Appreciate all the helpful info.

Based on the comments here, I have (with my father's strong urging) decided to try the safer approach of having an online computer (iMac) and an offline computer (MacBook) and follow the instructions posted here https://bitcoinelectrum.com/how-to-spend-from-an-offline-paper-wallet-using-electrum/ as earlier referenced by hosemary. This is similar to the same type of approach/process recommended by LoyceV but without the LINUX stuff since I am on MacOS and not on Windows/PC.

But both LoyceV and the directions posted at bitcoinelectrum.com refer to "the transaction" and I do not know what that means.


In the bitcoinelectrum.com instructions is says:
• On the ONLINE system create a watch-only wallet with the address of the paper wallet. (OK, done)
• On the OFFLINE system create an imported private key wallet using the paper wallet's private key. (Easy enough, so far so good)
• On the ONLINE system go to the "Send" tab and enter the payee's details and the amount you want to send them (THIS IS WHERE I GET LOST... WHAT IS THIS??) Click on "Pay" and then "Advanced" to view the unsigned transaction. (WHAT TRANSACTION?? WHAT AM I SENDING TO WHO??)
• Set a suitable fee and click on "Finalize" then click on "Export" to save it to a removable drive.
• On the OFFLINE system go to Tools menu > load transaction > from file, and load the unsigned transaction. Click on "Sign" and then export the signed transaction back to the removable drive.
• On the ONLINE system, load the signed transaction using Tools menu > load transaction > from file, and click on "Broadcast".

So as complicated as this friggin mess is, I'm sure I can muddle thru, but I have no idea about how making a WATCH-ONLY WALLET in the online system has anything to do with creating a "live/spend wallet" on the offline system but then "Send" BTC to myself thru "The Transaction"?? This is why I just wanted to scan the Private Key QR code on my dad's iPhone and be done with it.

OK, so I am going to proceed with this option (and THANK YOU FOR REPLYING WITH THIS INFO!).
I downloaded Blue Wallet from the  App Store on my iPhone. I have imported a few small BTC wallets (both from public key for watch-only and from private key for full control/spend), $100 or less of BTC value, and everything worked flawlessly. Now I am ready to do the big/real one.

But before I "risk" several BTC that are stored on a paper wallet (explained above in the top post) by importing them into a new Blue Wallet spending wallet, and then using my Coinbase receive address to send the BTC from Blue to Coinbase, I thought I would try to understand what seems like fear many of you have about losing coins that I don't have any experience with or grid for understanding.

Here is the gist of what I hear many of you saying:
- Stop messing with private keys on "hot wallets", because... ??
   - What might happen? What is a "hot wallet"? How does having a "hot wallet" cause potential loss?

- Go offline ("air-gapped"), do part offline, do part online (all with the blinds/drapes closed), because... ??
   - How is this safer than just importing the wallet into Blue on my iPhone and then sending to Coinbase?
   - I can see how 1 option is an anxiety-inducing difficult and confusing set of steps and how the other option is tap-tap, send, easy/done, but I do not understand how the super difficult option is "safer" than the super easy option?

- Do research and know for sure what you are doing will work, because... ??
   - The way I see it this is impossible, can you ever know 100% for sure if it's going to work?
   - LoyceV said, and I quote "You can't possibly be sure about this, there's always a risk."
   - But then LoyceV said, in contradiction, "If you're talking about $100k+, why rush things instead of spending a few hours extra to do it 100% safe?"
   - But apparently there IS NO 100% safe. There is ALWAYS risk, but risk of what?? Why is the method I am going to try any LESS SAFE than another method?
   - LoyceV also said it will highly likely work just fine, like a 95% chance. Isn't that also true of any other crypto transferring method as well?

- Coinbase sucks so don't use it, because... ??
   - Is Coinbase compromised somehow? Is this a "you are not a serious crypto pro if you use Coinbase" type bias?
   - It's just the place we need to send the BTC to so that we can get it withdrawn out into the checking account, so how could this be a bad idea?

Does this all have to do with PC/Windows computers that doesn't apply at all to  iPhone devices regarding malware or hackers being able to see transactions moving thru the ether? Is this outdated info that is no longer fully relevant in 2025 with better technology and secure internet networks and  devices that are not susceptible to the vast majority of all hacks/malware/network malfeasance?

I am not trying to upset anyone and I greatly appreciate all the feedback and helpful info. I just want to understand why something that looks and feels totally straightforward and impossible to mess with/hack/steal (importing the paper wallet private key into Blue Wallet on my iPhone and then sending that BTC to my personal Coinbase BTC wallet for withdrawal) seems to induce ire and/or fear on some folks' parts.

What is it you are afraid of? What's the "risk"?
- Doing something incorrectly and freezing or jettisoning your own BTC?
- Or an actual hack/over-the-air heist/theft of your BTC?
   - If this is the fear/risk, how is this possible with the method I am going to use?

