Imagine no possessions: NFT Beatles memorabilia up for auction
John Lennon's son Julian is auctioning off pieces of memorabilia relating to the Beatles, including three guitars given to him by his father and handwritten notes about the 1968 song "Hey Jude" -- but not physically.
Instead, the auction is a sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a type of digital asset. Each winning bidder will be able to claim ownership of a digital file described as an "audio/visual collectible" in which Julian Lennon narrates a "specific heartfelt memory."
"I feel incredibly lucky to live in a day and age where innovation allows me to share such personal pieces of my Lennon family history," said Julian Lennon, who is a singer-songwriter, writer and artist.
"Through this NFT collection, I'm able to grant exclusive access to special items that I cherish and carry on the legacy of my father in a new way."
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) use blockchain to record who owns a digital file, such as an image, video or text.
Although NFTs are sometimes sold alongside physical items, as a sort of digital certificate of authenticity, owning an NFT does not confer ownership of the underlying item -- rather, it can be thought of as a kind of digital bragging rights.
Such sales have nevertheless exploded in popularity, with NFT artworks selling for millions of dollars.
In this case, the buyers of the Beatles NFTs will not receive a guitar or physical piece of paper. What they will get is a unit of blockchain data recording that their crypto wallets own an NFT linked to a digital file showing the item.
So for the "Hey Jude" notes, which show Paul McCartney's doodles and drawings, the buyer will receive an NFT of an image of the object "brought to life in an even more personal way through Julian Lennon's exclusive audio narration," the auction website says.
Bids on this NFT were at US$50,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
"It really made me learn to love Dad again because I just saw him the way I remembered him back in the day when I was a kid and when I was with him around those years," said Julian in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday.
"So it was very special to me."
The sale also includes an NFT representing an image of an Afghan coat that John Lennon wore on the set of the 1967 film "Magical Mystery Tour" and an NFT of an image of a black cape he wore in the 1965 film "Help!." Bids on these were last at $8,000 and $6,000 respectively.
Surging interest in crypto assets has led traditional auction houses such as Christie's into NFT sales. The Lennon auction is run by Julien's Auctions and YellowHeart NFT and closes on Feb. 7.
Bids can be placed online or at a physical auction in Beverly Hills. Payments are allowed in various cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, ether and dogecoin.
An unspecified portion of the proceeds will be donated to the White Feather Foundation, which Julian Lennon said in a Tweet would "offset" the carbon emissions linked to the auction via a carbon removal marketplace called Nori.
The blockchain technology used for NFTs and cryptocurrencies has been criticized for their large carbon footprints.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; Editing by Sujata Rao, Catherine Evans and Karishma Singh)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Putin's invasion of Ukraine an 'act of madness': former U.K. PM Blair says
The United Kingdom's former prime minister Tony Blair says Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine is an 'act of madness.' In an interview on CTV's Question Period airing Sunday, Blair said Putin doesn't appear to be the same man he knew in the early 2000s.
Officials confirm 10 cases of severe acute hepatitis in children in Canada
Ten children in Canada were found to be suffering from severe acute hepatitis not caused by known hepatitis viruses over a nearly six-month period recently, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced Friday.
A year of trauma, catharsis and finally peace for some survivors of Kamloops school
The nightmares started last May, said Harvey McLeod, chief of the Upper Nicola Indian Band and a survivor of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
Australian Labor topples conservatives, PM faces early tests
Australia's center-left opposition party toppled the conservative government after almost a decade in power, and Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese in his Saturday election victory speech promised sharper reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while he faces an early foreign policy test.
Flu cases on the rise in Canada despite expected fall
The federal government is reporting a sharp rise in influenza in recent months, at a time of the year when detected cases generally start to fall in Canada.
Price of gas remains high across Canada heading into long weekend
Canadians may find a lot of long faces at the pump heading into the long weekend as gas prices across the country remain high.
'Hurts like hell': What goes into the price of gas in Canada
With the price of gas rising above $2 per litre and setting new records in Canada this year, CTVNews.ca looks at what goes into the price per litre of gasoline and where the situation could go from here.
