Crypto was a completely different world back in 2017.
The market went parabolic, with bitcoin (BTC) gaining as much as 20x at its December 2017 highs versus its starting point for the year.
Other coins saw even grander gains.
While many coins and projects that were popular back then have fallen out of favor as of 2023, a few OG (“original gangster”) coins have stood the test of time and are still in the spotlight in 2023.
Let’s take a look at some of the best OG cryptos to buy now that pumped 5x or more back in 2017.
Bitcoin (BTC)
The OG of crypto OGs.
The cryptocurrency that started it all.
Bitcoin (BTC) is always a great addition to any investor’s portfolio, given that it is the oldest, most decentralized, most trusted, most secure and most “proven” cryptocurrency network currently in existence.
Traditional investors are increasingly coming around to adding a 5-10% allocation towards the coin.
Most crypto advocates believe the coin should form the bedrock of an investor’s portfolio.
Bitcoin maxis, meanwhile, often say it should form 100% of any investor’s portfolio.
Bitcoin ended 2017 with stunning gains in the region of 14x, as it rallied from under $1,000 per token to finish the year just under $14,000.
Litecoin (LTC)
The silver to bitcoin’s gold.
Litecoin (LTC) was designed to be just as secure and decentralized similar to bitcoin, but better at handling a high transaction workload.
The idea is that while bitcoin could be the reserve asset of a future crypto economy, Litecoin can be used for everyday transactions.
Litecoin pumped around 50x in 2017 from around $4 per token to over $220.
While it has never quite gotten back to its December 2017 highs at $420, it remains a highly promising cryptocurrency with a growing userbase and strong value proposition.
Investors would be wise to treat Litecoin’s drop on Wednesday, which comes amid a “sell the fact” reaction to the blockchain’s third-ever halving event, as an opportunity to buy the dip, with Litecoin likely to be a strong performer in the coming crypto bull market.
XRP (XRP)
XRP (XRP) pumped a jaw-dropping 30,000% (300x) in 2017, as it rose from a price of under $0.01 to end the year above $2.0.
A lot has happened since 2017.
Ripple Labs (XRP’s creator) has continued to grow its global cross-border payments business, growing the demand and utilization of XRP.
And the SEC has attempted to sue Ripple for selling XRP as an unregistered security.
But a recent judge ruling, which sent XRP surging to new yearly highs above $0.90 per token, has greatly imperiled the SEC’s case against Ripple, after the XRP creator was granted a partial victory.
With XRP having pulled back to around $0.69, now might be a great opportunity to buy the dip ahead of a likely move back above $1.0.
XRP is a great addition to any portfolio, and a great crypto to buy right now.
Dogecoin (DOGE)
Dogecoin (DOGE), the world’s first and still most valuable meme coin and a full-blown decentralized crypto network in its own right, rallied nearly 40x in 2017 from around $0.0002 per token to close to $0.009.
The token has a long history of experiencing major pumps before then experiencing large pull backs.
And if history is any guide, Dogecoin could well be hovering around bear market lows ahead of its next major pump, though it remains tough to predict when this will occur.
The prospect of potential 10x gains means if it is able to get back to and surpass its all-time highs means that Dogecoin is a great portfolio diversifier for any crypto investor.
Ether (ETH)
Ether (ETH), the token that powers the pioneering smart-contract-enabled Ethereum network, rose an amazing 13,500% in 2017 from around $8 per token to nearly $1,100.
Eight years after its launch, the Ethereum blockchain continues to dominate the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) landscape, despite its high transaction fees and often slow transaction speeds.
That’s probably because 1) it has proven itself over the years to be the most secure of the smart-contract-enabled blockchains and 2) it has a promising roadmap that should address scalability concerns in the coming years, allowing the network’s dominance to expand even more.
For any crypto investor who believes in the potential that decentralized finance and decentralized applications to transform our everyday lives, owning Ether in their portfolios is a must.
As it hovers in the mid-$1,800s and still down over 60% from its 2021 highs, ETH is a great addition to any crypto portfolio.
ETH can be swapped for yield baring staked ETH tokens like stETH and rETH, which offer an annual return in the region of 4%, making it an even more attractive prospect.
Crypto Alternatives to Consider
While the above coins are all set to do well in the coming years, a repeat of their 2017 performance is highly unlikely.
For those looking at for better possibility of near-term gains, one high-risk-high-reward investment strategy to consider is getting involved in crypto presales.
This is where investors buy the tokens of up-start crypto projects to help fund their development.
These tokens are nearly always sold very cheap and there is a long history of presales delivering huge exponential gains to early investors.
Many of these projects have fantastic teams behind them and a great vision to deliver a revolutionary crypto application/platform.
If an investor can identify such projects, the risk/reward of their presale investment is very good.
The team at Cryptonews spends a lot of time combing through presale projects to help investors out.
Here is a list of 15 of what the project deems as the best crypto presales of 2023.
Disclaimer: Crypto is a high-risk asset class. This article is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. You could lose all of your capital.