CFTC Chairman Reflects on Early Bitcoin Trade with Humor as BTC Celebrates 17 Years

The cryptocurrency world is abuzz as Bitcoin celebrates its 17th anniversary, with Caroline D. Pham, the acting chair of the CFTC, joining in by reminiscing about her early Bitcoin trading experiences.

On Sunday, January 4th, Caroline D. Pham took to X to post vintage screenshots from Coinbase that revealed some of her initial significant transactions involving Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market cap.

Missed Opportunity: Over 1,100% Potential Gains

The Coinbase screenshots reveal that Pham bought Bitcoin on February 5th, 2018 at a price of $7,395.81 and later sold it on June 25th, 2019 for $11,193.72.

Happy birthday Bitcoin! Sharing some memories together 😂😭 pic.twitter.com/fQKoMSs1rC

— Caroline D. Pham (@CarolineDPham) January 4, 2026

Although these records show Pham as an early participant in the Bitcoin market, she didn’t hold onto her investment long enough to benefit from massive gains — missing out on potential profits exceeding 1,100% by the time of Bitcoin’s seventeenth birthday.

At the moment she sold her holdings back in mid-2019 it probably seemed like a prudent and profitable decision; however looking back now it appears almost comical given that Bitcoin’s value has multiplied more than tenfold over seven years.

Currently priced near $91,000 during its seventeenth anniversary celebrations, Bitcoin has appreciated over 810% since Q2 of 2019 when Caroline made that substantial sale. 

The Seventeenth Year Milestone for Bitcoin

Bitcoin officially turned seventeen years old on January third, two thousand twenty-six, sparking widespread festivities across global crypto communities commemorating nearly two decades since blockchain technology was first introduced with the release of bitcoin’s genesis block in two thousand nine. 

What began as a modest experiment into decentralized digital finance has evolved into a multi-trillion-dollar asset class holding immense significance for users worldwide. 

Throughout these years, <span style="text-decoration:underline;"&gtBitcoin has steadily expanded its reach, succeeding in gaining mainstream acceptance and widespread adoption across international markets.