$5 Mining Reward is Now $5 Million from Satoshi-Era Wallet
A Bitcoin wallet that had lain dormant since 2010 has suddenly sprung to life, moving its entire holding of 50 BTC for the first time in 15 years. The long-idle stash was mined when Bitcoin traded for mere cents, but its latest transfer represents nearly $5 million in value at today’s prices. The unexpected awakening of this early “whale” wallet marks one of the rare cases of Satoshi-era coins returning to activity in recent years.
15-Year Dormancy Ends with Multi-Million Transfer
Blockchain records show the ancient address (starting with 04ba30) received a 50 BTC mining reward back in July 2010, when Bitcoin’s price was under $0.10. For a decade and a half, those coins remained untouched. That changed this week when the holder finally initiated the wallet’s first-ever outgoing transaction, moving all 50 BTC simultaneously.
JUST IN: SOMEONE JUST MOVED 50 #BITCOIN THEY MINED 15 YEARS AGO AT UNDER $0.10
At the current Bitcoin price of around $93,500, the transfer was worth approximately $4.67 million. The move was first flagged by Bitcoin historian Pete Rizzo, who noted on social media that the owner had “held to $5 million” after acquiring the coins for under 10 cents each. Rizzo hailed the long-term holder as a “legend” for their patience.
From Pocket Change to 93,000,000% Gain
If the owner were to cash out the 50 BTC now, they would reap an astonishing return on investment. The original value of the coins was only about $5 in total in 2010; at today’s market rates, that figure has ballooned by over 93,000,000%. Such a staggering gain underscores the almost unimaginable appreciation of Bitcoin over the past 15 years. Yet this kind of windfall is not entirely without precedent in the crypto world.
JUST IN: Someone just moved 2,000 #Bitcoin worth $179,000,000. They held from $0.06 to $90,000
Occasionally, early Bitcoin holders resurface to move their holdings, often revealing eye-popping profits. In one recent example, a dormant investor moved 2,000 BTC last November – coins originally acquired for roughly $120 – into an exchange wallet, a stash worth about $179 million at the time of transfer. That holder’s patience yielded roughly a 150,000,000% gain, even larger in percentage terms than the latest whale’s profit. These cases illustrate the dramatic rewards earned by those who held Bitcoin from its infancy to its current maturity.
Rare Revival of a Satoshi-Era Wallet
This week’s transaction joins a small but growing list of early Bitcoin wallets reawakening after years of inactivity. The term “Satoshi era” refers to Bitcoin’s first years (2009–2011) when its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, was still active online. Wallets from this era are historical curiosities – many are believed to be lost or inaccessible, making any movement of their coins notable. According to CoinDesk, several long-silent Bitcoin addresses from 2009–2010 have stirred since 2023, moving significant sums after a decade or more of dormancy.
Summary
The quiet move of a long-forgotten Bitcoin trove thus serves as a reminder of the cryptocurrency’s remarkable journey. It highlights the immense wealth amassed by early believers and the continuing mystique of Bitcoin’s origin era, even as the asset now trades at global exchanges for five-figure prices.
