In September 2013 someone collected 411 bitcoin when one coin cost about the price of a dinner for two. They then did nothing for 13 years. On Sunday evening, the coins finally moved.
By Michal Beno, CEO, OneMiners19 October 2026
On Sunday 18 October at 18:23 UTC, a wallet that had not moved since 2013 sent all 411.45 BTC to a brand-new address. Most of those coins arrived on 11 September 2013, when Bitcoin traded near $131. Back then the stash was worth about $53,900. At Monday's price it is worth about $34 million, roughly 632 times more. The coins went to a modern SegWit address, not to an exchange.
411.45
BTC moved
$54K
value in September 2013
$34M
value on 19 October 2026
632x
gain over 13 years
Arkham Intelligence via CoinDesk, 19 October 2026; balance checked on mempool.space; BTC price from CoinGecko, 19 October 2026.
Picture September 2013
Bitcoin was not yet five years old. One coin cost about $131. Each block paid miners 25 BTC, and the first ASIC miners had only started shipping that year, replacing the graphics cards people ran in bedrooms and garages. Most people had never heard the word 'Bitcoin'.
That month, the owner of the address starting 13Coop8x received about 411 BTC. Then they simply waited. No buying, no selling, no moving coins around. For 13 years.
Everything they sat through
Holding is easy to describe and hard to do. This wallet stayed still through three halvings, two huge bull runs and at least two crashes that convinced many people Bitcoin was finished.
What one bitcoin was worth while the wallet slept
Approximate US dollar price at each moment
Rounded public market prices; September 2013 price per CoinDesk; today's price from CoinGecko, 19 October 2026.
At the 2022 low, the stash was still worth over $6 million, more than a hundred times what it cost. Selling then would have felt smart. Waiting turned out to be worth about five times more.
So are they selling?
Probably not yet. The coins went to a SegWit (P2WPKH) address, a newer and cheaper format, that has received only this one transfer and sent nothing out. Nothing has gone to an exchange. Moves like this usually look like a security upgrade or custody housekeeping. Long-dormant holders often switch to modern address types before any bigger decision.
They are not alone. A day earlier, two other wallets that had been quiet for more than a decade moved a combined 417 BTC, according to on-chain tracker Lookonchain. Old coins waking up has become a regular headline in 2026.
The scam this whale dodged
While the wallet slept, it received dozens of tiny deposits, each worth less than a dollar. Several came from addresses Arkham flags as phishing. This trick is called address poisoning: scammers send dust from an address that looks almost like one you use, hoping you will copy it from your history next time you send coins. This owner did not fall for it and sent everything to a fresh address.
Never copy addresses from your history
Take the receiving address from the wallet or the person you are paying, every time.
Check the whole address
Poisoners match the first and last few characters. Check the middle too.
Send a small test first
For a large transfer, a small test costs a tiny fee and can save everything.
Ignore the dust
Do not move or spend unexpected tiny deposits; that can help scammers track you.
The other way to build a stack: mine it
Most people did not buy 411 BTC in 2013. But the idea behind this story, steady accumulation and patience, still works today, and mining is one way to do it. At Monday's difficulty an Antminer S23 Hyd 580T mines about 0.26 mBTC a day, or about 0.095 BTC a year, at the cost of the power it uses. A miner who keeps those coins is effectively buying Bitcoin at their power cost, every day, without picking a moment to buy.
Antminer S23 Hyd 580T$12,299Hashrate580 TH/sEfficiency9.50 J/THPower draw5,510 WBreak-even power$0.162/kWhNet/day at 4.80c$15.12View on OneMiners
Antminer S21+ Hyd 395T$2,499Hashrate395 TH/sEfficiency15.00 J/THPower draw5,925 WBreak-even power$0.103/kWhNet/day at 4.80c$7.79View on OneMiners
Antminer S21 200T$907Hashrate200 TH/sEfficiency17.60 J/THPower draw3,520 WBreak-even power$0.088/kWhNet/day at 4.80c$3.35View on OneMiners
This whale's lesson is patience, and patience is easier when the costs are fixed. OneMiners hosts Bitcoin miners from $0.048 per kWh, and from $0.0364 per kWh on a 7-year prepaid contract, so a miner can stack sats through the ups and downs without worrying about the power bill changing under them.
Frequently asked questions
How much was the 2013 Bitcoin whale's wallet worth?
About $53,900 in September 2013, when Bitcoin traded near $131, and about $34 million on 19 October 2026.
Did the 2013 whale sell its Bitcoin?
There is no sign of a sale. The 411.45 BTC went to a new SegWit address that has not sent anything out, and nothing went to an exchange.
What is address poisoning?
A scam where attackers send tiny amounts from look-alike addresses, hoping you copy the wrong address from your transaction history.
How many halvings has Bitcoin had since 2013?
Three: July 2016, May 2020 and April 2024. The block subsidy fell from 25 BTC to today's 3.125 BTC.
Stack Bitcoin at the cost of power, not the price of the day.
Browse Bitcoin minersBuy now, pay laterSOURCES AND DATA
- Bitcoin whale moves $34 million in BTC it got in 2013 when coins traded at $131: CoinDesk, 19 October 2026
- Wallet data: Arkham Intelligence, via CoinDesk; address balance: mempool.space, 19 October 2026
- Two decade-old wallets moving 417 BTC: Lookonchain, via CoinDesk, 19 October 2026
- BTC price and difficulty: CoinGecko and mempool.space, 19 October 2026
- Miner prices and specs: OneMiners catalogue, 14 October 2026
Michal Beno
CEO of OneMiners, the global Bitcoin mining hosting and hardware platform with 15 published hosting locations, 7-year fixed electricity contracts and a 7-year hardware warranty. He writes about the economics of industrial Bitcoin mining.
Informational only, not financial advice. Figures are a snapshot from public market data, news reports and the OneMiners catalogue as of 19 October 2026 and can change quickly. Net-per-day figures are at today's numbers, before pool fees, and are not a forecast. Crypto prices can fall as well as rise. No return is offered or implied. Do your own research.
