First SMS Reading “Merry Christmas” Worths IDR 1.7 Billion In NFT

JAKARTA - The first text message ever sent, reading "Merry Christmas," was sold on Tuesday 21 December for 107.000 euros (IDR 1.7 billion) as a 'Non-Fungible Token' (NFT) at a Paris auction house.

The text, which was sent on December 3, 1992, was auctioned by the British telecommunications company Vodafone.

Vodafone engineer Neil Papworth sent an SMS from his computer to a manager in the United Kingdom, who received it by means of a 2 kg "Orbitel" phone - similar to a desk phone but cordless and with a handle.

"They were in the middle of a year-end event so he sent them a 'Merry Christmas' message," said Maximilien Aguttes, head of development for Aguttes Auction House.

Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, are a type of digital asset that has surged in popularity this year, with NFT artwork selling for millions of dollars.

Traded since around 2017, these digital objects, which include images, videos, music, and text, are on the blockchain, a record of transactions stored on networked computers. Each NFT has a unique digital signature.

The sale of intangible goods is illegal in France and therefore the auction house has packaged text messages in digital frames, displaying codes and communication protocols, Aguttes said.

The buyer will receive a replica of the original communication protocol that sent the SMS and the results will go to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR.