Nifty News: Jack Dorsey sells genesis tweet for $2.9M, NFTs save wild pandas and more

Jack Dorsey raised $2.9 million for charity selling a tweet, NFTs are saving wild pandas, and John Cleese has sarcastically cashed in on the tokenization craze.

Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter sold a tokenized representation of his first-ever tweet for more than $2.9 million on Monday.

The tweet was published on March 21, 2006, and reads: 

just setting up my twttr

— jack (@jack) March 21, 2006

A two-week bidding war between Bridge Oracle CEO Sina Estavi and tech entrepreneur Justin Sun saw the price move from $500,000 to the final sale of more than $2.9 million, with Sina Estavi winning out with a bid of 1,630 Ether (ETH).

On March 10, Dorsey stated that would immediately convert the proceeds from the sale into Bitcoin (BTC), and donate it all to GiveDirectly, an organization helping those living in poverty in Africa. After the sale concluded the CEO tweeted the transaction.

Sent to @GiveDirectly Africa fund Thank you, @sinaEstavi. pic.twitter.com/aEZu07auLV

— jack (@jack) March 22, 2021

The auction was held on NFT marketplace “Valuables” and closed on March 22. The NFT platform allows users to buy and sell tokenized Twitter posts and is operated by blockchain-based social media company Cent.

The platform has seen many big names enter the marketplace to sell tweets, such as the NBA, entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuck, the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

John Cleese’s “sell you a bridge” joke NFT is going for more than $33,000

Popular British comedian and actor, John Cleese, appears to have joined the NFT gold rush in jest.

On March 20, Cleese published a video to Twitter announcing he would auction his first tokenized collectible on NFT marketplace OpenSea.

Identifying himself as “a young, unknown, digital artist,” Cleese described the emergence of NFTs as a “cultural moment” offering “a bridge from the past to the future.”

Invoking the true-life story of the American con man who fraudulently sold the Brooklyn Bridge to multiple investors (who were later moved on by police after attempting to erect toll booths on the bridge), Cleese offers to sell his followers a one-of-a-kind NFT immortalizing his black and white digital scribble depicting the Brooklyn Bridge for the modest price of $69.3 million dollars.

Hello! It is time you meet my alter ego “Unnamed Artist” I’m delighted to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m selling my 1st NFT. Though bidding starts at 100.00, you can “BUY IT NOW” for 69,346,250.50! https://t.co/Vuyx4trvPE pic.twitter.com/aC4oSVfGHF

— The Unnamed Artist (@JohnCleese) March 19, 2021

Despite Cleese’s aggressive price targets, bidding on the token began on March 21 at just $100, with bidding pushing prices above $33,000 as of this writing. The auction is set to finish after 10 more days of bidding.

In a March 19 interview with Vanity Fair, Cleese remarked of NFTs, “The world has gone terminally insane.”

PixelPanda NFTs used to save wild pandas

A new NFT project “PixelPandas” has announced it will donate 10% of all profits to panda conversation. The project will mint tokens featuring images of pandas for each of the 1,864 pandas that remain in the wild, and then auction the tokens in limited tranches on NFT marketplace OpenSea.

One PixelPanda featuring an 8bit panda in a beanie was purchased on March 19 for 0.01 ETH and has been relisted with an asking price of 1 ETH worth roughly $1,700.

The panda NFTs are categorized by their rarity, with the drops featuring “Regular” pandas, rare “Kung Fu” and “Bamboo” pandas, and an ultra-rare “Albino” panda.

Donations from PixelPandas’ revenues have already funded the adoption of a wild panda through the World Wildlife Fund.

Thanks to you guys, the PixelPandas Community just adopted our first wild panda!!

Not many people know that there are only 1,864 pandas left in the wild.

With the collection of 1,864 PixelPanda NFTs, we’re aiming to adopt as many wild pandas as possible!#NFTsforgood @WWF pic.twitter.com/O6zsRDJIwv

— PixelPandas (@NFTPandas) March 23, 2021

Rico Nasty releases 1 of 1 NFT

Acclaimed rapper Rico Nasty dropped her first tokenized collectible on NFT marketplace SuperRare on March 22.

I’m dropping My First NFT with @donalleniii on @superrare.co !
On Monday March 22nd! This is inspired by the OHFR music video, only the first get the signed physical hammer from the music video!
to view the auction for the NFT click the link —-> https://t.co/7YlyAc84eT pic.twitter.com/x1CHnOyI7K

— TACOBELLA (@Rico_nastyy) March 20, 2021

The one-of-a-kind NFT depicts a looped animation inspired by the music video for her recent single, “OHFR?,” and was made in collaboration with former DreamWorks animator, Don Allen III.

The auction is due to close on March 25, with the current highest bid sitting at 0.1 ETH worth roughly $170.

Nasty’s dive into tokenized art follows other rappers such as Ja Rule, who auctioned off an NFT depicting a painting of the logo from the disastrous “Fyre Festival” he faced charges for after co-founding the event in 2017.