A young man man in Norway who bought Bitcoins as part of a research project is smiling after learning the investment could be worth up to $1 million.

According to The Guardian, Kristoffer Koch spent about $27 for 5,000 Bitcoins in 2009 after he learned about the cryptocurrency while writing a thesis on encryption. He forgot about the purchase until reading more about the peer-to-peer digital currency, then set about looking for them.

As the paper reported, Bitcoins are stored in encrypted wallets secured with a private key, which Koch had forgotten. He eventually figured out his password and learned that his Bitcoins were worth $886,000 at the time of discovery — and perhaps $1 million currently.

Bitcoin has seen wild fluctuations in value, peaking at $266 in April before falling to $50 after the seizure of the online drugs marketplace Silk Road. The value has since rebounded.

Koch has exchanged one-fifth of his stash, the newspaper reported, which let him purchase an apartment in a wealthy Oslo neighborhood.

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