Answer · confidence: partial
When did bitcoin first get a dollar price, and where was it posted?
Research question: When did bitcoin first receive a price in dollars, and where was that price posted?
The records give October 5, 2009 as the earliest known dollar price for bitcoin, when the New Liberty Standard exchange posted its rate 236. That rate was 1309.03 bitcoins per US dollar, derived by dividing $1.00 by the estimated production cost per bitcoin from electricity costs and mining output 59, which works out to about $0.000764 per BTC 14. The price was posted on New Liberty Standard's website, on its Exchange Rate page, and archived copies still exist 817. Other sources instead date the first dollar value to October 12, 2009, when 5,050 BTC sold for US$5.02 via PayPal 14, and no primary source confirms the October 5 rate 8, so the exact date is disputed.
Checked 2026-10-22. Only documented and supported facts are used.
Dig deeper on this questionSources
[1] supported
Bitcoin's value first rose above zero dollars on October 12, 2009, when a Finnish software developer sent 5,050 Bitcoins to New Liberty Standard for US$5.02 via PayPal.
"its value did not rise above US$0 until October 12, 2009, when a Finnish software developer sent 5,050 Bitcoins to New Liberty Standard for US$5.02 via PayPal Holdings"Bitcoin: A Price History of the First Cryptocurrency
[2] supported
Early bitcoin exchange New Liberty Standard gave bitcoin its first pre-purchase USD exchange rate on October 5th, 2009.
"Early bitcoin exchange New Liberty Standard gave Bitcoin its first pre-purchase USD exchange rate of 1309.03 bitcoins on October 5th, 2009."What Was the First Valuation Given to Bitcoin?
[3] supported
The first known Bitcoin price was recorded on 5 October 2009, about nine months after the first Bitcoin block was mined.
"it would be another 9 months until the first known Bitcoin price was recorded on 5 October 2009."The Very Early Bitcoin Exchanges of 2009 to 2011
[4] supported
That 2009 trade established New Liberty Standard as a Bitcoin exchange, which is where the first dollar-denominated price was set.
"thereby establishing both the value of Bitcoin and New Liberty Standard as a Bitcoin exchange"Bitcoin: A Price History of the First Cryptocurrency
[5] supported
The New Liberty Standard exchange rate was 1309.03 bitcoins per US dollar.
"The exchange rate set by New Liberty Standard was 1309.03 bitcoins per US dollar."What Was the First Valuation Given to Bitcoin?
[6] supported
The first known Bitcoin dollar price was published on New Liberty Standard (NLS), which the document calls the world's first Bitcoin exchange site and which sold Bitcoins for US dollars via PayPal.
"The first known Bitcoin price, or exchange rate, recorded on 5 October 2009 was published on what was the world’s first Bitcoin exchange site, New Liberty Standard (NLS), a site which offered a service to buy and sell Bitcoins in exchange for US dollars using PayPal."The Very Early Bitcoin Exchanges of 2009 to 2011
[7] supported
The New Liberty Standard rate was the first formal price offered by someone selling bitcoins directly for dollars, rather than exchanging bitcoins for real-world goods.
"This exchange rate represents the first formal price offered by someone selling bitcoins directly for dollars as opposed to the exchange of bitcoins for real world goods."What Was the First Valuation Given to Bitcoin?
[8] supported
The price was posted on the New Liberty Standard website, and archived copies on the Wayback Machine still exist, though no primary source confirms the October 5th rate.
"However, the waybackmachine does seem to archive a copy of the original exchange rate offered on the New Liberty Standard website ."What Was the First Valuation Given to Bitcoin?
[9] supported
The New Liberty Standard exchange rate was calculated from electricity costs and mining output, dividing $1.00 by the production cost per bitcoin.
"During 2009 my exchange rate was calculated by dividing $1.00 by the average amount of electricity required to run a computer with high CPU for a year, 1331.5 kWh, multiplied by the the average residential cost of electricity in the United States for the previous year, $0.1136, divided by 12 months divided by the number of bitcoins generated by my computer over the past 30 days."What Was the First Valuation Given to Bitcoin?
[10] supported
Bitcoin's price was set at around US$0.0025 in 2010 due to a 10,000 Bitcoin pizza order.
"The 10,000 Bitcoin pizza order essentially set Bitcoin’s price in 2010 at around US$0.0025."Bitcoin: A Price History of the First Cryptocurrency
[11] supported
The price of a single Bitcoin in the first recorded trade was approximately $0.00099.
"for $5.02 through PayPal, putting the price of a single coin at $0.00099."Bitcoin Price in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013-2018 & Beyond
[12] supported
In May 2010, US programmer Laszlo Hanyecz made the first documented real-world Bitcoin purchase by buying two pizzas for 10,000 BTC.
"In May 2010, US programmer Laszlo Hanyecz made the first documented real-world Bitcoin purchase, buying two pizzas for 10,000 BTC."Bitcoin price history 2009–2026
[13] supported
The first recorded market prices for Bitcoin appeared in 2010, when it traded at fractions of a US dollar.
"The first recorded market prices appeared in 2010, when BTC traded at fractions of a US dollar."Bitcoin price history 2009–2026
[14] supported
The first recorded dollar price for Bitcoin was calculated in October 2009 by the site New Liberty Standard, at $0.000764 per BTC based on electricity costs.
"The first recorded BTC price came in October 2009 when New Liberty Standard calculated a value of $0.000764 per BTC based on electricity costs."How Much Was Bitcoin When It First Came Out? Price History Explained
[15] supported
The first attempt to assign Bitcoin a dollar value came from the website New Liberty Standard.
"The first attempt to assign Bitcoin a dollar value came from a site called New Liberty Standard in October 2009."How Much Was Bitcoin When It First Came Out? Price History Explained
[16] supported
The owner of New Liberty Standard, a user known as Martti Malmi, used the cost of electricity to mine BTC as the basis for the price.
"The owner, a user known as Martti Malmi, used the cost of electricity to mine BTC as the basis for a price."How Much Was Bitcoin When It First Came Out? Price History Explained
[17] supported
The early dollar exchange rate was posted on the New Liberty Standard website's Exchange Rate page, which is cited through an archived copy.
"https://web.archive.org/web/20091229132610/http://newlibertystandard.wetpaint.com/page/Exchange+Rate"Bitcoin Price History Chart + Historical Events 2009-2026