payment method by thousands of eCommerce and physical stores across the world.
Some of the factors contributing to this popularity and increasing use cases are its availability, overall security, and the fact that it is viewed as a potential currency of the future. Others include the level of pseudonymity offered by the digital asset, the fact that inflation-proof, and that it is a perfect store of value. Not forgetting that, as an investment, it has outperformed virtually every other asset class.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
Are Bitcoin Alternatives Worth Buying?
Yes, there are a lot of important cryptos other than Bitcoin that are worth buying. These have not only performed exemplarily well in the past but are expected to continue posting an uptrending price action and have the backing of reliable and highly relevant underlying blockchain technologies.
Here are four more reasons why these Bitcoin alternatives are worth buying today:
- Store of value: Like Bitcoin, most of these cryptocurrencies are inflation-proof and will, therefore, serve as an excellent store of value.
- Portfolio diversification: Given their stellar past price action, the majority of these cryptocurrencies are perfect investments for anyone looking to diversify their portfolio.
- Potentially lucrative returns: In the last decade, these cryptocurrencies outperformed virtually all other asset classes to become a profitable investment. Moving forward, the majority of these are expected to outperform conventional assets.
- Earn passively: The many DeFi programs within the crypto space will let you earn passively by staking these cryptos – and they pay higher interest than most of the conventional banks and investing companies.
Where To Buy Best Bitcoin Alternatives?
You now understand why Bitcoins alternatives are worth buying and the 10 most important cryptos other than Bitcoin. Let us now shift focus to where you can buy them.
If you want to jump straight to buying any of these best Bitcoin alternatives today, we recommend registering with either of the following crypto exchanges:
1. eToro – Best crypto exchange for beginner friendliness and copy investing
eToro is one of the most popular crypto exchanges today, primarily because of its beginner-friendliness. It lists virtually all the important Bitcoin alternatives that we have listed above, and you only need $10 to get started.
It also provides its platform users with free digital wallets and charges a fixed crypto transaction trading charge of 1% of the trade amount. It is also vastly popular because of its social and copy-trading tools. These make it possible for beginners and experts to interact freely and even passively with one another when beginners copy the trade settings of pro traders.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
2. Crypto.com – Best crypto exchange for passive investing
Crypto.com is one of the fastest-growing crypto trading platforms today. It, too, runs a user-friendly trading interface and lists Bitcoin as well as 200+ Bitcoin alternatives. You only need $20 to start investing in Bitcoin alternatives on the platform, and the exchange maintains highly competitive crypto trading fees.
Additionally, Crypto.com operates a staking program that pays interests of up to 14.5% for staked crypto. You could also borrow against the staked crypto and also qualify for a discount on trading fees if you have staked CRO tokens on the platform.
3. Binance – Best crypto exchange for low transaction fees
Binance is the largest and most liquid centralized crypto exchange in the world today. It also lists Bitcoin and 600+ other cryptocurrencies, and there is no minimum buying limit – implying that you can start investing in crypto here with as little as $1. It also maintains some of the lowest crypto trading fees – as low as 0.03%.
Further, Binance provides its users with free digital wallets. And if you leave the private keys for your coins in their custodial wallets, the exchange insures it for up to $1 Billion. Plus, it integrates one of the most expansive lists of integrated one of the widest range of money passive investing programs – from Binance staking to liquidity earning.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
Conclusion – Best Bitcoin Alternatives
In this post, we have gone over what our analysts and the majority in the crypto community believe to be the most important cryptos other than Bitcoin. In each case, we have told you why they are the best Bitcoin alternatives by looking at how well they complement such Bitcoin attributes as its massively promising future and relevance to the future of the cryptoverse.
We have also gone over some of the reasons why these important cryptos other than Bitcoin are worth buying. The guide even introduces you to the top three cryptocurrency exchanges where you can buy Bitcoin alternatives today.
Want to jump straight to investing in one or a few of these altcoins right away? Create a crypto investor account with eToro, deposit at least $10, find the Bitcoin alternative you wish to buy and open a buy order.
eToro – Best Platform To Buy Altcoins
Open an account with eToro, deposit some funds with USD, and finally – buy cryptocurrencies for just $10.
Crypto asset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
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FAQs- Bitcoin Alternatives
Which is the next most important crypto assets other than Bitcoin?
The most important cryptos other than Bitcoin are Ethereum, Solana, Ripple, Dogecoin, Monero, Stellar Lumens, Cardano, Cosmos, Litecoin, and Binance Cash.
What is the best Bitcoin alternative to invest in today?
The most valuable Bitcoin alternative today has to be Ethereum. Its adoption is on a speedy uptrend, and the many developments taking place within the Ethereum network are expected to improve its efficiency. And all these are expected to catapult ETH token prices to unimaginable heights.
What is the next Bitcoin-like investment?
Perhaps the best place to look for ‘Bitcoin-like’ investments is DeFi, which is still blooming. But again, be careful with very new coins!