An ancient Bitcoin ( BTC ) address just moved BTC worth more than $25 million after being dormant for a little over 13 years, according to blockchain tracker Whale Alert.
Whale Alert notes that the ancient address moved 232 BTC worth $26.55 million on September 11th to another mysterious address, completely emptying the wallet.
According to blockchain analytics platform BitInfoCharts, the stash of 232 BTC was deposited in August 2012 when Bitcoin was trading at $12.11. With Bitcoin trading at $114,423 at the time of the transaction, the stash has recorded a staggering price increase of 944,765%.
Other than the initial deposit transaction in 2012 and the recent withdrawal, the ancient wallet has received trace amounts of Bitcoin a handful of times over the last 13 years, possibly a sign of dusting attacks. Dusting attacks involve hackers and scammers sending tiny amounts of a crypto asset to a vast number of wallets in an attempt to identify wallet holders.
Hours earlier, Whale Alert also noted that another ancient address had moved a partial amount of Bitcoin that had been in the wallet since November of 2012. According to BitInfoCharts, on September 11th the ancient address moved 137 BTC worth approximately $15.63 million at the time of the transaction.
Bitcoin appreciated from a price of around $12.22 to $114,094 over that time, marking a paper gain of 933,566% in about 12 years and nine months.
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