Your comments are extremely interesting to me, I haven't mentioned in the thread the whole story and reading your posts as nicehome you have discussed very similar methods and functions to those we have been circling for several years. SSL /X509 certs, and swf file game etc, my puzzle was supposed to help me learn about BTC  under the hood.

Quick update , the bitgo game was a mask to help hide files, or perhaps it was part of the puzzle , there was no yellow folder.

We do have a OPENPGP file which we can parse manually and extract tag5 -45 bytes,6 - 40 bytes ,13 the ID 13 is 66 bytes. We also have csv file like a seed of 7 words, which was provided but not clear is it was dropped for passwords.

Only pgp6.5.8 does complain about the file structure , we get 121 errors and 227 error in gpg

There is more clues but I won't be sharing for now, but the file size is 18812 bytes.

at about 1660 we have 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ff 87 ff ff xx xx xx


 

Interesting comments, I can see 00's in the file
fully tested for .swf and don't atm think so...

No SWF / No ZIP

The script didn’t detect FWS/CWS/ZWS or PK\x03\x04 in the file.

No Valid zlib Streams

It searched for the common 0x78 DEFLATE signature at every offset and tried to decompress. All attempts failed.

binwalk Found Nothing

Binwalk typically reports recognized file signatures (like PNG, JPEG, zlib blocks, ELF binaries, etc.). It found no signatures.

7-Zip Also Fails

7-Zip tried to open it as an archive and reported Cannot open the file as archive.

But we certainly played with .swf game ... (Bitgo) and I can see the 00's

You promised it was "All Bitcoin", I saved PGP, assumed hashes and proof of work with passwords , kinda cheating using .swf! lol but been a fun ride for sure.

Thought I might die before opening but know the spot referred, thought that was RSA for past 4 years.

NOT SIMPLE!

Congrats you won , I will buy coffee, visit whenever you get time.

M

Thx so very much , sorry not to read your comment three months ago.
Will come back with an update.

I have a very similar story to yours, the fact is that they were testing mnemonics in early May of 2010, I logged into a web service then to be greeted with a mnemonic string.

I do differ in that this wasn't the only thing I was given as mine involves PGP..

Even with massive help, we are left trawling archives for lost concepts and code which has certainly been intentionally removed or lost, changes in op-code structure prevents recovery and the key players won't help or respond, they make out that you have likely been taken for a ride, which on study of our files cannot be the case.

Perhaps we can share findings privately? we relate to theUNIONJACK, we might not be that far away.

l have to delve deeper into the Bitcoin protocol documentation and the X.690 standard to understand the intricacies of Bitcoin's encoding schemes further. I did know about DER encoding but even with this I haven't yet been able to understand the use of F% yet.

thx

Thx for replying, sorry I missed your reply as I have been away.

I have mastered VARINT now and get it , but there was in the past more to this, especially a printed ASCII variant translation of Blockchain data.

I am now drilling down to understanding FDF%F%F% etc found in Satoshi ascii text scripts of blockchain data from 2007-2010.

Once I can resolve "F%" then I may be closer to understanding my project.

Thx again

I'm delving into the historical aspects of Bitcoin's development, particularly the encoding methods used in the early .dat files created by Satoshi Nakamoto. My focus is on understanding the specific patterns and encoding schemes employed in these foundational stages, specifically the use of uppercase hex letters for blockchain data representation and two distinct patterns: "FD FE FF" and "F%F%F%".

"FD FE FF" Encoding: I understand that these sequences are related to varint encoding, with each prefix indicating the byte length of the subsequent integer ("FD" for 2-byte, "FE" for 4-byte, and "FF" for 8-byte integers). This compact representation method is fascinating, and I'm eager to learn more about its application and technical details within the Bitcoin blockchain data structure.

"F%F%F%" Pattern: This pattern is less clear to me. It does not seem to align with standard hexadecimal notation or Bitcoin's varint encoding principles. Could someone shed light on the use and translation of "F%" in the early Bitcoin code or data formatting? Is this a custom encoding method, or does it have a specific application that is not widely documented?

I'm looking for documents, discussions, or any form of literature that might explain the rationale, usage, and technical specifics of these patterns, especially the elusive "F%F%F%". Insights into Satoshi's encoding choices or references to discussions in early forums or code comments would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you for your time and expertise. I'm looking forward to deepening my understanding of Bitcoin's technical history with your help.

some merit there, did that already but I have DM 'ed the string to test,  see if you can work it out?

