During a house move the specific book was lost among approximately 400 others sent to

Survives

Case description

An April 2017 case describes a user who stored their hardware wallet seed inside a hollowed-out book on a shelf. During a house move the specific book was lost among approximately 400 others sent to storage. The user could not identify which book contained the seed without searching all 400 books, and the storage facility did not allow unrestricted access.

Custody context

Stress condition	Seed phrase unavailable
Custody system	Hardware wallet (single key)
Outcome	Survives
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2017
Country	Unknown

Structural dependencies observed

Single point of failure

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 seed phrase unavailable

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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.