BTC, Satoshi, and JPEGs, Is this the First Ever NFT?

As the unrelenting march of time once again beats a steady path towards Bitcoin Pizza Day, news has emerged of an even earlier transaction that could represent the first ever NFT, one involving BTC, JPEGs and Satoshi Nakamoto himself! So, if new accounts are to be believed, the first verified Bitcoin purchase may not be Pizza, but a rudimentary form of Non-Fungible Token!

Earlier this week, crypto-archaeologist, Udi Wertheimer, shared a revelation on Twitter that sent the Web3 community into a frenzy. Within the thread, he included a screenshot from Bitcoin discussion platform, Bitcointalk, that indicated its member, Sabunir, was reaching out to sell a JPEG in exchange for BTC way back in January 2010.

This Twitter Space was FIRE

We discovered that:

🔥 the first purchase EVER with bitcoin was buying a JPEG for 500 BTC in Feb 2010

🔥 it pre-dates the the famous 10,000 BTC pizza

🔥 satoshi himself helped facilitate the JPEG sale

🔥 laser-eye cult in absolute SHAMBLES pic.twitter.com/b6ESOkbf0i

— Udi Wertheimer 🧙‍♂️ (@udiWertheimer) May 14, 2023

Through the forum, on January 24, 2010, Sabunir was effectively looking to sell a single 1080 x 960 image for 500 BTC. A figure that represented just $1 at the time, but has since ballooned to an eye-watering $13.5 million. According to the post, upon receiving the agreed fee, Sabunir would send a return mesage and include a hyperlink to the aforementioned JPEG. Adding further intrigue to the proposition, reports indicate that none other than Satoshi Nakamoto was helping to facilitate the trade.

The First ever NFT? The Transaction History Gets a Little Cloudy

According to on-chain data, Sabunir did indeed receive a figure of 500 BTC in relation to one of his artworks a whole month later on February 24. However, some have argued that this was in response to another request for ‘donations’ rather than an actual sale, and that without confirmation from Sabunir, the payment cannot be verified.

I’m not sure if it has been dispelled yet but it seems like Sabunir’s 500 btc was a donation rather than sale.

He posted his address for his NFT Jan 24, then posted it again in the btc logo thread on Feb 24. Feb 24 500 btc was sent, Feb 25 he thanks 2 people for donations 1/2 pic.twitter.com/6Rk9Ont9KU

— Mike McDonald (@MikeMcDonald89) May 14, 2023

As the Twitter community continues to argue semantics, several facts remain. Essentially, Sabunir was pioneering a movement that would eventually lead to NFTs in that the Bitcoin enthusiast was attempting to conduct an on-chain sale of a digital file in exchange for crypto.

The new revelation marks just another of the twists and turns that pepper the history of the blockchain. One that Web3 enthusiasts can deliberate over as they chew on their BTC bought pizzas come May 22!

Want more? Connect with NFT Plazas

Join the Weekly Newsletter
Join our Discord
Follow us on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram

*All investment/financial opinions expressed by NFT Plazas are from the personal research and experience of our site moderators and are intended as educational material only. Individuals are required to fully research any product prior to making any kind of investment.