Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Hobbyist Inner Circle! It’s fantastic to see so many of you returning for our second newsletter, and I'm thrilled to have you here as we kick off another round of connecting with such an amazing community.
Now that we've got introductions out of the way in the first newsletter, let's dive into some real, down-to-earth topics that are truly rooted in our shared experience as crypto miners. I’ll be sharing a bit about what’s happening behind the scenes for me, and I'm pretty sure many of you are going through similar journeys as we navigate the ever-evolving world of crypto mining together.
Your Mining Hardware Is an Asset — Treat It Like One!
One of the most overlooked parts of crypto mining—especially for newcomers—is understanding that your mining hardware is an asset. Not just a machine. Not just a hobby purchase. An actual, real‑world asset with a fluctuating market value, a lifecycle, and a window of peak profitability. And if you want to survive long‑term in this space, you have to treat it that way.
A lot of new crytpo enthusiast come in thinking, “Why would I buy a miner when I can just buy the coin?” And on the surface, that’s a fair question. But what they’re missing is the bigger picture: when you buy a miner, you’re buying a money printer. A machine that dollar‑cost averages into your favorite crypto every single day, often at a discount compared to buying it outright. But here’s the part most people forget—your money printer also has resale value. And that resale value rises and falls just like the crypto market itself.
This is where so many miners, myself included, have stumbled. We get emotionally attached to our hardware. We convince ourselves that “it’ll come back,” or “I’ll just hold onto it until the next cycle,” or “it’s still hashing, so it’s fine.” But the truth is: if you’re not evaluating your hardware like an asset, you’re leaving money on the table. Sometimes a lot of money.
Take my Kaspa miners, for example. This is the perfect case study in selling at the wrong time. I bought some of these units for $4,500… even $12,000. Today? I can’t get $400 for them. There’s no demand. The network hash rate collapsed from around 1.4 EH down to roughly 400 PH. The coin price is down, really down and profitability is gone in mining Kaspa. And now I’m sitting on hardware that’s basically e‑waste with fans. That’s the cost of holding too long. That’s the cost of ignoring the asset side of mining! Learn from my mistakes please!
Now let’s flip the script and look at the right time to sell. Six months ago, I built several AI compute rigs using RTX 3090s. Back then, those GPUs were $500 on the used market. Today? They’re selling for $1,300 on eBay without breaking a sweat. That’s nearly triple the value. And here’s the key: I’m not going to see that kind of upside again anytime soon. So I’m selling them—slowly, strategically, one at a time—while the market is hot. Meanwhile, the rest of the GPUs keep generating revenue through AI compute jobs on Vast. That’s the perfect example of treating your hardware like an asset: use it while it’s profitable, sell it when the market is at its peak, and reinvest into something newer, better, or more aligned with your long‑term goals. Im going to sell all 8 RTX 3090s and buy 2 RTX 5090s, helping to future proof my ai setup.
This is the mindset I want every miner—new or experienced—to adopt. Constantly evaluate your hardware. Ask yourself: Is this miner worth more today than it will be six months from now? Is demand rising or falling? Is this the peak of its resale value? If the answer is yes, don’t hesitate. Sell it. Even if you bought it recently. Even if it still works perfectly. Even if you’re emotionally attached to it. Because mining isn’t just about hashing—it’s about managing assets, maximizing value, and staying ahead of the curve.
The miners who thrive long‑term aren’t the ones who hold hardware forever. They’re the ones who know when to let go.
“If you’re going to be successful in the Crypto Mining Space you can’t be emotional attached to your hardware. When the market is pumping you have to be willing to sell it, even when it’s making the most!”
Invite Curious Minds: Share the Journey: While I live and breath crypto mining, over the last year I have made the decision to diversify my hardware into the AI hardware rental Space. While I recognize that this is not for everyone, this has really brought me back to my roots of building and managing high end compute hardware, like the GPU mining days. Learn More:
Bitcoin Vegas 2026: An Experience Every Miner Should Have!
Let’s shift gears and talk about something I’m still buzzing from—my recent trip to Bitcoin Vegas 2026. I’ve been to plenty of mining events over the years, especially Mining Disrupt down in Miami, but Bitcoin Vegas hit differently. The hype was real, the energy was electric, and with Bitcoin hovering just under $80,000, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. If you ever get the chance to attend—next year it’ll be in Nashville—I can’t recommend it enough.
What surprised me most was how inclusive the event felt. I’ve heard the stories about Bitcoin conferences being ultra‑maxi, but that wasn’t the vibe at all. Sure, everyone there had a deep passion for Bitcoin, but it didn’t matter whether you were fully orange‑pilled or someone who also mines altcoins. I met plenty of altcoin miners walking the floor, and everyone was welcomed into the conversation. It felt like a true gathering of the broader mining ecosystem, not just one narrow slice of it.
And the variety—wow. You had Bitcoin merch pop‑ups, lending companies, Bitcoin‑backed credit card providers, gold dealers, home miners, industrial miners, and even a full Bitcoin art section. The speaker lineup ranged from grassroots miners who’ve been hashing for over a decade to U.S. regulators and politicians discussing legislation like the Clarity Act and broader crypto‑mining policy. It was the full spectrum of the industry under one roof.
