Investor finds seed phrase for 6000 BTC wallet after 10 years of searching
Investor Clifton Collins, after a decade-long search, finally discovered the seed phrase for a cryptocurrency wallet containing 6000 bitcoins (about $423.5 million) and promptly transferred 500 BTC to the Coinbase exchange.
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Collins bought 6000 BTC in 2011–2012 using funds earned from growing and selling marijuana, distributing the bitcoins across 12 different wallets.
He kept the private keys on paper, hiding them in a fishing rod case in a rented house in Galway, Ireland. After his arrest in 2017, the house was vacated and belongings were discarded.
Today’s transfer indicates that at least part of these funds was not lost permanently.
This story highlights the critical importance of securely storing private keys and seed phrases in cryptocurrency, showing that even after many years they can still be valuable and accessible.
