Bitcoin Forum

Could anything last 50 years? Media wise only.

Some simple googling tells me that https://bitkee.com/ seems to sell metal cards with engraved information, this seems like a good choice if you're looking for something hard, fire and water proof.

paper wallet can last that long. but you should protect it .

I mean for example you could cover it with protected plastic which makes it last forever.

If we are talking about digital storage, you could use M-DISC.

Just use laminated paper wallets. We have a 100 year old book in our library within a glass box, and it's still looking
pretty good. The laminated paper should last much longer, because it's protected from external humidity. Just keep it away from direct sunlight.

I would not trust any digital media, because the technology and standards change too quickly.

You should check out this ongoing thread that talks about elaborate cold storage options: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1175685.new#new

Also, here's a link that may help you decipher the pros and cons of different options: https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet

I think that to many people will live more than 50 years. I think that the time will live more than 50 years. And at the end I hope with all my soul that you will last more than 50 years seeing that this is a disturbing problem for you.  ;)

RockKey: write your pk on a rock. It is proven that a rock can live up to a million year.

Don't agree. The rain will destroy it if it will be rain for 50 years minus one day. Or some miners can destroy it for building .... homes for example. Or can destroy only for fun. To pass otherwise the free time.....

I have actually a 100 year old book (printed in 1917, so 98 years to be honest) in my bookshelf and it's in decent shape. Its covers are slightly worn and pages somewhat yellowish, but that's all.

A laminated a paper wallet will last even better. If kept in dry and dark place and avoiding disasters I'd say it will last for thousands of years.

My prediction : --> The most popular method of storing Bitcoin information will soon be 3D printing. The 3D printer market has grown phenominally fast over the last year or so. People will find very innovative ways

to print these addresses {Small treasure chests with hidden compartments or key chains with hidden QR codes etc. etc.} I think this might offer one of the best options to store this information. I am not a big fan of

normal paper wallets. It does not react very well with the slightest of contact with a heat source.  ???

use acid fast paper or the ink will fade away. acid fast paper with acid past ink, then laminate.

great idea! I actually have a 3d printer. Just be sure to keep plastic out of sunlight or the uv light will degrade it.

3d printers that print metal are just around the corner.... maybe in another 5 to 10 years.

That's true, but paper wallets are very cheap and fast to make so you can store them in multiple locations if you are worried about burning your house down.

3D printed plastic will burn just as well and will probably degrade faster than paper in storage (plastic tends to dry and become brittle over time). Aluminum block can also be destroyed in house fires as the melting point is only 660°C. Stamping the private key to a stainless steel plate (melting point 1400-1510°C) would probably work better and survive house fires. (house fires usually burn at 700-1200°C)

you can always change your storage on a safe new machine, in the case of those usb stick, you can change it after 2-3 year if you feels that they will not fuction correctly

beaware of any printer which store in their cache the data printed, i'm not trusting any

This is a good point. If really paranoid, destroy your printer's controller chip after printing. :)

50 years? haha...probably you will want to sell with the next crash or rise or whatever  ;)

plan for 5-10 years. you will do alot reevaluations in the next years.

Or you can just print it out on any of the old printers which don't cache the data . Plus I doubt anyone would know about your secret stack and will go to the lengths of getting out your printer cache memory.

Exactly this! Why would you want to store your bitcoins for the next 50 years? Is the OP planning on not moving his coins for that long?

I think that all you need to think about is at maximum next 10 years. By then, Bitcoin will either be dead or it will be huge. So you are either gonna sell them and make a huge profits, or you can just take your cold storage method and throw it into trash can all together.

And anything will last you 10 years.

I was under the impression that the materials many of them use aren't all that endurable. Maybe that's changing.

If I was to go for 50 years, which I think is a totally pointless time frame but anyway, I'd go for engraving metal or laminated paper. Most definitely nothing electronic.

the easiest way and i think most common way is to make a paper wallet and then laminate the printed paper, it would increase its lifetime 10 times more.

but seeing this thread reminded me to check up on one of my bookmarks which i though looks cool called Cryptosteel:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=977486.0
it looks like the project is not ready yet though

The most secure place is the blockchain, but since it is publicly available, how to hide a key in the blockchain is tricky

The only way to do something like that would be to think of a completely unique way to obfuscate and store they key that nobody is going to figure out.

You could put it throught like 15 ciphers LOL.

paper wallets are nice,or you could try a usb wallet. make your own by installng electrum on an usb  ;D

im not worried about my ledger wallet. I'm watching the developments in the btc sphere close enough that if the tech threatens to become obsolete i can adjust accordingly, but I'm not too worried. i check my balance too often to get left behind.

I imagine if that public is outside your house, in a public place, there's always a chance someone could steal your coins.
on a serious note try trezor if u want an epensive wallet or ledger if you're on a budget.

Agreed.  10 years is a long time in anything involving IT.  Plenty of time to re-evaluate BTC and everything else in the next 10 years.

Time is speeding up...

Also, do make sure that any heirs (etc.) have access to the information they might need to get your BTC.

+1

Totally agree buddy although I would still advise people to distribute their owned bitcoins into various other methods.
Never keep all your eggs in one basket.

Outside of a paper wallet you could get a tattoo just remember to state in your will that you will that you will be leaving this to someone before they cremate you if you are to be cremated lol

I would also go for something like this. Paper protected from sunlight and humidity should be pretty safe.

I have CDs with (supposedly) games,pictures etc. on them from 10-15 years ago, and none of them work. There goes the stated 100 years on some of them.

Best long term storage for me is just keeping the wallet.dat files offline and backed up on a usb and cd. Use a lite wallet that you can recover from seed as well just in case anything goes wrong.

killer idea!

Paper wallet is a very secure system. You can print it on a metal base with laser cutting or engraving.

Except they ship it in a wax sealed envelope. Whether this is more secure than standard tamper-proof packaging is questionable. Especially now that people know what is inside.

Well said. I have never understood the appeal of paper wallets with all their disadvantages. Get a Trezor and store the 24 word seed in a safe place.

You can back up your wallet in multiple ways, just remember to encrypt everything.

Ive really come to enjoy Trezor for one of the most secure storage means possible but also being able to use that storage on the go.
LTC + BTC can also be stored on trezor at same time.

I love the fact that w/ a trezor ... even if ur paper seed(trez backup seed) is stolen, its useless to those who restore it unless they know passwords youve used on ur wallet to generate different HD trees.

This is achieved by the trezors "hidden wallets" feature.

Which subsequently secures your paper seed.

You can have as many HD wallets as passwords you can remember =)

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/11/21/1353504097819/Sumerian-tablet-with-cune-003.jpg

They may last for more than 5000 years. Of course you'll have some work and learning ahead, and you'll need a place to put your stone without arising suspicion, but if the storage place don't blow up, then I don't know how it can be destroyed in less than some millennia

discreetly design the key as a piece in a tattoo sleeve

But you still can lose your skin in some kind of acident, and I think that walk with a private key is always a risk, even if hidden.

And if you die and your body is not recovered, the keys are lost forever. I think OP wants the keys safe even if he dies