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LitecoinLTC

One of the oldest cryptocurrencies — "silver to Bitcoin's gold."

$46.50Trend: transition

30-day price

Where the chart sits — description, not prediction

Between its 50-day ($44.47) and 200-day ($53.79) averages — a trend in transition. 30-day range $41.90–$47.77; currently in the upper third of that range. RSI(14) 57 — momentum firm.

Computed from daily closing prices (CoinGecko), July 28, 2026. Compare all coins →

What is Litecoin?

Litecoin is among the oldest cryptocurrencies still in active use, launched in 2011 by Charlie Lee, a former Google engineer. It was created as a "lighter" version of Bitcoin: built from Bitcoin's open-source code but tuned for faster, cheaper everyday transactions, with blocks produced about four times more often.

The long-standing analogy is that if Bitcoin is digital gold, Litecoin is digital silver — a complementary, more transactional cousin. It has a maximum supply of 84 million coins, exactly four times Bitcoin's 21 million, and uses a different mining algorithm (Scrypt).

Litecoin has often served as a testing ground for technology later adopted by Bitcoin, and it remains one of the most widely accepted cryptocurrencies for payments despite the rise of countless newer rivals.

TickerLTC
Launched2011
Created byCharlie Lee
Maximum supply84 million coins
NicknameSilver to Bitcoin's gold

What has moved Litecoin

2011 — launch

Charlie Lee released Litecoin as a faster, lighter fork of Bitcoin's code, making it one of the earliest "altcoins."

2017 — the breakout

Amid the broader crypto mania, LTC surged to triple-digit prices for the first time and gained wide exchange and merchant support.

Ongoing — the test-bed role

Litecoin has repeatedly adopted new technology ahead of Bitcoin, serving as a real-world proving ground for features later considered for the larger network.

Notable moments

The founder sold the top

In December 2017, near the market peak, Charlie Lee sold and donated essentially all of his Litecoin, saying he wanted to avoid a conflict of interest — a move that drew both praise and criticism.

Four times Bitcoin, by design

Litecoin's 84 million cap and four-times-faster blocks are deliberate multiples of Bitcoin's parameters — the "silver to gold" relationship baked into the maths.

Common questions

How is Litecoin different from Bitcoin?

It is based on Bitcoin's code but tuned for faster, cheaper transactions, with four-times-faster blocks and a maximum supply of 84 million — four times Bitcoin's 21 million.

Why is Litecoin called "digital silver"?

By analogy to Bitcoin as "digital gold" — Litecoin is positioned as a complementary, more transactional cryptocurrency.

Other coins

About this page: the explainer above is general educational background. The live figures describe where Litecoin sits today — trend relative to its 50- and 200-day averages, its 30-day range, and its 14-day RSI — and say nothing about where it is going. Coin Mornings is an educational publication; nothing here is financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.
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