NEW YORK, NY.- In what is poised to become the one of the most high-impact NFT charity auctions ever staged,
Sotheby’s is teaming up with public health care advocate and nonprofit organization Sostento for Gifted: The 140 Collection, a special, one-of-a-kind charity auction featuring seven unique NFTs originally minted and gifted by Twitter earlier this year.
Earlier this year on June 30, Twitter unexpectedly tweeted to its 60 million plus followers “140 free NFTs for 140 of you, besties,” and thus, The 140 Collection was born. Seven unique NFTs available in editions of 20 were given away randomly to users who replied to Twitter, and the recipients of the NFTs became known as “The Besties.” The NFTs present a series of creative iterations that illustrate the many facets of Twitter, from the first designs of its logo to its former 140-character limit, among others, which highlight the Twitter community and the unique culture of the platform.
The NFT giveaway by Twitter followed Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s sale of the first tweet ever on the platform as an NFT in March 2020, when is sold for $2.9 million. Dorsey donated the proceeds from the sale to aid the Covid-19 response in Africa, and the same charitable spirit infuses the seven Besties participating in Gifted, who have elected to pay it forward and support a good cause. Now, these seven lucky strangers have united to sell the full set of seven NFTs with proceeds aiding Sostento and its critical mission in supporting front line health workers save lives and the organization’s long-term effort to end the Covid-19 pandemic and the opioid overdose crisis.
Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s Global Head of Science and Popular Culture, commented: “We are so proud to partner with Sostento for this incredibly important auction in support of the courageous front line health care workers battling the Covid-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis. I was very proud to be part of Sotheby’s MayDay charity auction in May 2020, which raised nearly half a million dollars for Covid-19 relief at the beginning of the pandemic, and it is inspiring to work not only alongside an organization like Sostento, but also with the group of Besties who recognize the significance of their NFTs and harnessing that power for a good cause. As NFTs continue to be adopted by nearly all facets of popular culture, it is exciting to be see a company like Twitter use NFTs that will ultimately benefit such a worthy cause.”
Joe Agoada, Sostento CEO, said: “Over the past 18 months, since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has become increasingly urgent that the demand for support from frontline healthcare workers was far outpacing the traditional means of providing it. The genesis of this sale is from our exploration of NFTs as a way to bridge that gap, and it is incredibly exciting to work side-by-side with Sotheby’s in bringing together the NFT community in the spirit of giving for our healthcare heroes, and it’s all happening on the biggest stage possible. Proceeds raised from this sale will get processed by Sostento’s partner the Giving Block and then invested directly into fulfilling our mission to help frontline healthcare workers save lives.”
This special auction would not be possible without support of partners such as The Giving Block, which provides a platform for mission-driven charities, organizations, universities, and faith-based groups of all sizes to utilize cryptocurrency and accept crypto funding.
Pat Duffy, Co-Founder of The Giving Block, said: “We are so proud to be partnering with Sotheby’s, Sostento, and others to make this event possible. So many charitable causes are not equipped to accept cryptocurrency and we are thrilled to provide that service. Together, we are all changing the world for the better.”
Since launching its debut NFT sale in April 2021, Sotheby’s has emerged as a leader in bringing the most valuable and rare NFTs to market, and becoming the first auction house to launch it’s a dedicated marketplace for NFTs, Sotheby’s Metaverse. The collaboration with Sostento highlights the growing importance of NFTs in broader cultural moments and events, leveraging the digital creations of a social media giant to support one of the most important causes of our time.
Gifted: The 140 Collection is only the latest showcase for Sotheby’ commitment to charitable auctions and initiatives, including Covid-19 relief with the MayDay Charity Auction in May 2020, which raised nearly $500,000 to benefit the International Rescue Committee, in partnership with Google. Over the years, Sotheby’s joined forces with a number of leading charities, raising money for a variety of pressing causes, most notably with RED in the fight against AIDS, the J/P Haitian Relief Organization response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and more recently to support the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster in London, among many others.
