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Bitcoin is 15 years old. A teenager growing of age. Some estimates argue that ~4 million of Bitcoin is inaccessible or lost. Could that figure conceivably double in the next 15 years as Bitcoin matures and instability plus scarcity rises?
Nobody knows what the future holds, but I doubt it will happen. I believe that many of the coins that are lost will be from a time when they weren't worth much. As the value of bitcoin increases, people are more likely to take care of them. I think the rate of new coins being lost forever is decreasing.
Another interesting point is shown in the following chart, which clearly illustrates that wallets that were thought to be lost are being reactivated. This raises questions about the estimates that have been made in recent years.
Old Bitcoin wallets keep waking up: How many of the 1.8 million โ€˜lostโ€™ coins are really gone? ๐Ÿ”— fortune.com
Nicely done.
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How long does it take for one to become lost? I know I havent touched mine in 10 years, but I keep checking the balance.
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I've never looked into any studies on lost Bitcoins, but I don't think it makes sense to analyze them that way because you can't differentiate between those that are simply parked and those that are truly lost.
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Yes, so just because they are parked doesnt mean they are lost. I think it really depends on how they find the data. You never know, Satoshi could move his eventually.
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