Six Bitcoin wallets that had remained inactive for periods ranging from nearly 12 years to more than 15 years transferred a combined 553.59 BTC between August 16 and August 26. The coins were valued at approximately $40.15 million at the time of the transactions, according to on-chain tracking by Galaxy Research.

The movements occurred amid a sharp price advance in Bitcoin, which rose nearly 22% over seven days from a recent low near $62,679 to a high above $81,000 before trading around $78,000. The rally also lifted the estimated value of holdings attributed to Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, to roughly $85.82 billion based on about 1.096 million BTC across thousands of addresses.

Sequence of Transfers from Early Addresses

The first transfer took place on August 16, when a wallet inactive since June 13, 2011, moved 8.54 BTC. At the time of the transaction the holdings were worth about $538,000, compared with an estimated original cost near $14 per coin, representing a gain of roughly 461,981%.

Two days later a larger movement occurred. An address dormant since August 10, 2012, transferred 212 BTC valued at approximately $13.66 million. Galaxy Research labeled this wallet “Noah Doe #1396 · Salomon Client Dusted.” Hours afterward another 2011-era address sent 10.74 BTC worth about $692,000.

Activity resumed on August 22. One wallet last active on December 26, 2014, moved 150 BTC worth $11.75 million and carried the label “Noah Doe #1680.” Shortly afterward three separate 2011 addresses transferred a combined 132.31 BTC valued at roughly $10.37 million in a single block. Individual percentage gains on those three positions ranged from about 625,000% to more than 807,000% based on estimated acquisition prices near $10 per coin.

The final transfer in the series took place on August 26. A wallet that had held 40 BTC since May 28, 2012, sent the coins after 14.2 years of inactivity. The destination was labeled Boerse Stuttgart Digital, a German crypto custody and brokerage service. At an estimated original cost near $5 per Bitcoin the position had risen by approximately 1,535,911% to about $3.14 million.

Connection to New York Dormant-Wallet Litigation

Two of the six addresses carry labels tied to a New York Supreme Court case filed by a pseudonymous plaintiff known as Noah Doe and associated Wyoming entities. The suit seeks control of 39,069 dormant Bitcoin addresses under the state’s lost-property statute, claiming the holdings had become abandoned. The targeted addresses reportedly held about 3.7 million BTC when the complaint was filed, including wallets linked in public discussion to Satoshi Nakamoto and the Mt. Gox incident.

Plaintiffs had previously sent small “dust” transactions containing on-chain notices to thousands of addresses. Galaxy Research uses the term “Salomon-dusted” for wallets that received those notices. A judge paused proceedings in June and blocked an early default judgment. Addresses that become active after the filing are removed from the claim; earlier this year the plaintiffs dropped 44 wallets that had moved coins.

Opposing parties, including an M&A attorney and the Digital Chamber, have argued that a self-custodied Bitcoin address does not become abandoned merely because it shows no outgoing transactions for an extended period.

Limited Evidence of Immediate Sales

Five of the six transfers went to addresses without known links to exchanges or trading platforms. Only the 40 BTC movement reached a publicly labeled custody provider. On-chain data therefore provides no confirmation that the coins were sold. The transfers could represent consolidation, a change of custodians, or preparation for later activity.

Similar reactivations of long-dormant wallets have occurred throughout 2026. In July one address moved more than 5,900 BTC after more than eight years of inactivity. Earlier in August a separate group of 28 wallets transferred over 1,300 BTC. Security concerns surrounding a firmware issue on certain Coldcard devices also prompted some long-term holders to relocate coins, though the wallets in the latest series predate that firmware and no direct connection has been established for most of them.

Bitcoin’s recent price advance has increased the dollar value of many early holdings and drawn renewed attention to addresses that have remained untouched since the network’s earliest years. The six wallets tracked by Galaxy Research add to a pattern of intermittent activity among coins that sat idle through multiple market cycles.