NFT: the first SMS in history sold for 107,000 euros at auction – franceinfo

Received at the time by Richard Jarvis, collaborator of Vodafone, the SMS is composed of 15 characters to say “Merry Christmas” (“Merry Christmas” in French). The operator Vodafone had explained beforehand that it would donate the proceeds of the sale to the UNHCR, the United Nations agency for refugees, ie 107,000 euros less the fees of the sales company.

The “Non-Fungible Token” (NFT), or in French a “non-fungible token”, is a new type of digital asset, like cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which uses blockchain technology ( blockchain), an authentication directory shared between a multitude of individuals. An NFT is unique and cannot be exchanged for an equivalent. The operator Vodafone had assured that he intended to donate the proceeds of the sale to the UNHCR, the United Nations agency for refugees.

Almost unknown a year ago, the NFTs represent for some the new goose that lays the golden eggs of the contemporary art market and in a few months have become essential auction houses, reaching prices of several million. dollars, the record for an entirely digital work by the American artist Beeple with 69.3 million in March at Christie’s. These NFTs are nevertheless highly criticized because of their disastrous carbon weight, as explained in the New York Times, in an article marked by International mail.