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A 100.02 BTC holding created from two mining rewards in July 2010 moved in a transaction confirmed Oct. 7, 2026, after more than 16 years untouched. CoinDesk valued it at about $8.5 million at current prices, but public records do not identify who controls the coins or show that they were sold.
About 100.02 bitcoin mined in July 2010 moved on Wednesday, Oct. 7, after more than 16 years without those specific coins being spent, according to CoinDesk’s review of Bitcoin transaction records. Their value was about $8.5 million at current prices, but the transaction does not establish that the holder sold them or reveal who controls the receiving addresses.
The coins arrived at an address on July 30, 2010, and remained unspent there until a transaction confirmed at 18:52 UTC on Oct. 7, CoinDesk reported. Galaxy Research, the research arm of cryptocurrency financial services firm Galaxy Digital, first flagged the movement on X. CoinDesk traced the funds to two mining rewards created in July 2010: one worth 50 BTC and another worth 50.02 BTC, including fees.
The transaction sent 10 BTC to one address and roughly 90.02 BTC to another. It also combined the old holding with six small later deposits. CoinDesk said both resulting holdings were still unspent when it checked Thursday morning, Oct. 8. A transfer between addresses is visible on Bitcoin’s public ledger, but that record by itself does not show a sale or identify the person behind a wallet.
Bitcoin traded at about 6 cents per coin when the address received the 100.02 BTC, according to historical pricing data from StatMuse cited by CoinDesk. That puts the coins’ approximate market value then at $6, compared with about $8.5 million at the prices used in the report. This is a comparison of market values over time, not proof of what an owner paid, received, or earned: no sale was established.
Why a 2010 Bitcoin Move Matters
Long-dormant coins attract attention because a transfer can show that someone still has access to funds that observers may have assumed were lost or inaccessible. In this case, the movement establishes that the specific 100.02 BTC output was spendable. It does not establish whether the controller is the original miner, a later owner, or someone acting for an estate.
The dollar figure is striking because of Bitcoin’s rise in market value since 2010, but the transfer alone gives no evidence of a decision to cash out. The receiving amounts were still unspent when CoinDesk checked, and public transaction data cannot say whether their controller plans to hold, transfer, or sell them. The distinction matters: treating a wallet movement as a sale would overstate what the records confirm.
Movements by old holders can also become market news because coins that have been inactive for years may become available for transfer or sale. Yet the amount here is about 100 BTC, and there is no reported evidence that it entered an exchange or was offered on the market. The transaction is a notable on-chain event, not confirmation of a market sale or a broader change in holder behavior.
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How the Old Coins Stayed Untouched
The address that held the July 2010 payment had other activity over the years. CoinDesk reported that it spent 200 BTC in two transactions in August 2015, 100 BTC in December 2017, and 249 BTC in March 2018. Those earlier movements did not spend the separate 100.02 BTC payment that arrived in July 2010.
Bitcoin records payments as separate outputs, commonly described as unspent transaction outputs, or UTXOs. A wallet or address can spend one set of coins while leaving another untouched. As a result, activity associated with an address does not mean every bitcoin sent there has moved. The particular coins in this report remained unspent from their 2010 receipt until Wednesday’s transaction.
The mining rewards date to what is often called the “Satoshi era,” a period when Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator was still active. That label describes the early timing of the coins; it does not establish a connection between these rewards and Satoshi Nakamoto. The identity of Bitcoin’s creator remains unconfirmed, and the transaction records cited by CoinDesk do not identify the miner or current controller.
There is a precedent for a much larger old holding being sold: Galaxy confirmed in July 2025 that it sold more than 80,000 BTC for an early investor as part of an estate-planning strategy. That case is distinct from this one. No sale has been established for the 100.02 BTC moved on Oct. 7.
“This address has been somewhat active in the past, but these specific coins have not moved since 2010. We track the coins.”
— Galaxy Research, in a post on X
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What the Blockchain Cannot Identify
Bitcoin’s public ledger shows the transaction and its destination addresses, but it does not disclose who controls those addresses. The available records also do not reveal whether the controller is the original miner, a subsequent holder, or a representative of someone else.
It remains unclear why the coins moved and whether their controller intends to sell them. CoinDesk reported that the two resulting holdings were still unspent when checked on Thursday morning. No exchange deposit or completed sale was identified in the source report. The estimate of $8.5 million is a market-value calculation, not a confirmed sale price or realized profit.
The coins’ early date alone does not connect them to Bitcoin’s creator. Their origin in mining rewards from July 2010 is traceable in the transaction history, but their original miner’s identity is not established.
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Whether the Coins Move Again
The next observable development would be another transaction involving either receiving address, or evidence that the coins were sent to a service or exchange. Such a movement could add information about how the funds are being handled, but it would not automatically prove a sale; public ledger entries do not, on their own, identify the purpose or ultimate owner of a transfer.
For now, the reported status is limited: the 100.02 BTC has been split between two addresses, and both amounts remained unspent at the time of CoinDesk’s Thursday morning check. The controller’s identity, reason for moving the funds, and any later plans remain unknown.
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Key Questions
How much bitcoin moved?
About 100.02 BTC moved in a transaction confirmed at 18:52 UTC on Oct. 7, 2026, according to CoinDesk’s review of Bitcoin records.
How much was it worth?
CoinDesk valued the holding at roughly $8.5 million at current prices in its Oct. 8 report. The figure is an estimated market value, not a confirmed sale price.
Were the coins sold?
No sale was established. The transaction sent 10 BTC to one address and about 90.02 BTC to another. CoinDesk reported both holdings were still unspent when it checked Thursday morning.
Does the movement prove the coins belonged to Satoshi Nakamoto?
No. The coins came from mining rewards created in July 2010, during the period often called the Satoshi era. Their age does not establish a connection to Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator.
Why did the address appear active before this transfer?
Bitcoin transactions track separate outputs. The address had spent other bitcoin in earlier years, while the specific 100.02 BTC received in July 2010 remained untouched until Oct. 7, 2026.
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