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Sleeping beauty Bitcoin wallets wake up after 14 years to the tune of $2B

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189 points aorloff | 3 comments | 04 Jul 25 18:41 UTC | HN request time: 0.578s | source
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coolspot ◴[04 Jul 25 19:07 UTC] No.44467069[source]▶
Someone just got out of jail.
replies(2): >>44467093 #>>44467250 #
Workaccount2 ◴[04 Jul 25 19:35 UTC] No.44467250[source]▶
An old friend of mine died 11 years ago from an overdose, and I am almost certain he used darknet markets to buy other drugs.

It's very likely there is a wallet forever lost with many Bitcoin in it from his passing. No way his family would have known anything about it (Bitcoin/dark markets)or cared much anyway circa 2014. I'll admit I have pondered ways to check this, but it's too far fetched.

I can't help but wonder if the wave of fentanyl that made optiate addict deaths skyrocket, left a huge wake of forever lost Bitcoin. I know there was a lot of overlap between addicts and darknet market users.

replies(1): >>44467892 #
1. Stevvo ◴[04 Jul 25 21:07 UTC] No.44467892[source]▶
Most addicts would likely not hold Bitcoin in wallet, but spend it on getting their next fix as soon as they buy it. It's not like you're thinking long-term, invest in Bitcoin so you can buy more drugs down the line. There would be leftover change but not big amounts.
replies(2): >>44468015 #>>44472438 #
2. Xss3 ◴[04 Jul 25 21:31 UTC] No.44468015[source]▶
You'd be surprised how many of these addicts would be buying for multiple other less tech savvy addicts and essentially becoming small time dealers themselves to fund their own habit. If they got locked up or ODd at the right time there could've been a few thousand usd in btc in a wallet at a time when each btc was worth less than 10usd.
3. Workaccount2 ◴[05 Jul 25 12:44 UTC] No.44472438[source]▶
He wouldn't heroin from darknet markets and I doubt many addicts do, they need that on tap locally. But he, and many others like him, just like drugs in general and have a heroin addiction they picked up. So the darknet is more for getting lsd, MDMA, mushrooms, or whatever else.