UNBELIEVABLE: James howells | History Defined

79 Folks Who Got Rich In The Most Unexpected And Sometimes Even Hilarious Ways

Overnight, their bank account was overflowing. It might have been a fluke or a calculated move. But one thing is for certain: we all know a guy who knows a guy who got stinking rich for the craziest reason. Read the full article to see how these people got wildly…

Bored Panda · Jun 2

8,000 bitcoins in the trash? This man spent 12 years chasing a $550 million fortune buried beneath a landfill

In 2013, James Howells, an IT technician from Newport, Wales, accidentally threw away a hard drive containing the private keys to 8,000 Bitcoins. At that time, the cryptocurrency was worth roughly $8 million. Over the next decade, Bitcoin’s value increased dramatically, making the contents of the lost hard drive worth…

The Times of India · Mar 22

Man Who Lost £700M Bitcoin Fortune in the Bin After Split With Ex Plans to Launch Ceiniog Coin

Welsh computer engineer James Howells, who lost access to 8,000 Bitcoins worth over £700 million after accidentally discarding his hard drive following a relationship breakdown, has announced plans to launch Ceiniog Coin as a new Welsh cryptocurrency while continuing his legal battle with Newport City Council for landfill excavation rights.

International Business Times UK · Aug 11, 2025

Brit Who Lost £620M Bitcoin Fortune in Rubbish Blunder Now Wants to Buy the Landfill to Dig It Up

Man accidentally throws away a hard drive containing £620M in Bitcoin. After legal battles fail, he now aims to buy the landfill to search for it.

International Business Times UK · Feb 11, 2025

Man with £600m Bitcoin fortune ‘buried in landfill’ wants to buy tip his riches are lost in

James Howells’ former partner mistakenly dumped the hard drive in 2013

The Independent UK · Feb 10, 2025

Man who lost $780 million in Bitcoin in a landfill now wants to buy the entire dump before city closes the site

A Welsh landfill site where 8,000 Bitcoins are thought to be buried will be repurposed, at least partly, into a solar farm - but the man who lost the haul has other plans.

Tom’s Hardware · Feb 10, 2025

Man who lost bitcoin fortune in Welsh tip explores purchase of entire landfill

James Howells lost case to force Newport city council to allow him to search for hard drive discarded by accident

The Guardian - UK · Feb 10, 2025

Man on hopeless quest to recover $600 million of Bitcoin from landfill is finally told by the High Court to quit it, says he's 'very upset'

"It's not about greed, I'm happy to share the proceeds but nobody in a position of power will have a decent conversation with me."

PC Gamer · Jan 13, 2025

High court ruling ends man's hopes of recovering $750M bitcoin hard drive from a Welsh landfill — hard drive storing 8,000 bitcoins was lost over 10 years ago

The legal arguments over $750M worth of Bitcoin buried in Welsh dump have come to an unhappy end for the man who lost his crypto HDD in the trash 12 years ago.

Tom’s Hardware · Jan 11, 2025

A UK man accidentally threw away a hard drive with $750 million in Bitcoin. A judge just said 'tough luck'.

Court says James Howells had “no realistic prospect of succeeding”.

Fortune · Jan 10, 2025