Hello, my transformation needs to be precisely reversible. The Satoshi compact CVarint (not Varint) was used.
Here is my Python interpretation, but it seems to have created characters outside the ascii range so I can't verify.

serialize.h of the period doesn't address this fully, appreciate any pointers, artifacts ??

def encode_camount(amount):
    # CAmount transformation
    if amount == 0:
        transformed_value = 0
    else:
        e = 0
        while amount % 10 == 0 and e < 9:
            amount //= 10
            e += 1
        if e < 9:
            d = amount % 10
            n = amount // 10
            transformed_value = 1 + 10 * (9 * n + d - 1) + e
        else:
            transformed_value = 1 + 10 * (amount - 1) + 9

    # MSB base-128 encoding
    encoded_bytes = []
    while transformed_value > 0:
        byte = transformed_value & 0x7F
        transformed_value >>= 7
        if transformed_value > 0:
            byte |= 0x80
            byte -= 1
        encoded_bytes.insert(0, byte)

    return encoded_bytes

def decode_camount(encoded_bytes):
    # Decode the variable-length integer
    decoded_value = 0
    for i, byte in enumerate(reversed(encoded_bytes)):
        if i > 0:
            decoded_value += (byte + 1) * (128 ** i)
        else:
            decoded_value += byte

    # Reverse the CAmount transformation
    if decoded_value == 0:
        return 0
    e = decoded_value % 10
    decoded_value = (decoded_value - 1) // 10
    if e < 9:
        n = decoded_value // 9
        d = decoded_value % 9 + 1
        original_amount = n * 10 + d
    else:
        original_amount = decoded_value + 1
    original_amount *= 10 ** e

    return original_amount


input_string = "<provided if you can help>"



# Step 1: Encoding - Convert each character to a byte and encode
encoded_data = [encode_camount(ord(c)) for c in input_string]
print("Encoded Data:", encoded_data)

# Step 2: Decoding - Decode each byte sequence
decoded_bytes = [decode_camount(data) for data in encoded_data]
print("Decoded Bytes:", decoded_bytes)

# Step 3: Re-encoding - Re-encode the decoded bytes
reencoded_data = [encode_camount(b) for b in decoded_bytes]
print("Reencoded Data:", reencoded_data)

# Step 4: Convert reencoded data back to byte literals
reencoded_bytes = bytearray()
for data in reencoded_data:
    for byte in data:
        reencoded_bytes.append(byte)

# Convert bytearray to string for display
reencoded_string = ''.join(format(x, '02x') for x in reencoded_bytes)
print("Reencoded Byte String:", reencoded_string)

# Step 5: Verification
verification = ''.join(format(ord(c), '02x') for c in input_string) == reencoded_string
print("Verification Successful:", verification)

Thx for any pointers outside a google search....

You may already know a UK legal claim has been made by Craig S. Wright who we learn has made claim to legal ownership of this wallet. This despite his story timeline being irrelevant to the wallets creation.

This is BITCOIN, and we may simply have been SCAMMED, as we are reminded by everyone we discuss our project with.

However our documentation and investigations make us believe:

1. This wallet was prepared for a private transaction by Steven Chan - Director of Oracle, working in Reading Berks whom retired in 2019 and declines to respond, though in fairness to him we haven't been able to obtain his current telephone number as it may be now in Canada/ US North West.

2. The payment for this wallet was made via BACS payment directly to Mr Chan's UK personal bank account on the 15th May 2010 following a transaction discussed and agreed via Skype on the 13th May 2010.

3. Mr Chan prepared and encrypted the wallet file containing what is believed to be the very private keys you claim to have, he delivered this file to the legal owner via Skype on the 24th May 2010 along with a 63 byte secret string. The encoded file is dated 24th May 2010.

4. Other personal details were also captured and shared at the time, including the agreed decryption method.

5. The wallet was archived after a "blue screen of death crash in 2011" all contact numbers lost,  its owner though still very much alive today!.

6. Technically the the private keys are not lost, simply are securely encrypted inside an encoded file 18812 bytes in size.

7. The only loss currently is the communication or "construct" to derive the key from the data shared to decode the file.

