Some people buy cars, some buy houses, but in the cryptocurrency world, many people's dreams are quite simple—owning a whole Bitcoin.

This virtual 'hard currency' is seen by many not just as a digital asset, but more like a shield against inflation; some even consider it a future family heirloom.

For those who entered the market early, this dream was not distant. Five or six years ago, as long as you had some awareness and courage, it was not difficult to buy several Bitcoins at once when the price was still low. In my previous article 'How Many Bitcoins to Retire', a reader commented that they had hoarded dozens, with one person even reaching 115, and they shared a screenshot. I must say, that batch of people were truly the lucky ones of their time.

But today, the situation is completely different. Institutions, businesses, and governments have long held about 3.42 million Bitcoins, which are unlikely to flow back into the market. Added to that are the 1.1 million Bitcoins owned by Satoshi Nakamoto, which are almost permanently locked. Not to mention that about 4.2 million Bitcoins are irretrievable due to lost private keys. As a result, the actual number of Bitcoins that can circulate in the market may only be around 12 million.

If half of these are in the hands of institutions and whales, only about 6 million would be left for retail investors. In other words, even if only 10% to 20% of retail investors globally could own at least 1 Bitcoin, that number would only be between 600,000 and 1.2 million. According to on-chain data, there are currently about 830,000 wallet addresses holding between 1 and 10 Bitcoins, which coincides nicely with the calculations.

For the average person, as prices continue to rise, fully owning 1 Bitcoin has almost become a 'privilege' for a small number of people. In the future, more people may only aim for 0.5, 0.3, or even 0.1 Bitcoins. But don't underestimate these small numbers; even with just 0.1 Bitcoin, when Bitcoin truly matures and becomes widespread, it would be enough to live a comfortable retirement life in a third-tier city.

The story of Bitcoin is no longer just speculation, but a contest of scarcity and time. Whether one can own that 'complete whole', perhaps represents the most cruel yet alluring threshold in this wealth game. How many BTC do you hold?