Two Casascius Physical Bitcoins Moved After 13 Years of Inactivity

Two Casascius Physical Bitcoins Moved After 13 Years of Inactivity

Two historic Casascius wallets each holding 1,000 BTC were activated after over a decade, transferring $180 million in assets under uncertain circumstances.

BTC

Fact Check
The statement is overwhelmingly supported by a consensus across all provided sources, with no conflicting evidence. High-authority news outlets, including a major financial news source and a reputable crypto-focused publication, explicitly confirm that two Casascius-linked addresses initiated transactions after approximately 13 years of dormancy. The credibility of these reports is significantly strengthened by their reference to primary on-chain data from blockchain explorers. One social media source is noted to provide a direct link to a blockchain explorer, which represents the highest quality of evidence as it allows for direct, independent verification of the transactions. The consistency of the core details—two addresses, the Casascius connection, the 13-year inactivity period, and the movement of funds—across all tiers of sources provides a high degree of confidence in the statement's truthfulness.
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Summary

A Bitcoin wallet linked to Casascius physical coins moved 2,000 BTC valued at approximately $180 million on Dec. 7, after being inactive since 2011–2012 when BTC traded below $15. Casascius coins, created by Mike Caldwell from 2011 until late 2013, served as offline cold storage with private keys hidden under tamper-evident holograms. Regulatory action by U.S. FinCEN ended production, leaving around 90,000 coins in circulation, including six coins and 16 bars with 1,000 BTC each. The reason for the recent transaction remains unclear.

Terms & Concepts
  • Casascius coins: Physical collectible Bitcoins created in the early 2010s, containing a private key hidden under a tamper-evident hologram.
  • Private key: A secret cryptographic key used to access and transfer cryptocurrency funds associated with a blockchain address.
  • Cold storage: An offline method of storing cryptocurrency keys to protect them from online hacking threats.