James Howells

Lost a 7,500 BTC hard drive in a 2013 landfill discard, later fought a £495M lawsuit over it

2 entries

Event December 3, 2024 Added June 2, 2026 Updated August 25, 2026 Article

James Howells's 7,500 BTC Newport landfill — twelve years of excavation lawsuits

Bitcoin Institute ↔ James Howells

James Howells discarded a hard drive with 7,500 BTC in 2013. It is buried in a Newport, Wales landfill. A UK High Court rejected his £600M excavation suit in January 2025.

Event June 2, 2026 Added June 2, 2026 Updated September 5, 2026 Analysis

Lost Bitcoin — Thomas, Howells, QuadrigaCX, Mt. Gox, FTX and the irreversibility lesson

Bitcoin Institute ↔ Stefan Thomas, James Howells, Gerald Cotten, Mark Karpeles, Sam Bankman-Fried

Cross-cutting reading of iconic Bitcoin losses by mechanism: forgotten password (Thomas), physical disposal (Howells), custody-collapse (QuadrigaCX, Mt. Gox, FTX). Tied to Bitcoin's irreversibility.