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Bitcoin

Satoshi-era Bitcoin stash untouched for 16 years, here's what it's worth now

On Sept. 5, 2026, a cluster of long-dormant wallets holding coins mined in March 2010, the network's earliest days, sprang to life after more than a decade and a half of total silence. The co

AnonymousCryptoCompass newsroom
September 17, 2026
2 min read
NEWS
Satoshi-era Bitcoin stash untouched for 16 years, here's what it's worth now
CryptoCompass editorial visual for bitcoin coverage.

On Sept. 5, 2026, a cluster of long-dormant wallets holding coins mined in March 2010, the network's earliest days, sprang to life after more than a decade and a half of total silence.

The coins were effectively worthless when they were created. They're worth tens of millions now.

The awakening

The transfer involved 600 BTC spread across 12 addresses, each holding a 50-BTC reward from a separate block mined in March 2010, before Bitcoin's first halving. One of those addresses received its reward on March 5, 2010, and sat untouched for roughly 16.5 years.

Related: If you invested $1,000 in gold & Bitcoin 10 years ago, here's how much money you'd have today

Onchain monitor Lookonchain first flagged seven of the wallets, which moved 350 BTC. Whale Alert then tracked the fuller move across all twelve addresses. As of now, there's no confirmation of where the coins ultimately landed.

What it's worth now

When these 600 BTC were mined in early 2010, Bitcoin had no meaningful market price, so the coins carried no real dollar value.

With Bitcoin trading near $76,400 as per Decibel data, the stash is worth roughly $46 million today—an almost incomprehensible return on coins that were essentially free to mine.

Not Satoshi, and moving isn't selling

The move sparked the inevitable question: is this Satoshi Nakamoto

Whale Alert says no, "None of the blocks can be connected to Satoshi based on our research," a spokesperson told Cointelegraph. These coins date to the era when Satoshi was still actively involved in Bitcoin.

And a transfer isn't a sale: the coins moved to new wallets with no exchange link. As per reports, it was more housekeeping than a sell-off.

Related: Analyst says XRP could be ready for a big move