A Bitcoin ($BTC) address dating back to 2010 has become active after more than 16 years of dormancy, transferring about $3.4 million in $BTC.
Blockchain tracking platform Whale Alert said the address held 50 $BTC, worth roughly $3,442,939 when it became active.
The address had been dormant for 16.2 years. In $BTC's early days, all 50 $BTC were worth only $3.
This was not the only old Bitcoin address to become active suddenly.
Whale Alert said another dormant Bitcoin address, holding 50 $BTC worth about $3,442,129, became active after 16.2 years.
The address became active with 50 $BTC.
The two transfers occurred within minutes of each other on Nov. 13. The newly activated Bitcoin was therefore worth around $6.89 million in total.
The owners of the wallets have not been identified. It is also unconfirmed whether the same person or entity owns both addresses.
The addresses are notable because they date to 2010, a period considered part of the Satoshi era.
The Satoshi era generally refers to Bitcoin's first few years, mainly 2009 and 2010. During that time, Bitcoin's pseudonymous founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, was active in developing the network.
Bitcoin launched in January 2009, with an initial block reward of 50 $BTC. The reward remained at 50 $BTC until Bitcoin's first halving in November 2012.
That is why the 50 $BTC held by these newly active addresses matches the rewards miners could receive in Bitcoin's early days.
These old addresses attract considerable interest because Bitcoin had relatively few miners and users at the time.
However, that does not mean the wallets belong to Bitcoin's mysterious founder.
Other recent activations
The latest activation follows several notable movements involving long-dormant crypto addresses over the past month.
Whale Alert reported that on Oct. 22, a Bitcoin address containing 170 $BTC, worth roughly $14.38 million, became active after 13 years of dormancy.
Earlier, on Oct. 20, an address holding 500 $BTC, then worth around $41.54 million, became active after 10.7 years. In 2016, the holdings were worth only $194,955.
Crypto analytics platform Arkham later linked the 500 $BTC transaction to addresses belonging to Clifton Collins, a convicted Irish drug dealer. His crypto holdings had previously been considered inaccessible.
On Oct. 17, Whale Alert tracked activity involving old Bitcoin addresses holding 248 $BTC and 167 $BTC, worth roughly $20.24 million and $13.65 million, respectively.
