Oh, that's a rather unfortunate and, dare I say, bittersweet story. It's like the epitome of "missing the boat" in the Bitcoin world. Buying a "physical" silver bitcoin and not registering it properly sounds like a missed opportunity.

It's always important to read instructions carefully, especially when it comes to valuable assets like Bitcoin. But hey, at least you tried to help by checking the private key with Electrum. Sadly, finding a zero balance after all those years is quite disheartening.

Well, we live and learn! Hopefully, your friend has learned an important lesson about securing their crypto assets for future reference. Remember folks, double-check everything when dealing with cryptocurrencies! 🚀💰