Found a Private Key but the lenght dont looks right

[dadadum]

Hi i have a found a txt file on the pc of my grandpa when i copy the old pics on USB, it was in the pics folder hidden,
it is a Bitcoin address 2 adresses and every has a private key, but it match not with any i found on the Internet from the length

The txt file looks like .. i will make a "example" not the Original

Bitcoin Address 1

1..........
( When i put it on Blockchain it shows near 1 BTC and the second 1.4 BTC both address with first Number 1, and both created 2013 )

Private Key

4fb5hhxi75abc2cbd48TZi875XY123456abcdefghBCA15iWCo8i --- the Problem

(53 Characters, i read everywhere it has to be 51 for Base58)

Bitcoin address 2

same as above from the length 53 characters is the PK


what is this for a PK, have i to do something with it ??
I try it on Offline brainwallet converter, hex to dec, dec to Base58 or Base 58Check but i get no WIF import format !

And no i cant ask my grandpa, he died last Year, thats why i try to backup the old family pics.

If somebody can help me, would be nice thx.

[1714998707]

1714998707

[escobol]

check https://brainwalletx.github.io/#converter

[dadadum]

yep thats what i did i download offline version and--- i try all combinations but found nothing, oooor i do something wrong

i try base 58 base 58check from dec to hex from hex to dec but all informations on the net say 51 charackter with a 5 infront is for WIF

[LoyceV]

4fb5hhxi75abc2cbd48TZi875XY123456abcdefghBCA15iWCo8i --- the Problem

(53 Characters, i read everywhere it has to be 51 for Base58)

You've posted 52 characters. I hope you didn't post the real key though! Okay, you didn't.

These are my notes on private key length:

Bitcoin private keys (this section is largely based on data from bitaddress.org)

• WIF (Wallet Import Format) (51 characters base58, starting with "5").
  Example: 5KMWmYkn5YWkJnUDG4utD9L1HXQv3DBseqqCGsQXmthcEerbA7k
• WIF Compressed (52 characters base58, starting with "K" or "L").
  Example: L41YPdADy46J9Vh77WGR2bktFwEZ6knza2Xim3Urq9CEWynkkLgn
  Note: both WIF and WIF Compressed are derived from the same private key, but result in different Bitcoin addresses.

What's the first character of each private key?

It could be some characters were changed to make it harder to take funds if someone discovers the keys. Something like: move N characters from left to right, there are so many possibilities. I'd look for other files that may give more clues.

[escobol]

It is not WIF.

Like in PM.

What I would try

Before next step:
Do offline copy of https://www.bitaddress.org/

Play:
With offline https://brainwalletx.github.io/#converter paste you 53 char - (Convert to HEX) - copy every HEX, from every available source encoding.

Go to saved, offline www.bitaddress.org -> Wallet Details -> paste saved HEX to Enter Private Key -> View Details.

[dadadum]

My fault there are 53 characters i did it wrong in the example in the first post

from First address it starts with

7P+51 characters in sum 53

the second with

3N+51 characters in sum also 53

i am a total noob so maybe it has to be some convert to be made, 2013 have be no wallets WIF ! or have they ??

Other thing is can i import the REAL Private Key somewhere without converting in WIF ?? Maybe this is also a solutuion ??!

THX for all help i apriciate that real !

[escobol]

check my post above yours

[o_e_l_e_o]

Could it be these are actually private keys for an altcoin and not bitcoin at all?
Could it be that they are encrypted?
Perhaps they have been put through a simple cypher (increment all characters by one, reverse the order, etc). The first character in a Base58 private key should be 5, K, or L.

[DannyHamilton]

Could it be these are actually private keys for an altcoin and not bitcoin at all?

Possibly, but he did say that when he checks the address, there are bitcoins at the address.  Wouldn't be completely unheard of for an altcoin to have the same address as Bitcoin, but typically then they have the same private key too.  Seems very unlikely for an altcoin with a non-bitcoin private key to result in an address that actually has bitcoins.

Could it be that they are encrypted?

That's my suspicion.  But there are so many ways of encrypting and/or obfuscating a private key, that if Grandad didn't leave some hints or instructions it may be VERY difficult to find the correct process for recovering the original private key.

