TheBlock
Two Bitcoin addresses that sat dormant for more than 16 years moved 100 BTC on Friday morning, worth approximately $6.89 million at current prices. The coins originated from block rewards mined in September 2010, when each 50 BTC reward was worth roughly $3.
The first address sent nearly 50 BTC to one destination and 0.01 BTC to another at 4:08 a.m. UTC. Just over two minutes later, the second address sent nearly 49 BTC and 1 BTC in separate transfers. By 4:48 a.m. UTC, about 59 BTC had been consolidated at a new address starting "bc1qj5", with another 30 BTC at "bc1qqs", 10 BTC at "bc1qds", and 1 BTC at "bc1qce". Onchain monitoring platform Whale Alert first reported the moves, and blockchain explorer Mempool confirmed both inputs as pay-to-public-key (P2PK) outputs from 2010.
Why it matters
With BTC trading around $69,000, the value of the transferred coins has risen more than 1.15 million times since they were mined. The reason for the transfers, the identity of the owners, and whether the two addresses belong to the same person remain unknown.
The move fits a broader pattern of early-era coins migrating to modern address formats. Five 50 BTC rewards mined in April 2010 moved to two SegWit addresses in July 2025 after about 15 years of dormancy, worth $29.6 million at the time. In March 2024, a single transaction consolidated 40 mining rewards from 2010, totaling 2,000 BTC worth nearly $140 million.
Market impact
At roughly 100 BTC, the transfer is a rounding error against daily spot volumes, and no price reaction followed the moves. The destinations, all native SegWit addresses starting with "bc1q", suggest preparation for further transactions rather than exchange deposits, though the eventual use of the coins is unknown. Watchers of dormant-whale flows will track whether the consolidated address moves coins to exchanges in the coming days, which would signal intent to sell.
Frequently asked questions
-
How much are the 100 BTC from the dormant addresses worth now?
Approximately $6.89 million, with Bitcoin trading around $69,000. The value has risen more than 1.15 million times since the coins were mined in September 2010, when each 50 BTC reward was worth about $3.
-
Why did 16-year-dormant Bitcoin addresses move their coins now?
The reason and the owners' identities are unknown. The move fits a broader pattern of early-era coins shifting to modern SegWit formats, including five 2010 rewards that moved in July 2025 and 2,000 BTC consolidated in March 2024.
-
What does pay-to-public-key (P2PK) mean for these Bitcoin addresses?
P2PK is an early Bitcoin output format, and Mempool labeled both 50 BTC inputs as P2PK. It predates newer formats such as P2PKH addresses starting with 1, P2SH addresses starting with 3, and SegWit or Taproot addresses starting with bc1.
-
Where did the 100 BTC go after the dormant wallets moved?
About 59 BTC was consolidated at an address starting "bc1qj5", with 30 BTC at "bc1qqs", 10 BTC at "bc1qds", and 1 BTC at "bc1qce". All four are native SegWit addresses starting with the bc1q prefix.
-
Could these dormant Bitcoin transfers affect the BTC price?
At roughly 100 BTC, the amount is a rounding error against daily spot volumes, and no price reaction followed. Historically, similar dormant-whale moves, including the 2,000 BTC consolidation in 2024, had negligible market impact.
CryptoSlate
Whale Alert
WuBlockchain
Crypto Rank News
CoinDesk