10 – James Howell Throws Away a Bitcoin Fortune
Back in 2009 when the Bitcoin had only just emerged, a chap by the name of James Howell managed to accrue a tidy sum of 7,500 of the things. At the time, even this relatively large number of Bitcoins wasn’t worth a great deal at all – given the way in which it was brand new and hadn’t yet garnered any real value. Which is why after spilling a drink on the hard drive that contained the currency, Howell thought nothing of tossing the drive out and buying a new one. Sadly for him, had he held onto the drive and hit at-the-time worthless Bitcoins, they’d have been worth more than $6 million today. He’s spent plenty of time at the local dump trying to find his hard drive, all with no luck whatsoever.
