This one’s a classic tale of “if only.” The German government, bless their hearts, just let a golden opportunity slip right through their fingers.

Last July, they sold nearly 50,000 Bitcoin at about $57,900 a pop. Sounds like a lot of dough, right?

Well, hold on to your hat, because Bitcoin has since skyrocketed past $120,000. That means Germany missed out on $3 billion in potential profits. Ouch.

Fortune

Now, let’s break it down, shall we? Between June 19 and July 12 last year, the German government auctioned off 49,858 Bitcoin, seized from the infamous Movie2k criminal case. They raked in roughly $2.8 billion back then.

But if they’d held onto those coins? Today, they’d be sitting on a treasure chest worth about $6 billion.

That’s like selling your vintage comic book collection for pocket change, only to find out it’s now worth a small fortune.

Missed the boat

Bitcoin’s been on fire lately, jumping over 10% just this week to smash a fresh all-time high above $120,000 on Sunday night. At the time of writing, it’s trading around $120,900. So, the timing of that German sale?

Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly a home run. And Germany’s not alone in this “missed the boat” club.

The US government has its own tale of Bitcoin woe. Over the past decade, it auctioned off more than 195,000 BTC for a mere $366 million.

Thanks to the magic of hindsight, and Bitcoin’s meteoric rise, that stash would now be worth over $23 billion, according to Casa’s Chief Security Officer Jameson Lopp. so the difference is around $22.63 billion.

Painful. On the other hand, Uncle Sam still holds onto about 198,000 Bitcoin, valued close to $24 billion.

Timing

So what’s the moral here? Governments, those big, slow-moving institutions, aren’t exactly the sharpest traders in the crypto game.

They’re like that guy in the office who sells his stock options right before the company announces a massive breakthrough. You feel for ‘em, but man, it’s painful to watch.

This story highlights how volatile, and lucrative, Bitcoin has become. Prime example, actually.

Timing is quite important. And for governments, maybe it’s time to rethink their crypto playbook before the next bull run leaves them eating dust.

Disclosure:This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

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