扔掉價(jià)值逾7.5億美元比特幣的人，如今想買下那片他認(rèn)為埋藏著比特幣的垃圾填埋場
Chris Morris
2025-02-14
紐波特市議會垃圾填埋場鳥瞰圖。圖片來源：Matthew Horwood/Getty Images
? 一名英國男子希望從該市垃圾填埋場找回一個(gè)裝有比特幣的硬盤，為此他提出購買該垃圾填埋場。該硬盤的所有者稱，這個(gè)錢包如今價(jià)值近7.7億美元。
詹姆斯·豪威爾斯（James Howells）在過去的12年里一直試圖說服英國紐波特市的官員允許他搜查該市的垃圾填埋場，如今他提出購買該垃圾填埋場。
豪威爾斯認(rèn)為，該垃圾填埋場中埋藏著他的一塊舊硬盤，里面存儲著價(jià)值近7.7億美元的比特幣。今年1月，他試圖通過法律途徑挖掘硬盤的努力宣告失敗，當(dāng)時(shí)一名法官裁定，若案件繼續(xù)推進(jìn)，他“成功的可能性微乎其微”。
然而，今年，該垃圾填埋場將被關(guān)閉，據(jù)報(bào)道將被一座太陽能發(fā)電場取代。豪威爾斯認(rèn)為這是一個(gè)機(jī)會。
他在接受英國媒體《地鐵報(bào)》采訪時(shí)表示：“市議會這么快就計(jì)劃關(guān)閉垃圾填埋場，這著實(shí)令人意外，尤其是他們之前在高等法院聲稱，關(guān)閉垃圾填埋場讓我進(jìn)行搜查會對紐波特居民產(chǎn)生極大的不利影響，而與此同時(shí)，他們竟然計(jì)劃關(guān)閉垃圾填埋場。我對購買該垃圾填埋場頗感興趣。最近，我與投資伙伴探討了這一方案，這確實(shí)是個(gè)非常可行的選擇?！?/p>
整個(gè)事件的起因要追溯到2013年的夏天，當(dāng)時(shí)豪威爾斯不慎將裝有比特幣錢包（內(nèi)有7500枚比特幣）的筆記本電腦放在家中客廳的一個(gè)黑色袋子里。他當(dāng)時(shí)的伴侶以為袋子里裝的是垃圾，便將其丟棄。
當(dāng)時(shí)，一枚比特幣的價(jià)格在100美元左右。如今，這一數(shù)字接近9.7萬美元。
豪威爾斯提出與紐波特市平分錢包里比特幣的價(jià)值，并表示愿意自行承擔(dān)挖掘所需的費(fèi)用。官員們堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為，由于環(huán)境許可證的限制，挖掘工作無法進(jìn)行，而且硬盤一進(jìn)入垃圾填埋場就歸市政府所有。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）
譯者：中慧言-王芳
? 一名英國男子希望從該市垃圾填埋場找回一個(gè)裝有比特幣的硬盤，為此他提出購買該垃圾填埋場。該硬盤的所有者稱，這個(gè)錢包如今價(jià)值近7.7億美元。
詹姆斯·豪威爾斯（James Howells）在過去的12年里一直試圖說服英國紐波特市的官員允許他搜查該市的垃圾填埋場，如今他提出購買該垃圾填埋場。
豪威爾斯認(rèn)為，該垃圾填埋場中埋藏著他的一塊舊硬盤，里面存儲著價(jià)值近7.7億美元的比特幣。今年1月，他試圖通過法律途徑挖掘硬盤的努力宣告失敗，當(dāng)時(shí)一名法官裁定，若案件繼續(xù)推進(jìn)，他“成功的可能性微乎其微”。
然而，今年，該垃圾填埋場將被關(guān)閉，據(jù)報(bào)道將被一座太陽能發(fā)電場取代。豪威爾斯認(rèn)為這是一個(gè)機(jī)會。
他在接受英國媒體《地鐵報(bào)》采訪時(shí)表示：“市議會這么快就計(jì)劃關(guān)閉垃圾填埋場，這著實(shí)令人意外，尤其是他們之前在高等法院聲稱，關(guān)閉垃圾填埋場讓我進(jìn)行搜查會對紐波特居民產(chǎn)生極大的不利影響，而與此同時(shí)，他們竟然計(jì)劃關(guān)閉垃圾填埋場。我對購買該垃圾填埋場頗感興趣。最近，我與投資伙伴探討了這一方案，這確實(shí)是個(gè)非?？尚械倪x擇?！?/p>
整個(gè)事件的起因要追溯到2013年的夏天，當(dāng)時(shí)豪威爾斯不慎將裝有比特幣錢包（內(nèi)有7500枚比特幣）的筆記本電腦放在家中客廳的一個(gè)黑色袋子里。他當(dāng)時(shí)的伴侶以為袋子里裝的是垃圾，便將其丟棄。
當(dāng)時(shí)，一枚比特幣的價(jià)格在100美元左右。如今，這一數(shù)字接近9.7萬美元。
豪威爾斯提出與紐波特市平分錢包里比特幣的價(jià)值，并表示愿意自行承擔(dān)挖掘所需的費(fèi)用。官員們堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為，由于環(huán)境許可證的限制，挖掘工作無法進(jìn)行，而且硬盤一進(jìn)入垃圾填埋場就歸市政府所有。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）
譯者：中慧言-王芳
? A U.K. man hoping to retrieve a Bitcoin-laden hard drive from a city dump is offering to buy the landfill. That wallet today, the owner says, is worth nearly $770 million.
James Howells, who has spent the last 12 years trying to convince officials in the U.K. city of Newport to let him explore the city landfill, is now offering to buy the dump.
Howells believes the landfill contains an old hard drive of his that contains almost $770 million in Bitcoin. His attempts to excavate the drive through legal means hit a dead end in January, when a judge ruled he had “no realistic prospect of succeeding” in his effort if the case were to continue.
This year, however, the landfill is being closed and will reportedly be replaced by a solar farm. And Howells sees that as an opening.
“The council planning on closing the landfill so soon is quite a surprise, especially since it claimed at the High Court that closing the landfill to allow me to search would have a huge detrimental impact on the people of Newport, whilst at the same time they were planning to close the landfill anyway,” he told the UK media outlet Metro. “I would be potentially interested in purchasing the landfill site. I have discussed this option recently with investment partners and it is very much on the table.”
The whole situation started in the summer of 2013, when Howells accidentally put a laptop that contained his Bitcoin wallet (with 7,500 Bitcoin) in a black bag in the hall of his house. His partner at the time assumed the bag was filled with trash and disposed of it.
At the time, the price of a single Bitcoin was in the neighborhood of $100. Today, that stands at nearly $97,000.
Howells offered to split the value of the Bitcoin in the wallet with the city of Newport and had said he would pay for the excavation himself. Officials insist a search is impossible due to environmental permits—and that the hard drive became city property as soon as it entered the landfill.
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