Original 2010 Bitcoin Faucet Poised to Make a Comeback

A legendary piece of Bitcoin history may soon return. Charlie Shrem, one of Bitcoin’s earliest adopters, has hinted at the revival of the original Bitcoin Faucet—first launched by developer Gavin Andresen in 2010.

The original faucet was a cornerstone of early Bitcoin adoption. At a time when the cryptocurrency was still largely unknown, the site handed out 5 BTC for free to anyone who completed a simple CAPTCHA. The idea was to make Bitcoin more accessible and encourage experimentation with the new digital currency. With Bitcoin now trading near $100,000, those early giveaways—worth pennies at the time—would be valued in the hundreds of thousands today.

On Monday, Shrem tweeted a link to a new faucet website that closely mirrors the design of the original, sparking immediate buzz across the crypto community. However, the site does not appear to be live just yet. It currently holds no BTC and is not distributing any rewards.

A Legacy of Open Access

Funded with 1,100 BTC, Andresen’s faucet was more than just a giveaway—it was a gateway for thousands of users to experience Bitcoin firsthand, long before centralized exchanges or mainstream wallets existed. The faucet’s simplicity and generosity made it one of the most effective grassroots marketing tools in Bitcoin’s history.

Eventually, as the price of Bitcoin rose, the faucet’s payouts diminished and the project was quietly retired. Still, its legacy endures as a symbol of Bitcoin’s early ethos: open access, decentralization, and experimentation.

Now, with talk of a relaunch, it’s unclear whether the faucet will once again distribute real BTC or serve as a historical tribute. Either way, its potential return is a reminder of just how far the Bitcoin ecosystem has come—and how it all began with just a few coins and a CAPTCHA.