The Unluckiest Man In The World Has $6.5 Million In Bitcoin Buried In A Landfill
Years ago James Howells bought a bunch of Bitcoin, and now those Bitcoins are lost for eternity because they're buried in a landfill.
The Guardian's Alex Hern reports:
"You know when you put something in the bin, and in your head, say to yourself 'that's a bad idea'? I really did have that," Howells, who works in IT, told the Guardian. "I don't have an exact date, the only time period I can give - and I've been racking my own brains - is between 20 June and 10 August. Probably mid-July". At the time he obliviously threw them away, the 7,500 Bitcoins on the hard-drive were worth around £500,000. Since then, the cryptocurrency's value has soared, passing $1,000 on Wednesday afternoon.
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That lost hard drive, though, contains the cryptographic "private key" that is needed to be able to access and spend the Bitcoins; without it, the "money" is lost forever.