Bitcoin Prices Fall Sharply After Government Says One Bidder Took Home All The Bitcoins It Was Auctioning

A single bidder took home all 10 blocks totaling nearly 30,000 Bitcoins the government auctioned off Friday.

The U.S. Marshals Bitcoin auction resulted in 45 registered bidders and 63 bids received.

Prices fell sharply Tuesday afternoon, to as low as $640. They'd reached a high of $654 earlier in the day.

Last Friday, the day of the bidding, prices were around $580.

The U.S. Marshals said they could not comment on the winning bid amount, nor the bidders' origin.

SecondMarket and Pantera, two of the largest players in the Bitcoin world, both said they were outbid.

More to come...