A Bitcoin wallet containing coins mined in the first two months after Bitcoin's launch has unexpectedly become active after more than a decade. Recent data shows significant cryptocurrency movements.
Long Dormancy of the Wallet
On September 24, blockchain intelligence firm Arkham flagged a Bitcoin whale wallet that had mined Bitcoin in February and March 2009. This indicates the miner was active at the very beginning of Bitcoin's existence, when the cryptocurrency's value was practically zero. After initial transactions in the first few years, the wallet went dormant. However, on-chain data shows the whale's wallet has suddenly woken up, with the latest transaction moving five bitcoins to the crypto exchange Kraken.
Sharp Increase in Value
According to Arkham, this suddenly active whale wallet still holds 1,215 BTC, worth over $77 million. When the whale last moved the coins in 2014, the total value of their holdings was approximately $474,000. Over the past 10 years, the BTC price has increased significantly, bringing the value to $80 million. "After moving several times from 2011-2014, his Bitcoin was then held dormant for almost 10 years – during which it increased in value from $474K to over $80M. This whale woke up around 3 weeks ago, and has moved 10 Bitcoin to Kraken so far in 3 separate transactions," reported Arkham on September 24.
Renewed Interest in Old Wallets
Interestingly, this whale has been active for about three weeks, with 10 BTC transferred to Kraken across three separate transactions. Like other wallets created in those early years, this wallet mined when Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto was still mining coins and present in the ecosystem. Like other transactions involving wallet addresses from that era, this transfer has intrigued the BTC community. Just last week, another Satoshi-era wallet woke, transferring nearly $16 million in BTC. This particular wallet had been dormant for over 15 years. In August 2024, a dormant Bitcoin wallet from 2014 moved BTC worth over $10.2 million. Earlier, in June, a Bitcoin wallet inactive since 2010 moved $3 million in BTC to the crypto exchange Binance.
The activation of ancient Bitcoin wallets attracts the attention of the community and analysts. This phenomenon underscores the long-term potential of cryptocurrency and the enduring interest in early addresses.
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