Perhaps they have been put through a simple cypher (increment all characters by one, reverse the order, etc). The first character in a Base58 private key should be 5, K, or L.

The cypher would need to be one that adds additional characters, and if so then decyphering it will require figuring out what to remove.

[escobol]

Maybe it is minikey?

Download Bitcoin Address Utility
https://en.bitcoinwiki.org/wiki/Bitcoin_Address_Utility

Tools / Address Utility
Paste your hex in Minikey, next - button with two arrows down (next to the button Generate Minikey)

[LoyceV]

Maybe it is minikey?

Unlikely:

Mini private key (30 characters base58, starting with "S", see wiki)
Example: Sf2i92UoH3kMooYXHdDQ4YQvLTdPrQ

[escobol]

Im aware of the spec, but simple check will not hurt

[seoincorporation]

Normally the privatekeys start with 5 or with L, yours starts from 4... that and the number of chars is weird, maybe is a private key for another coin, but I don't know what coin has private keys starting with 4.

If it's the private key encrypted, then it will be hard to recover the original.

[dadadum]

Quick info about what i found all out i double check now the given Addresses, and yes they are bitcoin addresses.

Then i do the offline search with the scripts forward backward front reverse ....

My main question is, does it make a difference on a clear ECDSA private key if i put the letters all in Upper or not because i realize that on the side of "tp´s go bitcoin tests" where i only look how a real key looks like. all is in upper letters.

And thanks for all help.

[o_e_l_e_o]

My main question is, does it make a difference on a clear ECDSA private key if i put the letters all in Upper or not because i realize that on the side of "tp´s go bitcoin tests" where i only look how a real key looks like. all is in upper letters.

For private keys in raw hexadecimal format (only containing the characters 0-9 and A-F), then it makes no difference if the A-F characters are upper or lower case.
If the private key is in any other common encoding such as WIF or minikey (which use Base58), or in Base64, then it is case sensitive.

[NotATether]

I not-so-long-ago helped someone out whose wallet had a completely different representation of a private key, so it's possible that he (your grandfather) used some obscure wallet software that stores private keys like that and not 51 characters.

Does the text file look like some kind of backup that the wallet told him to write down? Try also finding the wallet software that he used, from traces on the USB, or the computer' hard drive if you still have access to that, if possible.

[dadadum]

The txt file was named "BC-13.txt" and when i look the details it shows ... that it was created 11.2013 on his PC.
I also check for BitcoinCore or another software that was installed maybe finding some crumbs of bad deinstallation,
but he has never uninstall something, and has only the standard programs and office pack on the pc.

I will try to switch the first and last characters now.

[o_e_l_e_o]

I also check for BitcoinCore or another software that was installed maybe finding some crumbs of bad deinstallation,
but he has never uninstall something, and has only the standard programs and office pack on the pc.

If we assume that what you say is accurate - he has never uninstalled anything and there are no traces of a bitcoin wallet on his computer - then is there a chance these are not private keys at all, but rather passwords or some other important details for a web wallet? Is the computer you have access to the same one he was using back in 2013? Can you check the browser history for any web wallets or other bitcoin related sites which might give you a clue (or even other wallet sites which might give a clue as to any wallet software he was using)?

[dadadum]

I ask my father, he say pap (grandpa) has become the pc 2012 for his 60 birthday, and he has windows 7 pro on it, like the pc now.
So when he also told me his username was ADAM without a password ... yep thats the PC i have now home.

I would wonder if he has something other on it, because last 3-4 years i help him with all the itunes and camera software if he has any problems, over anydesk.

I will flip switch reverse all i can now, pap was no illuminati guy, he write down what he see and hear ... example his wifi password is in clear letters pin on the whiteboard in the kitchen.

Grandma her coment was only, " i know he became some internet money from a friend, he say maybe it will be worth one day, but thats long ago darling !"

[LoyceV]

So when he also told me his username was ADAM without a password ...

This doesn't sound like someone who would create a complicated system to secure his Bitcoins.

