Quote from: adamstgBit on October 29, 2011, 08:40:28 PM

Quote from: rotrott on October 29, 2011, 12:44:04 PM

I'm sure this has probably been discussed, so please point me in the direction of those threads if it is true.

What happens if the value of a bitcoin reaches a level where it's easy for an entity to buy a large chunk of them and then send them into oblivion? Could the system sustain a loss of 5 million coins? At what percentage loss would the system be unusable?

Also, if we lose just 1/5th of a percent bitcoins per year (due to mistakes and what not) we will lose half the available coins in 210 years. (I hope my math is correct

)

if lost coins becomes a problem we will simply start mining them back!

Correct. Quantum computing should be capable of finding those "lost" coins by the time it becomes an issue.