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A Bitcoin address that had remained untouched since 2011 moved 10 BTC on Aug. 29, adding to a notable burst of activity among some of the network’s oldest holdings.
The coins were transferred in Bitcoin block 964,539 at about 07:34 UTC after sitting dormant for roughly 15.2 years. Blockchain records show the block was mined by Foundry USA and contained 4,682 transactions.
The wallet initially received the Bitcoin on June 17, 2011, when BTC traded near $15 per coin. By the time of the latest transfer, the 10 BTC were valued at approximately $777,000, according to Galaxy Research data cited by several industry publications.
That price change works out to an increase of roughly 503,000% from the estimated 2011 acquisition level. The figure should not, however, be interpreted as confirmed realized profit: moving coins between wallets does not establish that they were sold.
August Brings a Cluster of Dormant Bitcoin Transfers
The transaction is part of a broader pattern that has emerged in August, with several addresses holding Bitcoin for more than a decade becoming active.
Earlier in the month, 85 BTC dating back to December 2012 moved after approximately 13.6 years. That position was worth about $5.4 million when transferred. Other transactions included 8.54 BTC originating from June 2011 and 10.74 BTC received during the same month.
A larger transfer involved 212 BTC held since August 2012, valued at about $13.7 million when it moved. Days later, addresses containing 132.31 BTC dating to July 2011 also became active, representing more than $10 million at prevailing prices.
The trend resembles other episodes in which very old wallets suddenly return on-chain. In 2025, for example, a separate dormant wallet moved Bitcoin originally mined in 2009 after more than a decade of inactivity.
Such transactions attract attention because long-term holders control supply that rarely circulates. With Bitcoin approaching the point where around 95% of its maximum supply has been mined, the behavior of existing holders is becoming increasingly important to market liquidity. Coinpaper’s overview of Bitcoin scarcity explains how reduced new issuance shifts more influence toward holders, institutions and market demand.
Old Coins Move as Bitcoin Rebounds Toward $80,000
The renewed activity comes during a sharp recovery in Bitcoin prices. BTC was trading near $78,000 on Aug. 30 after briefly moving above $81,000 earlier in the week, following a substantial rebound from its July lows.
Coinpaper recently tracked the Bitcoin rally from the low-$60,000 area toward $80,000, supported by short covering, ETF demand and a weaker dollar. Reuters also linked the late-August advance to renewed interest in alternative assets as the dollar softened and U.S. Treasury policy shifted market rally.
At the same time, large-holder behavior is far from uniformly bearish. Recent on-chain data showed wallets holding more than 10,000 BTC adding tens of thousands of coins even as exchange trading volumes weakened. The contrast between dormant holders moving coins and other Bitcoin whales accumulating underscores why old-wallet activity cannot automatically be treated as a sell signal.
A transfer can represent a sale, custody restructuring, inheritance, wallet security upgrade or simple consolidation. Without a confirmed move to an exchange or other identifiable destination, the Aug. 29 transaction is best viewed as evidence that historically inactive Bitcoin supply is becoming more mobile—not proof that an early holder has exited.
Source: coinpaper.com