I guess the bottom line, be-all end-all question is... Does anyone have personal experience with them or someone they personally know trying to import BTC (regardless of how much) from a paper wallet to a Blue Wallet spending wallet and then sending that BTC to that same person's personal Coinbase BTC wallet for ultimate withdrawal, and it not working? If something bad happened, what happened? Or is this just overly-cautious parenting because we don't want to see our kids get hurt (and rightfully so) but the reality is the bad outcomes we fear hardly ever happen, and when they do they happen to the risk-takers and the risk-avoidant alike? That's pretty much how I am seeing it, so please correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks again guys, I really do appreciate all the help.

OK, so now I have what appear to be 2 good and uncomplicated options to solve this problem (thanks again everyone!).

1) I have OmegaStarScream telling me to download ELECTRUM (on my Mac, which I already did), then import my BTC private key into Electrum and then send it from Electrum to my father's Coinbase BTC receive address. That sounds quick and easy, just what I was hoping!

2) Then I have magick telling me to download BlueWallet onto my dad's iPhone (which I thought we had already tried but I will have to check again, maybe not) and then import the paper wallet by simply choosing that (Import Wallet) option and entering the 52 character private key, which then allows access to the BTC, which I can then send to my dad's Coinbase BTC receive address. Sounds equally quick and easy as the first option.

So which is better?
Is there a "better" or is it just a matter of preference and comfortability?
Is 1 of these 2 seemingly great options clearly a preferable choice in any way?

And, BTW, nothing in any of this advice have I seen "go offline" or "disconnect from the internet" type instruction. It appears that these days you can just type a private key into Electrum on your web-connected Mac or BlueWallet on your 5G connected iPhone and the BTC will just show up without hassle or fear of loss/theft. Is that really true? That's what it sounds like.

Thanks again.

Thank you to the 3 folks who have responded so far. Apparently we have done some dangerous/stupid things without realizing it. Appreciate your warnings and wise council.

Each of you mentioned ELECTRUM. Is this a program/app/utility that can be downloaded on an iPhone (to make things easier for my father)? Or can it be downloaded on a Mac (I/we only use  Mac computers, no PCs/windows machines at all ever)? Or is this a PC/Windows computer mandate type thing?

Thanks again for the responses.

I am familiar with BTC/crypto and Coinbase but by no means an expert (or even very well educated). My elderly father and I both have Coinbase accounts with minimal amounts of various cryptos contained there. I signed up for this forum today to ask this question. I apologize if this or a very similar question has been asked before on this forum (I'm sure it has). I thought it more expedient to ask my specific Q with my specific set of circumstances rather than try to slog thru hundreds of other posts trying to find an exact match to the answer I need.

Here is the problem...

My father has a couple BTC stored on a single paper wallet. It is an OLD paper wallet created by a friend of his in 2019 or 2020 on bitaddress.org and printed out on a piece of paper. There is a QR code, a public key, and a private key. The private key is 52 characters long (not 64) and it starts with the letter L.

We have tried several different ways of getting this paper wallet imported into Coinbase so my father can have liquid access to the funds by doing withdrawals out of Coinbase into his linked checking account. We have been unsuccessful in getting the BTC paper wallet imported into Coinbase (or into ANY other type of wallet for that matter, be it MyEtherWallet (MEW), BlueWallet, TrustWallet, etc, having been informed that Coinbase cannot accept paper wallet imports directly, which seems ridiculous). When we try to scan the QR code on the paper wallet with his iPhone into one of these online wallets the "transaction" or "import" is rejected. When we tried to type in the full 52 character private key into MEW, the transaction simply never materialized as if it had never been attempted. When we got in touch with MEW customer service they said that the "format" or "style" of paper wallet we had was not supported by their system and the attempted import of the wallet was unsuccessful/ignored.

We have been told that we need to import the paper wallet into an intermediary wallet like TrustWallet or MEW so that we can get the BTC into a Trezor/Ledger cold wallet and then we can import the contents of the Ledger cold wallet into Coinbase. Is this accurate? We would rather not do this if not totally necessary, preferring to simply go from paper to intermediary online wallet to Coinbase if possible.

How can my father and I transfer the ALL of the BTC from the 52-character bit address.org paper wallet into some other intermediary wallet and then into Coinbase all at one time with with one set of transfers/transactions so that my dad can have his BTC in Coinbase liquid and ready to cash out? Because literally what the hell good is BTC even if it's worth a million a coin if you cannot gain access to the money to actually spend it on real life?? (It's like a $100,000 pre-paid credit card frozen in a block of ice... worth $100k and worthless at the same time.)

Please help this Gen X crypto novice help his Boomer dad gain access to this desperately needed financial asset that he owns but cannot use. THANKS!