'This is an unusual situation': Feds monitoring monkeypox cases in Canada
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the federal government is monitoring monkeypox cases and their chains of transmission after two cases were confirmed in this country.
WHO calls emergency meeting as monkeypox cases cross 100 in Europe
The World Health Organization was due to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the recent outbreak of monkeypox, a viral infection more common to west and central Africa, after more than 100 cases were confirmed or suspected in Europe.
Canada
-
'This is an unusual situation': Feds monitoring monkeypox cases in Canada
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the federal government is monitoring monkeypox cases and their chains of transmission after two cases were confirmed in this country.
-
A year of trauma, catharsis and finally peace for some survivors of Kamloops school
The nightmares started last May, said Harvey McLeod, chief of the Upper Nicola Indian Band and a survivor of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
-
Marineland bans lawyer, filmmaker and scientist among others from entering park
Marineland has banned a number of people from its premises, some of whom have never visited the Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction, days before the facility was set to open for the season.
-
Why Canada is banning Huawei from participating in Canada's 5G network
The federal government is banning China's Huawei Technologies from involvement in Canada's 5G wireless network. Huawei and the Chinese government have vigorously denied accusations around the danger of spying, saying that the company poses no security threat.
-
Decision to ban Huawei and ZTE from 5G wasn't easy, PM Trudeau says
On the heels of news that Canada is banning Huawei Technologies and ZTE from participating in the country’s 5G wireless networks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the decision wasn't easy to make. The prime minister also defended the timing of the decision, saying that while it will be years before all use of products from these Chinese companies will be outlawed, it's happening before the country is even more interconnected by the next-generation telecommunications infrastructure.
-
After N.B. police killing of Indigenous woman, chiefs demand systemic racism inquiry
The results of the recent coroner's inquest into the police killing of an Indigenous woman in New Brunswick demonstrate the urgent need for an Indigenous-led inquiry into systemic racism, according to the six chiefs of the Wolastoqey Nation.
World
-
Australian Labor topples conservatives, PM faces early tests
Australia's center-left opposition party toppled the conservative government after almost a decade in power, and Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese in his Saturday election victory speech promised sharper reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while he faces an early foreign policy test.
-
Youngest of 10 Buffalo shooting victims being laid to rest
A 32-year-old woman who was the youngest of the 10 Black people killed at a Buffalo supermarket was remembered as big-hearted and quick with a laugh before her funeral Saturday.
-
U.S., South Korea open to expanded military drills to deter North
U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said after meeting Saturday that they will consider expanded joint military exercises to deter the nuclear threat from North Korea at a time when there's little hope of real diplomacy on the matter.
-
Russia's claim of Mariupol's capture fuels concern for POWs
Russia's claimed seizure of a Mariupol steel plant that became a symbol of Ukrainian tenacity gives Russian President Vladimir Putin a sorely needed victory in the war he began, capping a nearly three-month siege that left a city in ruins and more than 20,000 residents feared dead.
-
Turkey's Erdogan talks to Swedish, Finnish leaders on NATO
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday discussed his objections to Sweden and Finland joining NATO with the two Nordic countries' leaders, Erdogan's office said.
-
A 15-year-old suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of an 11-year-old girl in the Bronx, police say
A 15-year-old was arrested Friday in connection with the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old girl in New York City's Bronx neighbourhood earlier this week, police said.
Politics
-
Russia bans 26 new Canadians from entering the country
Russia said on Saturday it has added 26 new names to a list of Canadians it has barred from travelling to Russia, including defence chiefs, defence industry executives and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
-
Putin's invasion of Ukraine an 'act of madness': former U.K. PM Blair says
The United Kingdom's former prime minister Tony Blair says Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine is an 'act of madness.' In an interview on CTV's Question Period airing Sunday, Blair said Putin doesn't appear to be the same man he knew in the early 2000s.
