The very first text message, a simple “Merry Christmas,” was sent on Dec 3, 1992, by Neil Papworth, an employee of a British computer company, to Vodafone director, Richard Jarvis.

It was not until the following year that the first cell phone capable of sending and receiving text messages, made by Nokia, was released.

This first, historic SMS will be sold to the highest bidder in the form of an NFT guaranteeing its exclusive nature.

Vodafone has committed not to produce any other NFTs of this SMS in the future.

The lot will include a replica of the original communication protocol of the first SMS, as well as a visual featuring the cell phone that received the message and an animation displaying a replica of the text.

The auction, held by Aguttes, will take place in Neuilly-sur-Seine on the outskirts of Paris, and will be open to bidders from around the world.

It will be held on Dec 21, 2021, at 3pm local time.

Recently, an NFT based on the first edit of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia sold at Christie’s for US$750,000.