Someone bought 40 Bitcoin for about $120 back in November 2011. Then they did absolutely nothing for nearly 15 years. That patience, whether intentional or accidental, just paid off to the tune of $3.09 million.
The wallet, dormant since November 5, 2011, moved its entire balance on September 3, 2026, in a transaction recorded at block 965330. At the time of the original purchase, Bitcoin traded at roughly $3 per coin. The realized gain works out to more than 2,571,899%.
The ultimate hodl, and its legal complications
This isn’t just a feel-good story about diamond hands. The address behind the transfer has been identified as “Noah Doe #38097,” a designation tied to a sprawling class-action lawsuit filed in New York.
That lawsuit targets 39,069 dormant Bitcoin addresses in an attempt to reclaim roughly 3.7 to 3.8 million BTC. At current prices, that stash could be worth up to $293 billion. The legal theory rests on a straightforward premise: if wallets haven’t moved in over a decade, the Bitcoin inside them has effectively been abandoned and should be subject to claims.
