<p>These are bare multisig scripts, there is no address format for such type of output. So explorers basically came up with confusing (and constantly differents, as there is no <em>right</em> one) placeholders.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-03T18:12:50.887Z
2020-11-03T18:12:50.887Z
Antoine Poinsot
<p>I have an old Bitcoin (Counterparty) wallet that I am importing past transactions. I found a Tx that has a missing output address on one API, but it shows on another. I cannot find any documentation on what the Bitcoin address prefixed with '4' means. Is this valid or just a place holder?</p>
<p>Tx Hash: 5288973c6e2a323a2fbc95b84fbfd18b4ed2f75895c8295db03c653ea58c70d6</p>
<p>Blockcypher is showing the '4' (4PTehVhW6qTNhn88DK3JPBMkXfB2wR4juB)
<a href="https://api.blockcypher.com/v1/btc/main/txs/5288973c6e2a323a2fbc95b84fbfd18b4ed2f75895c8295db03c653ea58c70d6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://api.blockcypher.com/v1/btc/main/txs/5288973c6e2a323a2fbc95b84fbfd18b4ed2f75895c8295db03c653ea58c70d6</a></p>
<p>Original API call is through Blockchain.Info
<a href="https://www.blockchain.com/btc/tx/5288973c6e2a323a2fbc95b84fbfd18b4ed2f75895c8295db03c653ea58c70d6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.blockchain.com/btc/tx/5288973c6e2a323a2fbc95b84fbfd18b4ed2f75895c8295db03c653ea58c70d6</a></p>
<p>Blockchain just says &quot;Unable to decode output address&quot;.</p>
<p>This is a counterparty transaction so I am thinking it may have something to do with that. Thoughts?</p>

<transactions><counterparty>
Why do I see a Bitcoin address prefix starting with 4?
Dan
# Why do I see a Bitcoin address prefix starting with 4?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-10-04)

I have an old Bitcoin (Counterparty) wallet that I am importing past transactions. I found a Tx that has a missing output address on one API, but it shows on another. I cannot find any documentation on what the Bitcoin address prefixed with '4' means. Is this valid or just a place holder?

Tx Hash: 5288973c6e2a323a2fbc95b84fbfd18b4ed2f75895c8295db03c653ea58c70d6

Blockcypher is showing the '4' (4PTehVhW6qTNhn88DK3JPBMkXfB2wR4juB)
<https://api.blockcypher.com/v1/btc/main/txs/5288973c6e2a323a2fbc95b84fbfd18b4ed2f75895c8295db03c653ea58c70d6>

Original API call is through Blockchain.Info
<https://www.blockchain.com/btc/tx/5288973c6e2a323a2fbc95b84fbfd18b4ed2f75895c8295db03c653ea58c70d6>

Blockchain just says "Unable to decode output address".

This is a counterparty transaction so I am thinking it may have something to do with that. Thoughts?

**Tags:** transactions, counterparty


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-11-03. Score: 1

These are bare multisig scripts, there is no address format for such type of output. So explorers basically came up with confusing (and constantly differents, as there is no *right* one) placeholders.


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