Topic: I sent Bitcoin to compressed version of my address and can't retrieve my btc (Read 1899 times)

It means milli-bitcoin, which is 0.001 of a Bitcoin, or a thousandth of a Bitcoin. Multiply your mBTC balance by a thousand to get the value in whole Bitcoins. The Bitcoin wiki explains the Bitcoin's different units.

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Units

Ahhh... I did it! Well really you guys did it, thank you both soon much for taking time out of you day to help!!  Just out of curiosity, it says my balance is 83.826mBTC. I haven't seen mBTC before, is it just another way to show smaller amounts of Bitcoin?

I really don't understand what kind of wallet you are talking about but I'm guessing it's blockchain.info. I don't know how it works but I found this post:
So do that if you want to use blockchain.info. If you don't (which I recommend) use Electrum and when you start it for the first time choose "Restore a wallet or import keys" there just put your private key and enjoy having full control of your coins unlike in blockchain.info because as far as I researched it doesn't give you the option to export your private keys.

I don't understand how to import the funds, that's been my problem all along, I guess I didn't explain myself very well

I can get to that page, and I have both copy's of my private key. I used the compressed key in the transaction where I sent my BTC to the compressed address. I have all the pieces just don't know how to use them. The original wallet the funds came out of is a free wallet from blockchain. So what I think you're telling me is that if I open that wallet and use my non compressed key where it asks for the address I'm transferring funds from, then it will go back in my wallet? Or should I use the key I originally used? Why are there two of everything anyway, to make it more frusterating? (Jk)

I found some time to put together some steps for you.

As yakuza699 explained, if you have the private key and you are already familiar with bitaddress.org then you can use bitaddress.org to get the info you need.

As an example, I've generated the uncompressed private key:
5KE8nNAVhYKhnNGUYKzK6Z7J2pvzP2jvF6BY272c2HhL8YjCNXb

The uncompressed address for this key is:
1DbU3tK8YB5bNEbsrtWwA86hQEZpaZ4qhg

The compressed address for this key is:
1Fo11qMa3Z849x95Eb6T4qWSeavYrGncvQ

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At the bitaddresss.org page, choose "Wallet Details":

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On the Wallet Details page, enter the private key that you have and click the "View Details" button:

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Just below that, you should see the two addresses (compressed and uncompressed) that you have.

If you don't see your two addresses, then you have the wrong private key.  Either you don't have the private key to the addresses, or you've gotten confused about which key is the right one.

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As long as you see your two addresses on the page, then just below that will be BOTH the compressed private key AND the uncompressed private key:


As you can see, with my example, the compressed private key is:
L3SyMEQufwFZ1EsJZGoxsWinB4ZJGEgS1BsVusc5agh1S4Uq5ReS

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Make a copy of whichever key you don't already have. MAKE SURE YOU GET IT EXACTLY RIGHT.

The next step will be to understand what wallet or website you are using to create and push transactions, so we can walk through the necessary steps to use the appropriate private key.  Are you building the transactions on bitaddress.org, or are you using a wallet program?  If you are using a wallet program, then which one?

Since you used bitaddress.org you can just simply go to the "wallet details" tab on bitaddress.org and paste the private key that you have. Then copy that other private key and import into your wallet and spend it.

Progress.. I found the transaction on blockchain.info by entering the compressed address into their search box, just need to figure out how to put it back where it came from..

1MSfcqR5wbNhqypauTkSaf6nbWyrEBiRh6 is the regular one
12X3ZrbDhY3norV3HcQaC5AcSsriwpmk1Z is the compressed one, the one I sent BTC to when it was supposed to go to the regular one. Since I had (them) generated by a BTC client, would the keys be required to check? I just don't know how unless there is a button next to it that says ' send'. Sad, but true...

I'm rechecking the addresses now, I probably did make a mistake bc I entered them manually. I had them generated at bitaddress.org. I was able to place a successful multi sig order with them but I had copy and pasted them for that. Give me a sec and I'll do the same here

HI-TEC99 is correct. The addresses you provided in the original post (12X3ZrbDhY3norV3HcQaC5ASsrwipmk1Z  &  1MSfcqR5wbNhqypauTksf6nbWyrEBiRh6) are NOT valid bitcoin addresses.

Did you perhaps make a typing error when you entered them into your post?

What method did you use to generate or calculate these addresses?  Did you use a wallet or some website?

DON'T EVER give anyone your private key because that's all they need to steal your Bitcoins.

A search of this block explorer https://blockchain.info/ shows both the addresses you posted are not valid Bitcoin addresses. That block explorer showed "unrecognized search pattern" for a search of both your addresses. If they were valid, but unused, it would have showed them as empty recognised Bitcoin addresses.

Are you sure you didn't make any mistakes when copying those addresses into this thread?

Another explorer called https://live.blockcypher.com/ confirms those addresses are invalid. These quotes are the results of a search for those addresses in it.

Wow, thank you so much for the advice and offer to help! It's a huge relief to hear I can get my $ back!! I'm not in any hurry at all and my schedule is pretty flexible so whenever works for you is most likely good for me too. Just bear with me if it takes a little longer for me to respond, I really am way out of my league with all this but it's very good brain excercise figuring it all out lol!

If you have the private key, then the bitcoins can be retreived.

Be VERY CAREFUL of who you give your private key to.  There are MANY scammers and theives on this forum that will promise to hlep you and convince you they are trustworthy, and will then run off with your $100.

If you are not in a hurry, I might have some time to walk you through the process here in the public forum so you can do it yourself and don't need to rust anyone.  In the meantime, there are other very knowledgeable people that may stop by this thread and be able to help you before I have have time. If someone is going to help you, then they should do it in the public forum and not over PM, so that others can warn you if they are asking you to do something that will let them take your bitcoins.

Please help!  I am very tech challenged and was figuring out multi sig on my own to place an order on a darknet marketplace last night. In the process I prematurely sent $100 of BTC to the compressed version of my address. When I was placing my order, the market asked me to send BTC to the other version of my address. Now my BTC is floating around in space or something, but still at an address associated with my account. Is there a way to retrieve it?
My address (compressed) that I sent it to is:
12X3ZrbDhY3norV3HcQaC5ASsrwipmk1Z
It was supposed to go to the regular address that was generated which is:
1MSfcqR5wbNhqypauTksf6nbWyrEBiRh6
I can give you private and public keys too if you need. Thanks!!