Professional witnesses to these events and transaction exist. "Bitcoin Community Professionals" including Peter Todd and others have already inspected the encrypted wallet and are considering how and if to provide recovery assistance.

If indeed you have access to the coins as you state, we understand the weight of your dilemma!, just because you found cash on the street... does this make it yours?. I am sure your retained lawyers will explain the Computer Misuse Act (I assume you are UK based) and find a way to bend the law to suit their pay-grade but the answer is "NO!". The reward of successful return would be a legit ask, likely significantly more than you may spend attempting to prove your ownership without the documents we hold.

Should you turn to the dark side... then you will get hunted and found, Karma will come for you... Perhaps a private chat would be best to share mutual interests.

The best path forward to validate STEVEN CHAN, he seems in our opinion the worlds most honest guy! if you consider he has been in your position for the past 12 years.

OR you could SIMPLY DELETE THEM..! like you never found them.

Rgds

M

I would really like to share a message with Steven Chan cryptographer from Oracle, who was mining in 2010.

Please make contact..

Thx

I have a few questions:

Where is there a timestamp in a 2010 wallet? position in relation to ... KEY! 036b657921 or 0201010420

I assume the privkey is after 0201010420 ?

Why does a wallet have so moany bloody privkeys?

Does the wallet hold coin info like how many, if so what is location ref above.

I have been studying it in hex viewer and isolating/ colouring the repeatable hex values, can see metakey information and key! and privkey magic no problem, why wouldn't format be recognised? key things to look for?

Hey!

My story moved on a bit, now its about a wallet now which for both Bitcoin-wallet.exe and pywallet I am getting issues. Neither loads correctly, btc-wallet says unrecognised file format. Not encrypted, but 2500 keys. Tried manually, but not 100% sure the process is correct.

Bitcoin Bounty Hunter already here but can't disclose as may or may not be genuine, can't/ won't verify fully.

Need to find a way to resolve with someone trusted, if already gone would like to discover when/ where.

I am struggling to recover coins from an old wallet and need a pro who eats 2010 Berkeley db's in his sleep, it might just be a lesson on how to identify empty wallets but hopefully will be a few beers.. ideally be nice to understand and fix the wallets issue and open the original file as I am told everything it backwardly compatible?. (not a believer soz!)

There is an obvious need to be trusted and open to share knowledge, I don't just want to dump keys and move on, I would like to understand the deeper history, assuming there is or perhaps was one.

Always happy to share rewards of a successful result but this isn't making anyone rich.

Message me if interested.

Tried the brain wallet, no outputs. don't believe that's the end of my story.

I realise the complexity of the process, I was really hoping that an old miner would put up his hand and admit to doing this in 2010.

Whilst playing his game, it inadvertently gave me 80+ similar but unique files... I am sure we will get there in the end, couple of coders taking a look, thanks to the forum, who knows really.

Appreciate your interest. thx

.... totally in agreement.... for what its worth, KISS! (keep it simple stupid), sorry yes 32 character hex!

Turns out that this is 98% of my challenge thanks but now to figure out which policy needs to be applied. In other words very close but no cigar!.

...sure and I would agree with you now, however, back in 2010 I was trading stocks, bitcoin was little more than an idealistic story. I spoke with a guy in the UK who sounded extremely knowledgeable, a cryptographer, a Bitcoin Miner, the right person!. He said he was a software developer who mined coins and was creating a new bitcoin exchange business. I asked if he could sell me some bitcoin to introduce me to the technology and processes, he gave me a url and I followed his instructions. At the end of it I had data. one of which said DO_NOT_DELETE_72aXXXX a 32 bit hex key another an image of a playing card which I think was the image to remember from the game.

I was busy and forgot about it all for a year, came back to it in 2011 with more time and a greater understanding of privkeys but couldn't derive my privkey or a wallet from these files.

NO BIG DEAL IN 2010-11. But 2021 and it is many 1000's of btc,  so sense would dictate to look at it again .

I had a bad first experience as did many.. I paid money and took a risk, everyone holding bitcoin takes the same journey! keys or not, sense or not its now a fun challenge to solve .

I need cryptographers not agony aunts!

We took the .swf apart and nothing to say about it. But would be very interested in any standard tools which may have been around in 2010?? tools to translate an imagefile and a 32bit hex word into a privkey