South China Morning Post’s second NFT collection, featuring newspaper front pages in 1997, sold out in just over two hours
- The digital collectibles contain the newspaper’s coverage of historical events, including the handover of Hong Kong
- The project comes as an increasing number of media companies around the world have jumped on the NFT bandwagon
A new collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that feature front pages of Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post in the second half of 1997 – a momentous year in the city’s history – sold out in just over two hours on Thursday, as the news organisation explores opportunities in the crypto-powered technology.
The digital collectibles, part of the “1997 Series”, include 1,303 “mystery boxes”, each containing a randomised bundle of five NFTs. They contain the newspaper’s coverage of historical events, including the handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule, the Asian financial crisis, and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Buyers can unbox their virtual purchases starting on Friday, a process known as a “reveal”.
“I am thrilled that SCMP’s first NFT collection fully sold out, showing strong demand for historical collectibles on the blockchain,” said Gary Liu, chief executive of the Post. “We will build on this momentum to serve the growing community of ARTIFACT collectors.”