British investor recovers 61 bitcoin worth $4.5m after 12-year wait
A British investor recovered 61 BTC worth about $4.5 million after losing access for over 12 years following the collapse of exchange Intersango.
Why it matters
The story highlights the ongoing consequences of early cryptocurrency exchange failures and the potential for legal recovery of lost digital assets. Its significance is limited, as it concerns a single individual case rather than broader market or regulatory developments.
Key facts
A British investor recovered 61 bitcoin.
61 BTCReported by Crypto.News
The recovered bitcoin was worth approximately £3.3 million, or about $4.5 million.
4,500,000 USDReported by Crypto.News
The investor originally spent around £1,500, then worth about $2,000.
1,500 GBPReported by Crypto.News
The investor lost access for more than 12 years.
Reported by Crypto.News
CEL Solicitors identified over 5,500 BTC potentially connected to other former Intersango customers.
5,500 BTCReported by Crypto.News
The investor's holdings were worth about £4,000 when he lost access.
4,000 GBPReported by Crypto.News
What happened
Crypto.News reported that a British investor known as "Chris" recovered 61 bitcoin valued at approximately £3.3 million, or about $4.5 million, more than 12 years after losing access to the cryptocurrency. The investor originally spent around £1,500, then worth about $2,000, through the early UK exchange Britcoin in December 2011, when bitcoin traded below $4. Britcoin later became Intersango, which stopped providing trading services and disappeared from the internet, locking Chris out of his holdings. CEL Solicitors handled the recovery and stated that it identified over 5,500 BTC potentially connected to other former Intersango customers. The law firm said bitcoin ownership was proved with old banking records and has not publicly disclosed the identified wallet address or complete recovery methodology.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by Crypto.News
Bitcoin investor recovers $4.5m after 12-year wait
- Update
Chris invested through Britcoin
He spent around £1,500 to purchase bitcoin when it traded below $4.
- Update
Intersango collapsed and disappeared
The exchange, formerly Britcoin, stopped providing trading services and vanished from the internet, locking users out.
- Update
CEL Solicitors recovered the bitcoin
The law firm recovered 61 BTC for Chris after proving ownership with old banking records.
Affected entities
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crypto.News Crypto media | Bitcoin investor recovers $4.5m after 12-year wait | Original |
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