--- title: "Bitcoin Bought in 2011 Suddenly Springs to Life After 13 Million Percent Increase In Value" description: "Two Bitcoin wallets that remained untouched for more than a decade just came back online — and whoever owns them are now filthy rich in crypto. As MarketWatch reports, Bitcoin was worth just 78 cents back when the unknown buyer purchased 20,000 tokens in 2011 for just under $16,000. The lucky owner of the two \"Sleeping Beauty\" wallets where the Bitcoin was stored now holds more than $2 billion worth — a 13 million percent increase in value that's enough to make even the most bearish-on-crypto financier's eyes water. Although they shifted the crypto from one wallet to another after more than […]" date: "2025-07-06" modified: "2025-07-06" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/bitcoin-wallets-2011-billions" categories: - "Bitcoin" - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Future Society" tags: - "bitcoin" - "crypto" - "crypto wallet" - "cryptocurrency" --- # Bitcoin Bought in 2011 Suddenly Springs to Life After 13 Million Percent Increase In Value ![Two Bitcoin wallets that remained untouched for more than a decade just came back online — and whoever owns them are now filthy rich. ]() *\Image: Getty Images\* Two Bitcoin wallets that remained untouched for more than a decade just sprang back to life — and whoever owns them is now filthy rich in crypto. As [*MarketWatch* reports](), each Bitcoin was worth just 78 cents back when the unknown buyer purchased 20,000 tokens in 2011 for just under $16,000. Due to the digital currency's inexorable rise over the subsequent years, the extremely patient owner of the two "Sleeping Beauty" wallets where the Bitcoin was stored now holds more than $2 billion worth — a roughly 13 million percent increase in value that's enough to make even the most bearish-on-crypto financier's eyes water. Although the mysterious now-billionaire shifted the crypto from one wallet to another after more than fourteen years of silence, it's unclear what they intend to do with it. But it's possible that longtime holders are getting tempted by cold hard fiat currency. Earlier this year, the blockchain analysis firm [Onchain School found]() that some 62,000 Bitcoins that had been mined at least seven years prior were moved between wallets in the first three months of 2025. "The uptick may signal a shift in sentiment among long-term holders," the analysts explained on the CryptoQuant platform, "potentially driven by macroeconomic shifts, price expectations, or institutional liquidity needs." But if all that Sleeping Beauty crypto does continue to go unspent, it'd be the ultimate testament to the "[Hold On for Dear Life]()" or HODLer philosophy, an old-school crypto refrain in which buyers let their caches mature and avoid succumbing to the pressures of short-term booms and busts. Back in [crypto's fledgling years](), the HODL strategy was popular among early miners who correctly predicted that their wallets would one day be worth a fortune. While that kind of conviction has been seen in plenty of other [investment vehicles]() [throughout history](), it's still pretty impressive to see with such a hefty Bitcoin stash — and as one crypto CEO noted, it would have taken a lot of willpower to achieve. "What is remarkable is the amount of self-control that it would have taken through all these market cycles to sit on it for that long," enthused Caroline Bowler, the CEO of the Australia-based trading platform BTC Markets, in an interview with *MarketWatch*. As Bowler pointed out, the owner of those newly-active wallets could "absolutely... move the market" if they decided to sell. Assuming the holder is a rational actor, though, it's unlikely they'd unload it all at once. "It seems very unlikely that someone would dump 10,000 onto the market in one trade," she said, "or in equivalents cross the week." **More on Bitcoin:** [*The "Crypto King of Kentucky" Allegedly Kidnapped and Tortured a Man For Weeks in NYC Over His Bitcoin Stash*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()