Two Satoshi-era Bitcoin addresses move 50 BTC each after 16.2 years dormant
In brief
- Two Satoshi-era Bitcoin addresses became active on Nov. 13 after 16.2 years, per Whale Alert.
- Each address held 50 BTC, worth roughly $3.44 million at the time.
- Both holdings together were worth around $6.89 million.
- Owner or owners remain unknown, and the report doesn't link the wallets to Satoshi.
- Several other long-dormant Bitcoin addresses became active in October.
What Whale Alert tracked
The first address dates from 2010. According to Whale Alert, as reported by U.Today, it held 50 BTC, worth roughly $3,442,939 when it moved, and it had been inactive for 16.2 years. In Bitcoin's early days, those same 50 coins were worth about $3.
That's not a typo.
A second dormant address, also holding 50 BTC (roughly $3,442,129), became active after the same 16.2-year stretch, per Whale Alert. The two transfers took place within minutes of each other, putting the combined value at around $6.89 million.
So who's behind them? That's still unclear. It hasn't been confirmed who owns the wallets, or whether the same person or entity controls both addresses. The report was also direct about the obvious question:
However, this does not mean that these wallets are owned by the mysterious founder of Bitcoin.
Why 50 BTC matters
The "Satoshi era" refers to Bitcoin's first few years, mainly 2009 and 2010, when pseudonymous founder Satoshi Nakamoto was active in the network's development. Bitcoin launched in January 2009 with a block reward of 50 BTC, and that reward held until the first halving in November 2012. Each of these addresses held exactly 50 BTC, which matches what miners could receive back then (a detail U.Today pointed out).
A busy autumn for old coins
Nov. 13 isn't an isolated case. On Oct. 22, Whale Alert reported that an address holding 170 BTC (roughly $14.38 million) became active after 13 years of dormancy. Two days before that, on Oct. 20, a dormant address with 500 BTC, worth around $41.54 million, woke up after 10.7 years; those coins were worth $194,955 in 2016. Crypto analytics platform Arkham linked that 500 BTC transaction to addresses belonging to convicted Irish drug dealer Clifton Collins, whose crypto holdings had previously been considered inaccessible.
Earlier still, on Oct. 17, Whale Alert tracked activity in old addresses holding 248 BTC and 167 BTC, worth roughly $20.24 million and $13.65 million.
At 16.2 years, the Nov. 13 wallets' dormancy was longer than the 13-year and 10.7-year periods reported for the Oct. 22 and Oct. 20 movements.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Satoshi era of Bitcoin?
The Satoshi era refers to Bitcoin's first few years, mainly 2009 and 2010. During that period, Bitcoin's pseudonymous founder Satoshi Nakamoto was active in the network's development. Bitcoin launched in January 2009 with a block reward of 50 BTC.
Do the reactivated wallets belong to Satoshi Nakamoto?
There's no confirmation of that. U.Today reported that the activity doesn't mean the wallets belong to Bitcoin's founder, and it hasn't been confirmed who owns them or whether one person or entity controls both addresses.
Why is the 50 BTC balance significant?
Each reactivated address held 50 BTC, which matches the block reward miners could receive in Bitcoin's early days. That 50 BTC reward lasted from Bitcoin's January 2009 launch until the first halving in November 2012.
