Blockchain Minute – What Gives Memes Their Value?

What Is a Meme Coin?

At its core, a meme coin is just that—a meme turned into a digital token.

It could be:
• A dog (like Dogecoin 🐶)
• A frog (like Pepe 🐸)
• Or even a made-up concept, like Bonk (yep, that’s real)

These tokens often don’t start with utility or business models.

They start with vibes.

They’re funny, weird, or community-driven.

But here’s the wild part:

Dogecoin is worth $14 billion
Pepe is around $2 billion
Bonk? Roughly $1 billion

So how does something with no “intrinsic value” get… well, so valuable?

Value Comes from Community

Unlike traditional stocks or currencies, the value of a meme coin is entirely community-driven.

There’s no CEO.

No quarterly earnings report.

No hard-coded use case (at least at the start).

Instead, it works like this:

The community decides what it’s worth
They buy, sell, and trade it in open markets
The price goes up or down based on demand

Sound crazy? Maybe.

But it’s not so different from… coasters.

Let’s Talk Beer Coasters 🍺

I collect beer coasters. Here’s one from Budvar, the original Budweiser brewery in the Czech town of Pilsen (yep, where “Pilsner” comes from). I’ve got coasters from Germany, Belgium, Amsterdam—you name it.

So here’s the question:

What is one of these coasters worth?

Is this Budvar one worth $1,000?

Is this other one worth 5 cents?

Who decides?

You guessed it: the community.

If there’s a coaster trading group out there—and there is—they’re buying, bidding, swapping. They’re assigning value based on rarity, nostalgia, location, or just vibes.

Sound familiar?

Web3: Where the Community Is the Market

Meme coins follow the exact same principle:

Communities assign value
Communities trade
Communities drive the culture

This is the essence of Web3. It’s not about central authorities telling us what something is worth. It’s about open markets where value is defined bottom-up—by us.

So if you’re holding Doge, Pepe, or Bonk…

Or trading beer coasters on Reddit…

You’re already participating in the same kind of value ecosystem.

Final Thoughts

Meme coins may look silly.

But the economics behind them are serious—and seriously Web3.

It’s not about the picture.

It’s about the people behind it.

And in the end, that’s where the value lives.

Blockchain for Schmucks

Don’t Be A Schmuck! Imagine its 1993, and some Putz tells you that we will be using our computers and telephones to watch TV, buy stocks, purchase groceries, read the newspaper, pay our bills, and run our businesses. This will happen because of a new protocol called: “The Internet.” You would say “gay chacham, ye linger” (go away, you liar)!

But here we are now, looking at this Fakakta new technology called “Blockchain” which offers as much promise as the Internet did in 1993. This isn’t Chazerei (junk) but real technology that is being used every day. You’re using it yourself but don’t know it!

This Booklela will keep you from being a Schmuck while you learn about Blockchain, Crypto, NFTs, DeFi and Tokenization, all while you join in the laughter.

Enjoy the book and the Schtumi (ongoing humor). And…..don’t have a kniption (anxious fit)! There’s a glossary in the back for tech & Yiddish. GET THE BOOK!