If you’d like to learn more about the Clarity Act checkout Your Friend Andy’s recent video!
Every night brought something new—meetups, networking events, after‑parties, Top Golf, dinners, you name it. The best part? Everyone there shared the same passion. You could walk up to anyone and instantly dive into a conversation about hardware, hash rate, energy strategy, or the future of mining. It was the kind of environment that fills your tank and reminds you why you love this space.
Now, let’s talk hardware—because you know I was hunting for it. I filmed a full video walkthrough, but here’s the quick rundown. Bitmain’s booth was… underwhelming. No S23 Air. No L11 or L11 Pro. They had an S23 Hydro, an E11 miner, and the Z15 Pro, but nothing truly new. For an event of this size, that was disappointing.
But the home‑miner scene? Completely different story. Canaan announced that their next generation of home miners—based on the Avalon A16 XP series—will debut at CES in January. That’s huge, and you better believe I’ll be there to cover it.
And then there’s Bitdeer, a company I think is still massively underrated. They showed off two miners that aren’t even on the market yet:
Bitdeer SealMiner A4 Pro Bitcoin miner
Bitdeer SealMiner DL1 Scrypt miner
Do not sleep on the DL1. It was hashing live at 25 GH/s. For context, the Antminer L9 sits at 17 GH/s. That’s a massive leap forward, and it’s going to shake up the Scrypt mining landscape in a big way. Many of you following my channel know I have doubled down on Scrypt mining as a shortcut to accumulate Bitcoin faster, learn more here!
Whether you’re a home miner or running a large‑scale operation, there’s a lot to be excited about. New hardware is coming, innovation is accelerating, and events like Bitcoin Vegas remind you just how alive and forward‑moving this industry really is.
I had an opportunity at Bitcoin Vegas 2026 to sit down with IceRiver’s team and discuss their recent Bitcoin chip tapeout. Yes, that is right, Iceriver is stepping into the Bitcoin Mining World! Check it out!
Crypto Mining Is a Gamble — Especially When It Comes to Hardware!
Let’s get real for a moment. Crypto mining—no matter how long you’ve been in the game—is a gamble. There are no absolutes, no guarantees, and no promises that the hardware you buy today will still be profitable tomorrow. We talk about this all the time with tokens themselves: nothing guarantees a coin will ever hit a new all‑time high, and nothing prevents it from going straight to zero. But what hits even closer to home for our community is the hardware side of that risk.
This is why many community members only mine Bitcoin and think everything else is a scam. Thats a tough one!
Recently, I picked up a Pinecone Matches Initverse miner—850 MH/s at around 500 watts. If you saw my video on it, you know I was hesitant from the start. This project had red flags all over it. The Initverse token launched over six months ago and behaved unlike anything I’ve tracked before. While Bitcoin and Dogecoin tend to move in tandem—up together, down together—Initverse just stayed flat and artificially elevated the entire time. That plateau kept the two miners available for the project extremely profitable for months, but it also raised every alarm bell in my head.
Think about the setup:
One project. One team.
Only their hardware could mine it.
Only one pool existed—and they ran it.
Very few exchanges supported the token, all outside the U.S.
No third‑party hardware, no decentralization, no transparency.
That’s not a healthy ecosystem. That’s a risk profile.
Still, after watching it for half a year, I finally pulled the trigger. I figured, “Okay, maybe there’s some foundation here. Maybe this thing has legs.” And for the first two weeks, the miner was doing over $20.55 a day—insanely profitable for a 500‑watt machine.
Then the bottom fell out.
Within days, the token dropped over 60%, and profitability evaporated overnight. Why? From what I can gather—and this is my best educated guess—a market maker had been propping up the token price daily for months. Once they finished selling through their hardware inventory, they stopped supporting the market. And the moment that artificial support disappeared, the token’s real value showed itself. Everyone I know who mined it was liquidating daily into Bitcoin or stablecoins, and without that constant buy pressure, the price collapsed instantly.
This is why I always preach caution. This is why I said in my video—even six months after launch—to be careful, to do your research, and to never invest money you can’t afford to lose. I owned that miner for about two weeks, and now it’s essentially a paperweight. That’s the reality of mining altcoins, especially new ones with centralized control and opaque operations.
Crypto mining can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s still a gamble. And the hardware side of that gamble is often the part people underestimate the most.
Announcing the Return of the Hobbyist Miner Merch Store!
To close out this edition, I’m thrilled to share some awesome news: The Hobbyist Miner Merch Store is back in action! We've teamed up with some incredible designers, and we’ll be dropping a brand‑new, custom‑designed product every month.
This month, we’re rolling out the Sovereign by Satoshi Collection, featuring our brand‑new “Freedom Through Bitcoin” T-shirt. I’ll drop a picture here so you can check it out, and if you’re interested in showing off your crypto spirit, definitely swing by the store!
We’ll have a fresh release at the start of every month, and I’ll keep you all updated right here in our newsletters. Thanks for being part of this journey!
Thank you so much for joining the Hobbyist Inner Circle. Your enthusiasm and support mean the world to me, and I’m excited to keep sharing this journey with you all.
Keep Those Rigs Running and the Hashes Flowing!
