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James Howells says a hard drive containing the keys to 8,000 bitcoin was mistakenly thrown away in Newport, Wales, in 2013. He later proposed buying the landfill to search for it, but by August 2025 he had stopped pursuing the purchase and excavation. The reported £600 million figure was a 2025 estimate, not a current valuation, and no available report says the drive or bitcoin has been recovered.
What happened to the Bitcoin hard drive?
Howells says that during a house or office clean-out in 2013, his then-partner mistakenly took a bag containing his hard drive to a landfill in Newport. The drive reportedly held access credentials for a Bitcoin wallet associated with 8,000 BTC. The account of how it was discarded comes from Howells; the drive’s location has not been independently confirmed.
The loss was not of physical coins. Bitcoin exists on a digital ledger, and control of bitcoin depends on the private keys or other credentials that authorize transactions. If the only usable access credentials are on a lost drive and no backup is available, the coins may remain recorded on the network but inaccessible to their owner.
Did he buy the landfill?
No reported sale took place. In February 2025, after the High Court dismissed his claim, Howells said he might be interested in buying the site “as is” if Newport City Council were willing. The council had announced plans to close and cap the landfill and had secured planning permission for a solar farm on part of the land.
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By August 2025, Howells had stopped pursuing a landfill purchase and excavation. The Block reported that he was instead pursuing a proposal to tokenize the claim. That was his proposed change of strategy, not evidence that a token had launched or that the bitcoin had been recovered.
What did the High Court decide?
In January 2025, the High Court dismissed Howells’s claim to search the landfill or receive compensation. A legal summary of Howells v Newport City Council [2025] EWHC 22 (Ch) says the court considered section 14(6)(c) of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 to mean ownership of the discarded hard drive had passed to Newport City Council.
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That reported ruling concerns the discarded drive and Howells’s claim against the council. It should not be read as confirmation that the court established his ownership of, or access to, bitcoin that he says the drive made inaccessible. BBC News reported that the judge, Keyser KC, found “no ‘reasonable grounds’” and “no realistic prospect” of succeeding at a full trial.
BBC News also reported that the council said Howells owed just under £117,000 in legal costs. The council said: “We will not be spending any more of our officers’ time on this issue until that payment is made.”
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- Simple & Secure Interface: Manage your digital assets easily with a clear OLED screen for secure on-device confirmations
- Supports 1000s of Coins & Tokens: Securely handle thousands of assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and more, all in one wallet
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How much was the claimed 8,000 bitcoin worth?
The £600 million headline figure was a rounded estimate used by The Guardian in February 2025. BBC News reported a value of £695 million in August 2025 for the claimed 8,000 BTC. These are dated estimates from different reports, not a fixed or current valuation: Bitcoin’s market price changes, and neither figure establishes that Howells can access or sell the bitcoin.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Has the hard drive or bitcoin been found?
The available reports do not say that the hard drive was found or that the bitcoin was recovered. The location of the drive remains based on Howells’s account, and his later reported plan shifted away from searching the landfill.
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What to take away from the story
- Howells says a discarded hard drive held credentials for a wallet associated with 8,000 BTC; the loss account and location are not independently confirmed.
- His proposed landfill purchase did not become a reported sale, and he had stopped pursuing purchase and excavation by August 2025.
- The £600 million and £695 million figures were estimates reported in 2025, not current values or proof of recoverable funds.
- No available report confirms recovery of the drive or bitcoin.
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