‘Merry Christmas’ - world’s first text message to be auctioned

Reuters Videos
Updated

The world’s first text message will be auctioned as an NFT

(SOUNDBITE) (French) AGUTTES AUCTION HOUSE HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT, MAXIMILIEN AGUTTES, SAYING: "In France, it is forbidden to sell intangible goods so we gave tangible form to this first text message with this digital frame which displays the code, the protocol, used to send the first text message."

The message reading “Merry Christmas” was sent on December 3, 1992

(SOUNDBITE) (French) AGUTTES AUCTION HOUSE HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT, MAXIMILIEN AGUTTES, SAYING: "Neil Papworth, engineer in the team sat behind his computer on December 3, 1992 and sent this SMS to a Vodafone manager in the United Kingdom. They were in the middle of an end-of-year event so he sent him the message 'Merry Christmas'."

Aguttes Auction House will conduct the online sale on December 21

Proceeds from the sale will go to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency