The Declining Altcoins Issue Thirty-Two: Old-Timer Coins

$ZEC
Zcash, the pioneer of privacy coins. Launched in 2016, it soared to $5,941 on its first day, now only $370, down 95%. Even more heartbreaking, by the end of 2025 it reached $748, more than halved in half a year. In early 2026, the team directly fell into internal conflict, with core developers collectively "kicked out," starting from scratch, leaving a mess behind. The privacy coin track was already being suppressed by regulations, and ZEC is still in "optional privacy" mode, neither maintaining privacy nor achieving compliance. No matter how advanced the technology, it’s now an old fossil.
$DASH
Dash, once focused on "instant transactions + masternode network," peaked at $1,125, now $37, down 97%. Later, it tried to become compliant, launching Dash Platform and DPNS, hoping to whitewash itself. Unfortunately, the payment track was already dominated by stablecoins and Layer 2 solutions, leaving no room for Dash. Its only current chance is to be used by speculators as a "privacy concept" to boost its value, then continue to decline quietly. Once a payment king, now a payment pawn.
$ZEN
Horizen, technically quite solid, focusing on sidechains + privacy, peaked at $165, now $5.6, down 96%. Sidechain architecture sounds impressive, capable of hosting various application chains, but ZEN failed to keep up with the big waves of Layer 2 and ZK technology, turning technological leadership into tech self-indulgence. The framework is well built, but the core is rotten. The ambition of sidechains and the chicken ribs of public chains.
Their common point is especially painful: the demand for privacy will never disappear, but the "privacy coin" track has been discredited by the market. Regulations keep chasing, compliance costs are ridiculously high, and users prefer to use mixers rather than touch these old coins. It’s not that privacy has no value; these old privacy coins just aren’t worth much anymore. The times have changed, but they remain stuck in place.