Owner death — hardware wallet (2025)

Constrained

Case description

A 2025 Canadian estate case involved a holder who had created a custom mnemonic scheme—rather than a standard BIP39 seed phrase, they had used a self-invented word list that mapped numbers to words from a personal dictionary. The hardware wallet they had used accepted the custom word list at setup because it had not verified the words against the BIP39 standard. When the family attempted recovery using a standard hardware wallet, it rejected all words from the custom list. A wallet recovery specialist eventually identified that the wallet itself was physically intact; the PIN was documented, and no seed phrase restoration was actually required. The specialist was able to sign transactions directly from the device without ever resolving the non-standard seed phrase issue.

Custody context

Stress condition	Owner death
Custody system	Hardware wallet (single key)
Outcome	Constrained
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2025
Country	Canada

Structural dependencies observed

Single point of failure

What this illustrates

There was only one way in. When that path was gone, so was access. Whether full access was ultimately possible is unclear, but significant delay or outside intervention was involved.

Outcome interpretation

Access remained possible, but only with delay, dependence, or significant difficulty.

Source

Privately Reported

Evidence type

News article

Evidence link

https://www.monefy.com/article/what-happens-to-your-crypto-when-you-die-guide

Related cases involving owner death

119 cases involve owner death 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.