Grandma her coment was only, " i know he became some internet money from a friend, he say maybe it will be worth one day, but thats long ago darling !"

There's your biggest clue: find out who that friend was, and go from there.

[DannyHamilton]

I have a vague recollection of a web service back in 2012 or 2013 that allowed you to receive and send bitcoins without any userID or password.  Instead, they just used a long randomly generated URL. As long as you knew the URl, you had access to the bitcoins, but if you didn't know the URL, then it was effectively impossible to guess and get access to anyone else's bitcoins. Perhaps what is written down is the portion of the URL that you would need to know to access the bitcoins?

Unfortunately:

• 1. I don't remember the name of the service (perhaps another old-timer here might?).
• 2. I may be mistaken, and my memory of such things from so long ago might not be entirely accurate.
• 3. If my memory IS accurate, then I think the creator of the service eventually shut it down and disappeared with everyone's bitcoins.

[dadadum]

I have a vague recollection of a web service back in 2012 or 2013 that allowed you to receive and send bitoccins without any userID or password.  Instead, they just used a long randomly generated URL. As long as you knew the URl, you had access to the bitcoins, but if you didn't know the URL, then it was effectively impossible to guess and get access to anyone else's bitcoins. Perhaps what is written down is the portion of the URL that you would need to know to access the bitcoins?

Unfortunately:

• 1. I don't remember the name of the service (perhaps another old-timer here might?).
• 2. I may be mistaken, and my memory of such things from so long ago might not be entirely accurate.
• 3. If my memory IS accurate, then I think the creator of the service eventually shut it down and disappeared with everyone's bitcoins.

I think i am a step ahead, i ask gran and she say, she thinks that he become it from a good fam. friend, i know him he was working in a credit institute, i will try to contact him next days.

And let you know what this illuminati code has on it hahahahahha.

[escobol]

I have a vague recollection of a web service back in 2012 or 2013 that allowed you to receive and send bitcoins without any userID or password.  Instead, they just used a long randomly generated URL. As long as you knew the URl, you had access to the bitcoins, but if you didn't know the URL, then it was effectively impossible to guess and get access to anyone else's bitcoins. Perhaps what is written down is the portion of the URL that you would need to know to access the bitcoins?

Unfortunately:

• 1. I don't remember the name of the service (perhaps another old-timer here might?).
• 2. I may be mistaken, and my memory of such things from so long ago might not be entirely accurate.
• 3. If my memory IS accurate, then I think the creator of the service eventually shut it down and disappeared with everyone's bitcoins.

Instawallet / Easywallet.org ?

Looks thath insta url got ~31 charts

[LoyceV]

3. If my memory IS accurate, then I think the creator of the service eventually shut it down and disappeared with everyone's bitcoins.

Lol! Why would anyone trust a third party link when they can keep their own keys?
Anyway, that didn't happen in this case:

( When i put it on Blockchain it shows near 1 BTC and the second 1.4 BTC

[DannyHamilton]

Lol! Why would anyone trust a third party link when they can keep their own keys?

That's a good question.  The main answer is convenience.  The next best answer is lack of knowledge or understanding.

For easy examples, ask all the people that lost bitcoins to MtGox.

[dadadum]

UPDATE

I found the man and he gave me 5 more addresses with PK like the one in the txt file, all around 0.5-1.1 btc on it.
He has also about 10 of them, and tell me how pap and he get this from a other friend that was a computer programer (and dont ask, the man dies some years ago ).
And they have use 3 in 2015 or 2016 or 2017 to go on a fishing trip.

He is a bit dementia and cant remember how they make the bitcoins to money, but all happend on a pc with a Bitcoin Core software he had ( yes he "had" but his son put a new SSD in with windows 10, old was broken)

So when i told him about what i found and what bitcoin is gona be, he walk to a cabinet and gave me a paper and all the keys are on it written by hand.

The sad thing is he talks with me and stops and then ask, who are you ... all repeating, i was happy his son was with me and handle the situation real good.

At the end he gave his son the keys he forgot, he has, and now we both have this 53 char long PKs.

What i figure out with all the PK i saw is

53 Characters
hex format
no big I or big O letters

and thats it. Somebody a idea ??

