Three Bitcoins from the Satoshi era (BTC) whale addresses dormant since November 2017 transferred 6,500 BTC, worth approximately $230 million, on November 2. Satoshi-era BTC refers to the very early stages of the Bitcoin network when it was still relatively unknown.
According to Using data from BitInfoCharts, the first wallet moved 2,550 BTC, worth an estimated $90 million. A second address moved around 2,000 BTC worth $71 million, and the third address transferred approximately 1,950 BTC worth $69 million.
All three wallets had something else in common: each’s last transaction took place almost six years ago, on November 5, 2017. Thus, these wallets slept through Bitcoin’s bull run and all-time high of over 69 000 $. Most of the Bitcoins in the three whale wallets date back to July 2011 and are linked to F2Pool – a Bitcoin mining pool – suggesting they may have been accumulated through early Bitcoin mining. All three wallets held BTC when it was trading below $15.
It is not confirmed whether all three wallets are owned by the same person or entity, although wallet history and transaction patterns suggest this could be the case. The recent movement of Bitcoin whale addresses containing 2011-era Bitcoin comes just days after the price of BTC hit a new yearly high above $35,000.
In 2023, several whales and Bitcoin addresses older than 10 years have emerged from dormancy, moving BTC to new addresses. Earlier in July, a portfolio inactive for 11 years transferred 30 million dollars in BTC, and a month later, in August, a Saotshi Era wallet transferred 1,005 BTC to a new address.