Five dormant Bitcoin (BTC) wallets mined in 2010 collectively moved 250 BTC, worth approximately $29.6 million, on Thursday, following over 15 years of dormancy.
However, it seems unlikely that Satoshi’s BTC holdings are alive and on the move.
Legacy Bitcoin Miner Wallets Wake Up After 15 Years
Thursday transactions reignited speculation about early miners and Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator. The coins were mined on April 26, 2010, just months before the Patoshi mining pattern ceased activity.
The Patoshi Pattern refers to a distinct and traceable mining pattern found in the early blocks of Bitcoin, believed to be linked to Satoshi Nakamoto. It was discovered by researcher Sergio Demián Lerner in 2013 through detailed blockchain analysis.
However, blockchain analysts believe these funds are unlikely to be linked to Satoshi himself.
Reportedly, these coins moved when Satoshi was active on the Bitcoin network.
“According to our research, the two 50 BTC dormant address transactions earlier today were mined at the end of the period during which Satoshi was active (until around block 54,316). However, it is very unlikely the blocks were mined by Satoshi,” wrote Whale Alert, an on-chain tracking service.
Satoshi’s BTC tokens are associated with the Patoshi Pattern, a trend noticed during Bitcoin’s early days. The idea is that Satoshi was mining Bitcoin early on with a single setup.
Meanwhile, the Patoshi miner is a distinctive and well-documented mining entity believed to be operated by Satoshi.
In a previous report, Whale Alert estimated the number of blocks mined and Bitcoins owned by Satoshi.
The research cited 1,125,150 BTC mined up to block 54,316. As of July 20, 2020, these holdings had an estimated total value of at least $10.9 billion.
Why It’s “Very Unlikely” These Wallets Belong to Satoshi
The blocks associated with the Patoshi pattern have a unique signature. These include a narrow nonce range that differs significantly from other miners of that era.
“Lerner found additional proof for his claims in the nonces… the last byte of the nonce was always within the ranges of 0 to 9 or 19 to 58 whereas all other miners used the full range of 0 to 255,” Whale Alert explained.
Furthermore, researchers believe Satoshi intentionally wound down mining operations around May 2010.
“It is safe to say that the Patoshi miner was turned off in May 2010. The timing of the shutdown, the mining behavior, the systematic decrease in mining speed and the lack of spending strongly suggest that Satoshi was only interested in growing and protecting the young network,” Whale Alert added.
Despite some public speculation, the latest activity does not fit this pattern. According to Whale Alert, the Bitcoin mined by Patoshi was possibly a byproduct of these efforts. Further, it is unlikely that the remainder will ever be spent.
Still, the transactions offer a rare window into Bitcoin’s earliest adopters.
Whale Alert notes that its findings do not exclude the possibility that Satoshi was also running a miner using the publicly released software.
“…if only for testing purposes, and we believe it is likely that at least one of the non-Patoshi patterns belongs to Satoshi as well,” the researcher noted.
Whale Alert said it will soon publish a comprehensive list of possible Satoshi-mined blocks, which will likely clarify future early-wallet awakenings.
Meanwhile, Satoshi-era Bitcoin addresses, once dormant, have been resurfacing in recent weeks, prompting sell-off fears.
Galaxy Digital has been scrutinized for helping offload 80,000 BTC from wallets linked to a long-term holder.
Adding to the market’s unease, several long-dormant Bitcoin wallets suddenly became active in July, triggering speculation that more selling could follow.
Community members on X (Twitter) speculated that these Satoshi-era Bitcoin holders could be preparing to exit during the next bullish leg.
“There’s been a lot of old bitcoin transfers lately,” one user posted. “Could they be preparing to sell off during the next bull run?” wrote one user.
While Bitcoin’s fundamentals remain strong, July’s trend of whales moving coins has injected fresh uncertainty into the short-term outlook.
Now, traders monitor volatility, while investors hope fresh inflows can lift BTC back toward new highs.
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