Device discarded — hardware wallet (2019)

Survives

Case description

A Ledger user left their hardware wallet in a hotel room during a business trip in March 2019. The hotel housekeeping service discarded the device thinking it was electronic waste. The seed phrase was stored at the user's home and used to recover funds to a replacement device, but the process took two weeks.

Custody context

Stress condition	Device loss
Custody system	Hardware wallet (single key)
Outcome	Survives
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2019
Country	Unknown

Structural dependencies observed

Hardware device required

Outcome interpretation

Access remained possible under the reported conditions.

Source

Publicly Reported

Evidence type

Forum post

Evidence link

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=255793.0

Related cases involving device loss

188 cases involve device loss 274 cases involve hardware wallet (single key) View archive statistics →

This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents. Submit a case

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Framework references

Where Bitcoin Custody Intersects Legal and Fiduciary Authority

Where custody creates gaps in estate planning, fiduciary duty, and professional responsibility.

Professional Scope Boundary Matrix

What each professional or product covers, what they do not, and where gaps form between them.

The Independent Assessment Layer in Bitcoin Custody

How independent diagnostic layers emerge when multiple parties depend on shared infrastructure.