Nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, are the newest game in town in the twenty-first century, and people all over the world have been selling their virtual art on the internet. We’re not sure if it’s a sensation or a scandal, but here’s what’s going on: Memes are fetching seven-figure prices on eBay, tweets are fetching seven-figure bids on eBay, and digital art is selling multiple millions.
Nonfungible tokens (NFTs) are objects that assign ownership of a digital product (such as digital art, video, or even a jpeg or gif file) to a person. For example, having an NFT is equivalent to owning the original painting. And that original painting has a one-of-a-kind worth.
The internet is becoming a more inclusive platform to sell more random NFTs as the days pass. Here are a few unusual ones that have been sold for exorbitant sums of money.
1. Sell Your Soul
Stijn van Schaik, a 21-year-old Dutch student, recently advertised his soul on the NFT marketplace OpenSea as a digital artwork.
Stijn, also known as ‘Stinus,’ is a crypto-enthusiast who has a dedicated website with a ‘Sale of Soul Contract’ that lists permissible uses of the soul. He has earned the highest bid for this artwork thus yet, which is $491.08. That works out to almost Rs 37,000.
2. A Sleepy Trump
In 2021, an NFT work called ‘Crossroad’ was sold for $6.6 million (about Rs 50 crore) and resembled former US President Donald Trump with a multitude of graffitis written on his skin. The Trump video depicts the results of the 2020 US Presidential election, in which Trump lost his long-held position as President of the United States.
3. A 5-Worde Tweet
Jack Dorsey’s first tweet will be remembered for a long time. Jack Dorsey is the former CEO and founder of Twitter, and his tweet is noteworthy not only because he founded the site, but also because he sold it as an NFT for $2.9 million (about Rs 22 crore). What makes you think that won’t be remembered?
So, as his first tweet, did he write something significant, monumental, or emotional? Nope. Just five simple words.
4. $3 Selfie Pictures
During his undergraduate years, Sultan Gustaf Al Ghozali, a 22-year-old Indonesian student, would take a picture of himself every day. His plan was to create a timelapse film that he could show off during his graduation. However, after learning about NFTs, he decided to try selling his images to others. Wouldn’t it be cool to see his photo in another NFT collection?
His selfies were compiled into a series called “Ghozali Everyday” on OpenSea. From 2017 until 2021, he shared his everyday selfies, which he took between the ages of 18 and 22. He basically stared in front of his computer every day in his 933’selfie’ photos, which were released as NFTs.
But fate intervened when Indonesian star chef Arnold Poernomo and a slew of other businesspeople pitched in to promote Ghozali’s line and help him earn some additional cash. His selfies (NFT art) went viral, and he was inundated with offers to buy the rights to his photographs from over 400 people.
His initial sale was for 0.001 ETH ($3.25) each, and it sold out in a matter of days, earning him $3,000 in profit (about Rs 2,27,000).
After two days, the value of each NFT rose to 1 ETH ($3,250, or Rs 2,46,000), and by January 2022, the value of each selfie had risen to over $800, making his collection worth around $1.4 million (Rs 10.63 crore), after hovering around the $3 million mark.
5. Toilet Paper
Charmin, the toilet paper company, recently made headlines for an unusual marketing stunt: toilet paper-themed NFT art. As part of the NFT campaign, Charmin released numerous images of rolls of toilet paper.
The current best price for one of these art pieces was $1,086 (about Rs 83,000) for one edition, which would probably buy nearly 6,000 rolls of toilet paper. The auction’s revenues were intended to go to Direct Aid, an organisation that offers emergency relief and critical medical services to communities in need.
6. Crispy Pringles
This is almost too good to be true! Pringles introduced CryptoCrisp, a virtual flavour portrayed as a work of art and limited to only 50 units. The ‘flavour’ is a 10801080 MP4 file featuring an animated golden Pringles can with crypto-themed chips rotating around it. The NFT was initially offered for 0.0013ETH (about $2 USD) and later sold for $1,500.
What is the strangest NFT you’ve ever seen?