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Ancient Bitcoin Wallet Wakes Up, Turning a $120 Investment Into $3 Million

An ancient Bitcoin wallet containing 50 BTC mined in 2010 recently transferred its funds after 14 years of dormancy, yielding a massive 2,500,000% ROI.

By CryptoPress
September 7, 2026
  • An anonymous Bitcoin wallet created on July 14, 2010, transferred 50 BTC after remaining dormant for over 14 years.
  • The original holder acquired the coins when Bitcoin was valued at just $2.40 each, turning a $120 investment into roughly $3 million at current market prices.
  • On-chain data tracked by Whale Alert highlights a growing trend of early crypto miners moving long-held assets.

An early Bitcoin investor who mined 50 BTC during the asset’s infancy in 2010 has moved their holdings after 14 years of absolute dormancy, according to data highlighted by blockchain tracking services. The dormant address, which originally received the block reward when the cryptocurrency traded at roughly $2.40, transferred the entire stash as Bitcoin’s valuation hovered near the $63,000 threshold.

According to on-chain analytics shared by Whale Alert on X, the wallet transferred the 50 BTC block reward minted on July 14, 2010. At the time of mining, the total value of the transaction was a modest $120. Following the recent on-chain movement, those exact coins are now valued at approximately $3 million, representing an astronomical return on investment exceeding 2,500,000%.

The sudden awakening of these so-called “sleeping whales” frequently sparks speculation across the cryptocurrency community. While some analysts monitor these transactions for potential sell-side pressure on major spot exchanges, many early-era coins are simply being moved to modern, secure self-custody setups or multi-signature vaults rather than being dumped onto order books.

Data from analytics providers like Glassnode indicates that supply held by long-term investors remains remarkably resilient, even as occasional decade-old wallets spring back to life. Bitcoin traders and market participants continue to keep a close eye on legacy addresses tied to the Satoshi era, as the movement of coins from 2009 and 2010 remains an exceptionally rare occurrence in digital asset markets.

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