Satoshi-Era Whale Moves $84M as Bitcoin Struggles at $92K
A wallet inactive since 2012 moved 909 BTC ($84M) today, realizing a 1.3 million percent gain as Bitcoin consolidates near $92,000.
Vintage Supply Hits the Market
A Bitcoin wallet dormant since the network’s early days activated Tuesday, transferring 909 BTC ($84.6 million) to a new address. The movement, detected by on-chain tracker Lookonchain, marks the first activity for the address in nearly 13 years. The entity originally acquired the coins in 2012 when Bitcoin traded below $7, a cost basis of roughly $6,400. The realized gain? Over 1,300,000%.
Bitcoin (BTC) dipped 0.7% to $92,300 following the transfer, continuing a week-long consolidation below the $93,000 resistance level. While the $84 million sum is a fraction of daily volumes, the psychological impact of “zombie coins” re-entering circulation often spooks retail sentiment.
Institutional Context: The ‘Silent IPO’
This transfer isn’t isolated. It follows a pattern of vintage liquidity exiting to institutional buyers. In July 2025, Galaxy Digital facilitated an 80,000 BTC sale for a similar Satoshi-era holder. Market makers view these activations as a necessary cap table rotation. Early individual miners de-risking into the hands of ETF issuers like BlackRock and Fidelity.
The selloff was influenced by US whales… operating outside of ETFs. It’s one of the traditional selling patterns we’ve seen repeatedly. Mignolet, CryptoQuant Analyst
Data from Coinglass indicates $35 million in long liquidations occurred within the hour of the transfer. The market structure remains heavy. Unless spot demand from corporate treasuries accelerates, the overhang from vintage profit-taking could pin BTC below $95,000 through month-end.
