In 2009, Norwegian engineer Kristoffer Koch stumbled upon Bitcoin while researching encryption for his master’s thesis. Out of pure curiosity, he decided to buy 5,000 BTC for just $27. Back then, Bitcoin was practically worthless, and most people had no idea what it could become. Koch didn’t think much of it either—he forgot about his Bitcoin wallet completely.

Fast forward to 2013, Bitcoin started making headlines as its price surged. Koch remembered his old investment, recovered his wallet, and discovered his $27 gamble was now worth over $880,000. Shocked and thrilled, he sold a chunk of his Bitcoin to buy a luxury apartment in Oslo. While he didn’t sell all his BTC, those 5,000 coins would now be worth a jaw-dropping $500 million at today’s price of $100,000 per Bitcoin.

Koch’s story shows how a tiny, forgotten investment can turn into a life-changing fortune. It also makes you wonder: would you have held on, or cashed out like he did?