Satoshi's Stash: Patoshi Pattern Sparks Debate Over Bitcoin Creator's Holdings

The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator, remains shrouded in mystery. One of the most enduring theories is that they own around 1.1 million BTC.

This estimate comes from a distinctive mining pattern known as 'Patoshi,' which was first identified by researcher Sergio Demian Lerner in 2013. The pattern suggests that one miner operated a machine differently from others on the network, and it can be traced across thousands of blocks.

Lerner estimated that the Patoshi miner had amassed around 1.1 million BTC, but this figure has been disputed by some researchers. A recent analysis by Bitquery found that the size of the Patoshi stash depends on how strictly the pattern is applied, with estimates ranging from just under 0.9 million to 1.17 million BTC.

The origin of the 600 BTC that moved in September this year remains unclear, and it's possible that they don't belong to Satoshi at all. The coins were mined by a single machine in March 2010 and had been dormant for 16 years before being spent one by one within half an hour.