<p>Colored coins are a method to track the origin of bitcoins, so that a certain set of coins can be set aside and conserved, allowing a party to acknowledge them in various ways. Such coins can be used to represent arbitrary digital tokens, such as stocks, bonds, smart property and so on.</p>

<p>The colored coins protocol is decentralized just like Bitcoin, but the current effort to develop an implementation is done under the <a href="http://bitcoinx.org">BitcoinX</a> project (tentative name), which also aims to provide some related services.</p>

<p>As this is still under development, you will not find any existing examples.</p>

<p>You can read more about it in <a href="https://bitcoil.co.il/BitcoinX.pdf">Overview of colored coins</a> (work in progress).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-12T19:50:04.640Z
Meni - do you have a list of whitepapers you've written? I thoroughly enjoy reading them.
makerofthings7
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-12T23:18:31.870Z
@makerofthings7: Thanks!  The list is quite short actually, in addition to colored coins there's AoBPMRS (https://bitcoil.co.il/pool_analysis.pdf) and double-spending https://bitcoil.co.il/Doublespend.pdf. There are a few papers I collaborated on but are not really mine. I also have a blog, http://fieryspinningsword.com/. And of course my vanity thread lists some of my more meaningful forum posts (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=121314).
Meni Rosenfeld
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-13T00:12:21.067Z
I'm curious if you have any modifications to a proof of stake...e.g. if you embrace any new ideas of others not in your whitepaper.  That will be my next area of study.
makerofthings7
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-13T00:18:11.180Z
wow...lots of great things in your posts!
makerofthings7
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-13T09:21:42.613Z
@makerofthings7 - Not "new", I designed one of the original PoS implementations back in early 2012, much better IMO than the half-assed designs you see in various coins these days - https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Proof_of_Stake#Meni.27s_implementation. I'm also collaborating with Iddo Bentov on the Proof of Activity variant.
Meni Rosenfeld
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-17T16:22:52.450Z
I read that wiki, and another post by you saying that you eventually warmed up to Cunicula's implementation more than your own.  I haven't yet seen an explanation of NXT or the other POS coins, but am passionate about finding a "green" way of solving the proof of work issue.  Have any links on Proof of Activity?
makerofthings7
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-17T20:55:22.200Z
@makerofthings7: The main problem with what passes for "Proof of Stake" coins is that there is nothing at stake - The stakeholder has no reason not to extend all branches, thus being a rubber stamp of no use in combating double-spending. Since PoA is in the process of academic publication I can't link to the paper, but there's some related discussion on the forum - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=102355.
Meni Rosenfeld
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-17T20:59:26.267Z
I'm reading about Bitshares now, not sure if it's related to your work, but I get the jist, not sure if that is your preferred approach.  Will read the forum now.
makerofthings7
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-12-10T06:07:22.393Z
2012-12-10T06:07:22.393Z
Meni Rosenfeld
<p>What exactly are colored coins? I've tried understanding, but I don't quite get it yet . . . Do any examples exist?</p>

<terminology><colored-coins>
What are colored coins?
Kinnard Hockenhull
# What are colored coins?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-12-10)

What exactly are colored coins? I've tried understanding, but I don't quite get it yet . . . Do any examples exist?

**Tags:** terminology, colored-coins


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2012-12-10. Score: 24 | Accepted answer

Colored coins are a method to track the origin of bitcoins, so that a certain set of coins can be set aside and conserved, allowing a party to acknowledge them in various ways. Such coins can be used to represent arbitrary digital tokens, such as stocks, bonds, smart property and so on.

The colored coins protocol is decentralized just like Bitcoin, but the current effort to develop an implementation is done under the [BitcoinX](http://bitcoinx.org) project (tentative name), which also aims to provide some related services.

As this is still under development, you will not find any existing examples.

You can read more about it in [Overview of colored coins](https://bitcoil.co.il/BitcoinX.pdf) (work in progress).

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: username_1 - do you have a list of whitepapers you've written? I thoroughly enjoy reading them.  
> **username_1**: @username_2: Thanks!  The list is quite short actually, in addition to colored coins there's AoBPMRS (https://bitcoil.co.il/pool_analysis.pdf) and double-spending https://bitcoil.co.il/Doublespend.pdf. There are a few papers I collaborated on but are not really mine. I also have a blog, http://fieryspinningsword.com/. And of course my vanity thread lists some of my more meaningful forum posts (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=121314).  
> **username_2**: I'm curious if you have any modifications to a proof of stake...e.g. if you embrace any new ideas of others not in your whitepaper.  That will be my next area of study.  
> **username_2**: wow...lots of great things in your posts!  
> **username_1**: @username_2 - Not "new", I designed one of the original PoS implementations back in early 2012, much better IMO than the half-assed designs you see in various coins these days - https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Proof_of_Stake#username_1.27s_implementation. I'm also collaborating with Iddo Bentov on the Proof of Activity variant.  
> **username_2**: I read that wiki, and another post by you saying that you eventually warmed up to Cunicula's implementation more than your own.  I haven't yet seen an explanation of NXT or the other POS coins, but am passionate about finding a "green" way of solving the proof of work issue.  Have any links on Proof of Activity?  
> **username_1**: @username_2: The main problem with what passes for "Proof of Stake" coins is that there is nothing at stake - The stakeholder has no reason not to extend all branches, thus being a rubber stamp of no use in combating double-spending. Since PoA is in the process of academic publication I can't link to the paper, but there's some related discussion on the forum - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=102355.  
> **username_2**: I'm reading about Bitshares now, not sure if it's related to your work, but I get the jist, not sure if that is your preferred approach.  Will read the forum now.  

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