In 2013, Welshman James Howells hit the headlines when he accidentally disposed of a hard disk containing access keys to 8,000 bitcoins. These bitcoins would be worth around 750 million euros today. Despite years of efforts to recover the hard disk from the landfill site in his home town of Newport, his attempts were unsuccessful. Howells is now planning to launch his own cryptocurrency called “Ceiniog”.
The most important facts in brief
- Accidental disposal: In 2013, James Howells threw away a hard disk with access keys to 8,000 Bitcoins.
- Value of the bitcoins: Today, these bitcoins would be worth around 750 million euros.
- Salvage attempts: Despite multiple requests, the city of Newport refused permission to search the landfill.
- New plan: Howells plans to introduce his own cryptocurrency called “Ceiniog”.
The lost Bitcoins hard drive and its consequences
James Howells, an IT specialist from Newport, Wales, started mining Bitcoins early on. In 2013, he accidentally disposed of a hard disk that contained the access keys to 8,000 Bitcoins, as reported by Der Spiegel and others. He only realized the loss later, but by then the hard drive was already in the local landfill. Since then, Howells has been fighting to get permission to search the landfill to recover his valuable data.
Bitcoins legal dispute with the city of Newport
The City of Newport repeatedly denied Howells permission to search the landfill. Reasons given included environmental concerns and the potential cost of such an operation. Howells even offered to give the city council a share of the Bitcoin value found, but his offers were rejected. Eventually, he filed a lawsuit to enforce permission in court. In early 2025, however, this action was dismissed by the High Court, as too much time had passed since the loss and the chances of success of the action were deemed to be low.
Introduction of the cryptocurrency “Ceiniog”
Following the court defeat, Howells decided to take a new approach. He plans to launch his own cryptocurrency called “Ceiniog”, named after a medieval Welsh coin. This new digital currency is to be linked to the lost 8,000 Bitcoins and offer functions that Howells misses in Bitcoin. In particular, he aims to use “Ceiniog” to provide a focused layer 2 environment that complements the Bitcoin ecosystem and facilitates its use as a means of payment.
Conclusion
Despite the loss of a considerable amount of bitcoins, James Howells is not giving up. With the planned launch of “Ceiniog”, he is showing a spirit of innovation and the will to turn a personal defeat into new opportunities. Whether his new cryptocurrency will be successful remains to be seen, but Howells’ story is an impressive example of resilience and adaptability in the fast-moving world of cryptocurrencies.
