Another Set of Vintage 2012 ‘Sleeping Bitcoins’ Emerge From Dormancy With $6 Million Transfer

Last month, 19 distinct bitcoin addresses from 2012 awakened, moving coins that had remained untouched for over 11 years. Fast forward to this month, and we’ve already seen four such transfers from 2012. This Sunday, at block heights 811,239 and 811,244, two addresses from that vintage year collectively transacted 227 BTC, a sum equivalent to $6.34 million using current bitcoin exchange rates.

Sleeping Giant Awakens With $6 Million Bitcoin Move After 11 Years

The trend of transferring old bitcoins persists in October 2023, following an intriguing set of transactions on October 4 and 6. On these dates, 86 addresses from 2014 transferred 860 bitcoins, an address from 2013 shifted 504.99 bitcoins, and two addresses from 2012 moved a combined 426 BTC.

On Sunday, October 8, 2023, btcparser.com spotted two more interesting transactions, collectively moving 227 BTC, valued at a cool $6.34 million. The first transaction came from an address transferring 15 BTC at block height 811,239.

The receiving wallet, dubbed “1HpLD”, garnered a “modest” privacy grade from Blockchair.com. Taking a trip back in time, this wallet first saw the light of day on April 26, 2012. Subsequently, after a sweep, the funds from this once-dormant address found their new home in a P2SH (Pay to Script Hash) address.

Merely five block rewards later, at block height 811,244, 212 BTC changed hands. This movement originated from the “1P955” address, created on October 24, 2012, and these coins too were swept into a different wallet. But here’s a twist: the 212 BTC didn’t end up in a P2SH address but instead nestled in another legacy address, “144f9“.

This transfer didn’t fare too well on the privacy front either, securing a “low” privacy grade from Blockchair.com due to repetitive address appearances in inputs. These specific Sunday transfers bring the total 2012 transactions this month to a count of four. Digging deeper, of these four October transfers from 2012 wallets, 653 bitcoin – a treasure worth $18.25 million today – has been roused after 11 years of slumber.

While October 2023 hasn’t witnessed any transfer action from the 2010 addresses, an antique 2011 transaction did light up the ledger on October 4. The “1CrcX” address, created on August 8, 2012, sprung to life, dispatching 12.98 BTC.

Although it might not sound like much, remember, this is vintage bitcoin, and still valued at a respectable $362,781 at present rates. To put things in perspective, on the day of its creation, this stash was a mere $144, back when BTC was trading for $11.10 per unit during the start of the 2012 bitcoin bull run.

Months roll by, each with its share of fascinating spends from the golden era of bitcoin. Yet, the sightings of 2010 transactions are dwindling. The last time one such relic stirred was 55 days ago, on August 14, 2023, at block height 803,135. And it wasn’t a small whisper, but a loud statement: a whopping transfer of 1,005 bitcoins in a single swoop.

What do you think about the idle 2012 bitcoin wallets waking up in October? Share your thoughts and opinions about this subject in the comments section below.

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