[LoyceV]

I found the man and he gave me 5 more addresses with PK like the one in the txt file, all around 0.5-1.1 btc on it.
~
He is a bit dementia

I guess he didn't know he gave you a quarter million dollars?

cant remember how they make the bitcoins to money, but all happend on a pc with a Bitcoin Core software he had
~
What i figure out with all the PK i saw is

53 Characters
hex format
no big I or big O letters

Crazy idea: get Bitcoin Core, or even an older version that was around when those keys were created, install it on an offline system, and try to somehow import these keys.

And they have use 3 in 2015 or 2016 or 2017 to go on a fishing trip.

Do you (did he) still have the keys written down for the emptied addresses? If so, is that something you can share?

[dadadum]

at one
he told me after some repeats that he and pap get/buy this half half 2 have i 3 they spend he insist pap sold them hahahahah 5 he gave me
the other 10 he gave his son this day we have been there.

at two
did it Download Bitcoin Core from bitcoin.org Bitcoin Core version 0.13.0 thats the only that let me import keys i test it, but also say no valid PK.

at three
no he dont have the 3 used only the handwritten paper he made before the old hd was changed.

I ask his son where is the old hd ... guess what he did ... yep throw it away because every some minutes it restart and has bluescreens.

Belive me i had moments i wish never find this txt file last some days. Horrible but i dont give up, my main prob is i am not that pc guy or know much about PK Base 58 .. check...

I read and read and feel like a stranger in a foreign language. 

[dadadum]

at one
he told me after some repeats that he and pap get/buy this half half 2 have i 3 they spend he insist pap sold them hahahahah 5 he gave me

If you're looking for help, can you write complete clear sentences with interpunction and stuff? This is terrible to understand!

sry was in a hurry

[DannyHamilton]

What i figure out with all the PK i saw is

53 Characters
hex format
no big I or big O letters

and thats it. Somebody a idea ??

Hex uses ONLY the following letters and numbers:
0123456789ABCDEF

That's it, nothing more.  Hex doesn't care about capital letters or not, so A is the same as a, and B is the same as b, and so on.
If your key has any letters later in the alphabet than F, then it is NOT hex.

Bitcoin's Base58check encoding uses the following:
123456789ABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijkmnopqrstuvwxyz

Base58check DOES care about capital letters, so A is different than a, and B is different than b, and so on.

Notice that Base58check does NOT use the number 0 (zero) or the letters capital i (eye), capital o (oh), or lowercase l (elle). If your key has any of those 4 characters then it is NOT Base58check.

Base 64 encoding uses the following:
0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz+/=

If your key has any +, or /, or =, or the number 0 (zero) or the letters capital i (eye), capital o (oh), or lowercase l (elle), then there's a pretty good chance that it is Base 64.

If they were using Bitcoin Core when they successfully used the bitcoins, and then they wrote down what they thought was a private key and stopped using the bitcoins anymore after that... Then unfortunately, it is very possible that they didn't understand what they were doing and accidentally wrote something down that is NOT a private key.  If that happened, then you will never be able to access those bitcoins.

If they were writing down the keys in 2017 for a fishing trip, then the format for keys was pretty standard at that time, which means that either they made an expensive mistake and wrote down the wrong thing OR they invented their own process for converting a key into something unrecognizable and you'll need to learn what they did if you want to convert it back to a key.

[dadadum]

OK, i understand it, and i am so happy some try to help me.
I think i have no other chance, than post the PK here, so you can maybe figure out, what this all has to mean.

I got now 7 PKs from pap and Mister Kaparal, without help, i will have none, with help maybe i got some.

But i dont want to post it public, who wanna help PM me, i am willing to share the "Illuminati" BTC PKs.

I share 1, and who find maybe the solution, will get another one, as thank you ...

Is this a good offer ? Or did i break with this, one of the forum rules ??

[DannyHamilton]

OK, i understand it, and i am so happy some try to help me.
I think i have no other chance, than post the PK here, so you can maybe figure out, what this all has to mean.

I got now 7 PKs from pap and Mister Kaparal, without help, i will have none, with help maybe i got some.

