Ramazan Eles 
Bitcoin’s recent halving event, which reduced miner rewards by half, triggered a fierce competition for blockspace, resulting in the creation of some of the most valuable blocks in Bitcoin’s history.
According to analysis by X user Clark Moody, almost all of Bitcoin’s top 10 most valuable blocks, in terms of U.S. dollar value at the time of mining, have been mined since the halving. The first block after the halving alone captured $2.6 million in fees and rewards, coming close to claiming the top spot. Other blocks have ranged in value from $1.3 to $2 million.
Unlike a previous $3 million overpayment in November, which remains the most valuable block, the transactions post-halving were deliberate efforts to secure valuable blockspace.
For instance, the miner of the first post-halving block was entitled to one of four “epic sats” – unique units of Bitcoin inscribed with specific data, which are exceptionally rare. This particular epic sat, being the first of its kind since the introduction of the Bitcoin Ordinals protocol, may also be the first to be sold.
In addition to epic sats, a new protocol called Runes was introduced to inscribe data on the Bitcoin blockchain. The first Rune was deployed for $430,000 as an airdrop to holders of certain Ordinals collections, as reported by Arkham, while others paid substantial sums to deploy their own collections.
Overall, 9 out of the top 10 most valuable blocks in Bitcoin’s history were mined shortly after the halving. Previously, the second most valuable block was a result of a $500,000 error by Paxos, but the fee was later returned by the mining pool involved.
The halving event not only reshaped Bitcoin’s reward structure but also sparked a surge in the value of mined blocks, highlighting the ongoing evolution and innovation within the cryptocurrency ecosystem.