Satoshi? — Dormant Bitcoin Wallet Worth $3.4 Million Mysteriously Springs Back to Life After Over 14 Years

A Bitcoin wallet containing 50 BTC, untouched since the cryptocurrency’s early days, has suddenly sprung to life after more than 14 years of dormancy, executing a transfer worth approximately $3.4 million.

Blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain first reported the activity on Friday, noting, “A miner wallet woke up after being dormant for over 14 years and transferred 50 $BTC($3.05M) out 2 hours ago. The miner earned 50 $BTC from mining on Jul 13, 2010.”

What makes this transaction particularly remarkable is the astronomical return on investment. When these coins were first mined in 2010, Bitcoin traded at merely $0.08 per coin, making the original value around $2. Today’s valuation at $3.4 million represents a staggering gain of 169,359,000% for the early investor.

This wallet awakening appears to be part of a larger trend of long-inactive Bitcoin holders suddenly becoming active. A few hours after this transaction, Lookonchain highlighted another instance where another long-dormant wallet, holding 399 BTC (worth around $27.21 million), transferred its balance after 12 years to cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp, potentially indicating a planned sale. Notably, this wallet received its initial deposit in June 2012, when Bitcoin traded at just $5.45.

Notably, this uptick in activity among dormant Bitcoin holders is not isolated. On October 21, blockchain intelligence firm Arkham Intelligence reported that an early Bitcoin miner from the Satoshi Nakamoto era sold $9.6 million of Bitcoin in recent months.

“A Bitcoin whale that mined its first coins on January 13, 2009, has sold some of the funds from its wallet,” the firm noted. This miner, who first acquired Bitcoin just days after the network’s launch, has been progressively selling his holdings since mid-August, amounting to over $10 million worth of Bitcoin sold as of Friday.

That said, however, not all experts are sounding alarms. On Thursday, analysts at CryptoQuant provided reassurance regarding the behavior of Bitcoin whales, noting that their overall holdings remain strong.

“Whales’ holdings are at an all-time high. Whales currently hold around 670,000 BTC, which is the highest value ever,” analyst BaroVirtual from the firm reported. He emphasized that this accumulation phase often precedes major market moves, typically foreshadowing a significant price increase once whales start offloading some of their holdings.

Moreover, the Bitcoin network’s fundamentals remain robust. Mining hash rates have reached new highs, signaling increased mining difficulty and underscoring growing network security and Bitcoin’s intrinsic value. According to the firm, the surge in active addresses and rising on-chain transaction fees also suggest renewed interest and activity on the Bitcoin network, indicators often associated with bullish phases in Bitcoin’s price cycle.

With an accumulation phase in effect and a strong network foundation, analysts from the firm suggested that Bitcoin’s recent whale activity could be the “calm before the storm,” hinting at an impending upward trend as long-term holders remain engaged.