At 3:26 AM UTC today, the address 12tLs9c9RsALt4ockxa1hB4iTCTSmxj2me & 1KbrSKrT3GeEruTuuYYUSQ35JwKbrAWJYm moved 10,000 BTC each
silent since April 2011 emptied its entire balance of 20,000 Bitcoin. That stash, worth a measly $7,805 back when BTC traded at $0.78, is now valued at a jaw-dropping $1.09 billion each.
From Pizza Money to Private Islands
Let that sink in: Someone turned less than 8 grand into over a billion dollars. A 139,743% gain. That’s like buying a used Honda Civic in 2011 and selling it for the entire island of Manhattan today.
Back when this whale first scooped up their coins:
• Bitcoin hadn’t even hit its first major bubble (peaking at $31 just two months later)
• Mt. Gox was still a Magic: The Gathering card exchange
• "Crypto" wasn’t in your grandma’s vocabulary
Who Is the Mystery Whale?
Cue the Satoshi speculation. But let’s clear things out:
✓ This address is not from 2009 (Satoshi’s era)
✓ Format doesn’t match known early dev wallets
✓ More likely an early GPU miner or OTC buyer
So who held through Mt. Gox’s collapse, three brutal bear markets, and endless "Bitcoin is dead" headlines? Your guess is as good as ours:
• A cypherpunk with diamond hands?
• A forgotten hard drive rediscovered during spring cleaning?
• An estate finally accessing inherited crypto?
Why Move It Now?
The plot thickens. Instead of cashing out, the whale sent all 10,000 BTC to a single new address : bc1qmnjn0l0kdf3m3d8khc6cukj8deakg8m588z24g & 1GcCK347TMbzHrRpDoVvJdR6eyECyqHCiU
- This isn’t a panic sell. Dumping $1B on Binance would crash the market. Smart money uses OTC desks.
- Likely securing funds in a modern wallet (think multisig or institutional custody).
- Possibly prepping for DeFi, borrowing against it, or… gulp… selling strategically.
"This is the ultimate HODL flex. Surviving 14 years of FUD, hacks, and volatility? That’s legendary status." – On-chain analyst @TxTracker
What Happens Next?
All eyes are on the new address. If coins trickle to Coinbase or Kraken, brace for impact. If they stay put? The whale’s playing the long game again.
One thing’s certain: This sleepy giant just reminded the world why Bitcoin is the ultimate store of value. Want to retire in 2038? Maybe buy some BTC and forget your password.