Slumbering Bitcoin Cache Awakens After More Than a Decade, Transacting $3.77 Million

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In September and October 2023, a surge in activity was observed as numerous dormant bitcoin wallets from 2012 reawakened, transacting millions in bitcoin after lying inactive for more than ten years. Despite this flurry of activity, there were no further movements from these wallets for the majority of November, following a modest transfer of ten bitcoins on Halloween. However, on November 30, an intriguing development occurred when a vintage bitcoin address from 2012, which had been inactive for nearly eleven years, suddenly became active again, spending $3.77 million.

After Years of Dormancy, Bitcoin Wallet Reactivates With a $3.77 Million Move

The resurgence recorded in September saw a significant number of these 2012 wallets come back to life, marking a noticeable shift in the pattern of older bitcoin wallets. Transfers from 2009 wallets are practically non-existent, and those from 2010 are becoming increasingly rare, making the recent activities of 2011 and 2012 wallets stand out.

Furthermore, October saw some interesting transfers from 2012 as well but the last one that occurred was on October 31, 2023. That particular transaction involved the movement of ten bitcoins from a wallet established on December 13, 2012.

Fast forward to 29 days after the last dormant bitcoin activity from 2012, and on November 30, 2023, another notable event unfolded. An address from that same year executed a significant transfer, moving 100 BTC valued at $3.77 million.

This transaction was detected by the blockchain parser btcparser.com on a Thursday afternoon. The bitcoin address, known as “18e2L,” initially appeared on the blockchain scene on Christmas Day, December 25, 2012.

At that moment, the total value of the owner’s BTC hoard was a mere $1,338, with each bitcoin priced at $13.38. This translates to a significant appreciation of approximately 282,234% against the U.S. dollar from the time of acquisition.

The transaction’s privacy, as assessed by Blockchair’s privacy tool, scored a “moderate” 60 out of 100, indicating a reasonable level of anonymity. In essence, the user employed the “send everything” function, potentially for payment purposes or to transfer the assets to a new wallet.

Occurrences of ‘sleeping bitcoin’ spends are few and far between, yet they seem to surge when BTC values rise, as observed during the latter part of 2020 and the 2021 bull market. Year-to-date, bitcoin has witnessed a 128% increase against the U.S. dollar, with a 9.44% rise over the past month alone.

The precise reasons behind these transfers remain unclear, but the heightened value of BTC appears to be a driving factor for owners of these vintage coins. It’s important to note that these transactions indicate the movement of the bitcoins, with no definitive way to ascertain whether the coins are being sold or merely shifted to another address.

What do you think about the 2012 bitcoin transaction transferred on Thursday? Share your thoughts and opinions about this subject in the comments section below.