The hard drive in the landfill
James Howells of Newport, Wales mined 7,500 bitcoin in 2009, before the network had any real price. In 2013 he accidentally threw the hard drive containing the keys into the local landfill. He has spent the years since trying — so far unsuccessfully — to get the council to let him dig.
At the January 2013 month-end close, 7,500 bitcoin was worth about $153,837. At the latest close (2026-08), the same coins are worth $25.38M.
There is a city council in Wales that has refused, for over a decade, to allow a man to dig for what is now $25.38M.
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