But i dont want to post it public, who wanna help PM me, i am willing to share the "Illuminati" BTC PKs.

I share 1, and who find maybe the solution, will get another one, as thank you ...

Is this a good offer ? Or did i break with this, one of the forum rules ??

This does not break any forum rules.

However, if you truly feel that you have no other choice than to share the private key, then you should be VERY careful about who you share it with.  You will DEFINITELY be receiving PM from people that plan to just steal the bitcoin if they can figure it out.

There is no reason to rush into things.  The bitcoins aren't going anywhere.  You can spend months or even years figuring out what your pap and Mr. Kaparal might have done.  Perhaps you can talk to Mr. Kaparal many times and sometimes maybe he will get lucky and remember a small piece that helps you.  Perhaps you can talk to the son many times and eventually he will remember something about his father that helps both of you figure it out.  Perhaps you can find a close family friend that learns about and understands Bitcoin enough to be able to help you.

Better to wait, and learn, and talk to people in your life that can help, than to rush and lose maybe millions of dollars.

[dadadum]

Thank you, very wise advice !

Maybe i really try to talk, some more times, with Mr. Kaparal, but when i look his eyes, when he has a "out" like a reset, and look at me, like first time see me, i wanna keep stress away from him.

But shure, bit more looking around, will help !

Repeating, a BIG THANKs for all help, i follow all instructions, i can become here.

And maybe some more reading, and understanding of the material, will help also.

[LoyceV]

But i dont want to post it public, who wanna help PM me, i am willing to share the "Illuminati" BTC PKs.

I share 1, and who find maybe the solution, will get another one, as thank you ...

Is this a good offer ? Or did i break with this, one of the forum rules ??

I can take a look if you want, but make no promises about the likelyhood of me being able to recover anything.
What I can do upfront is make a deal on what percentage will be mine if I figure it out. If it's 0.5 BTC (or more), there's no need for 100% of that amount (let alone "another one as thank you").
If you're sharing the private key with multiple people, you'll never know who took it if anyone takes everything.

If you're going to share private keys, I suggest doing something like this:

Don't send private keys from a standard email that doesn't encrypt messages.
The easiest way to send private keys (or seed words, depending on your wallet) is if you create a Protonmail account. My email:

Code:

LoyceVswitzerland@protonmail.com

This way, the email has end-to-end encryption and should be secure. There's of course always the risk of your (or my) computer being compromised.
Alternatively, you can send half of each private key to my Protonmail email, and the other half by Bitcointalk PM. This way the parts don't end up on the same email account.

If it's hand-written on paper, a picture may be better to avoid making mistakes typing.

You may want to discuss this with whoever has the rights to his inheritance first.

[dadadum]

A short feedback, they have use like a split and combine system.

Split the PK and put 1-3 characters at the end.

After some visits to Mistr Kaparal, it looks like he can remember more, i think its also the situation his son is with us, so he feels good when we talk.

For all that wanna help, thank you all, i apriciate that so much.

But like DannyHamilton say i got real nice msg from ppl, they wanna help ... but also some more, that when you read the msg, its visible they wanna scam.

So i do it at the moment, like he say, waiting and learning.

[traderdyl]

Although he wrote them down, I would still suggest looking for the wallet.dat. I would also look at getting a tool to grab his Internet Browser saved passwords, most people use the same password for everything, Worth a try.

Good luck. hope you find what you are looking for.

[Pmalek]

but also some more, that when you read the msg, its visible they wanna scam.

Be very careful with those, especially messages that come from low ranked and unknown members. A high rank doesn't mean a user is automatically trustworthy, but it does mean that (most of the time) they worked hard to reach that rank and build a reputation. Always check the profile and trust score of the members who contact you and read what is written there.

If you take a look at LoyceV's ratings (the user who offered to help you), you will notice plenty of positive trust ratings. You can trust him. The same can be said for the other lads who merited DannyHamilton's post where he warns you about the dangers of sharing private info with others.

o_e_l_e_o
ETFbitcoin
DannyHamilton

Whether or not they can, have the time, or know how to help you, is a completely different matter.