The falling price of Bitcoin has not entirely quashed investor enthusiasm for the virtual currency.

The United States Marshals Service said on Thursday that 14 registered bidders took part in an auction for 50,000 Bitcoins, worth about $14 million, that were seized in connection with the online bazaar Silk Road. The service said it received 34 total bids, slightly more than the 27 bids it received from 11 bidders at its second auction in December, which was also for 50,000 Bitcoins.

The winner or winners of the auction will be notified by 5 p.m. on Friday.

The latest auction was for Bitcoins seized from computer hardware belonging to Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted in Federal District Court in Manhattan in February on charges related to the operation and ownership of Silk Road. The website was shut down in October 2013 after the authorities said it was an online bazaar for illegal drugs and other illicit activities.

The format of the third auction mimicked that of the previous auction in December. Bidders had six hours, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, to submit sealed bids for the coins, which the Marshals Service had broken into several blocks. The first series contained 10 blocks of 2,000 Bitcoins, while the second contained 10 blocks of 3,000 Bitcoins. Bidders could participate in both series and bid on multiple blocks.

The auction generated little of the attention that accompanied the government’s first auction in June, when it sold nearly 30,000 Bitcoins. At the time, Bitcoin was enjoying a speculative boom that had sent its price to about $1,150 at the end of 2013. Although the price of one Bitcoin had since fallen, to about $570 at the start of the first auction, investors were still willing to bet heavily on the currency. With the auction, the government also legitimized Bitcoin in the eyes of its supporters, fueling a sense of optimism and driving even casual Bitcoin users to participate. Forty-five bidders took part in the first auction.