-
Decision to ban Huawei and ZTE from 5G wasn't easy, PM Trudeau says
On the heels of news that Canada is banning Huawei Technologies and ZTE from participating in the country’s 5G wireless networks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the decision wasn't easy to make. The prime minister also defended the timing of the decision, saying that while it will be years before all use of products from these Chinese companies will be outlawed, it's happening before the country is even more interconnected by the next-generation telecommunications infrastructure.
Health
-
'This is an unusual situation': Feds monitoring monkeypox cases in Canada
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the federal government is monitoring monkeypox cases and their chains of transmission after two cases were confirmed in this country.
-
Officials confirm 10 cases of severe acute hepatitis in children in Canada
Ten children in Canada were found to be suffering from severe acute hepatitis not caused by known hepatitis viruses over a nearly six-month period recently, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced Friday.
-
Rise of new opioid highlights unpredictable drug supply: expert
A national substance use research organization is warning about a new type of opioid that is increasingly being found in Canada's unregulated drug supply.
Sci-Tech
-
Why Canada is banning Huawei from participating in Canada's 5G network
The federal government is banning China's Huawei Technologies from involvement in Canada's 5G wireless network. Huawei and the Chinese government have vigorously denied accusations around the danger of spying, saying that the company poses no security threat.
-
Elon Musk denies he sexually harassed flight attendant on private jet: report
Billionaire Elon Musk took to Twitter late on Thursday to denounce as 'utterly untrue' claims in a news report that he had sexually harassed a flight attendant on a private jet in 2016.
-
Hyundai announces $5.5B electric vehicle plant in Georgia
Hyundai Motor Group confirmed Friday the company will spend $5.5 billion on a huge electric vehicle plant near Savannah that will employ thousands -- a deal Georgia's governor called the largest economic development project in the state's history.
Entertainment
-
Prince William and Kate join Tom Cruise on 'Top Gun: Maverick' red carpet
British royalty and Hollywood royalty came together on the red carpet for the charity premiere of the new Tom Cruise movie, "Top Gun: Maverick," on Thursday night.
-
Ozzy Osbourne's daughter Aimee escapes Hollywood studio fire
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's daughter Aimee was among those who escaped a Hollywood recording studio fire that killed a 26-year-old music producer, Sharon Osbourne and others who work in the space said.
-
Are Japanese toddlers as independent as Netflix's Old Enough portrays them?
Young children running adult errands on their own isn't rare in Japan. It's a tradition that has caught the attention of TV viewers the world over since Netflix began showing re-runs of a wildly popular Japanese variety show from the 1990s.
Business
-
Russia cuts off gas exports to Finland in symbolic move
Russia halted gas exports to neighbouring Finland on Saturday, a highly symbolic move that came just days after the Nordic country announced it wanted to join NATO and marked a likely end to Finland's nearly 50 years of importing natural gas from Russia.
-
Price of gas remains high across Canada heading into long weekend
Canadians may find a lot of long faces at the pump heading into the long weekend as gas prices across the country remain high.
-
U.S., Canada, other APEC delegates walk out on Russian speaker
Delegates from the United States, Canada, and three other nations staged a walkout Saturday when a representative from Russia began his opening remarks at a meeting of trade ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group in the Thai capital, officials said.
Lifestyle
-
Watch this baby giraffe walk on her own after getting custom leg braces
A three-month-old giraffe is now walking freely on her own after a successful one-of-a-kind orthotic leg brace treatment.
-
Ancient gold ring stolen during WWII finds its way back to Greece
A more than 3,000-year-old gold signet ring that was stolen from an Aegean island during the Second World War, crossed the Atlantic, was bought by a Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian scientist and ended up in a Swedish museum has found its way back to Greece.
-
'Holy grail of all finds': Ottawa boy finds gun while magnet fishing in creek
A 12-year-old Ottawa boy is sharing his story after a magnet fishing trip turned up an unexpected find.
Sports
-
Rap superstar J. Cole signs with Toronto basketball team
Rap star Jermaine Lamarr Cole -- better known as J.Cole -- has signed with the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League
-
Oilers, Flames alumni look back at last playoff Battle of Alberta: 'A lot of hate'
The 1991 Battle of Alberta in particular was mean, nasty and downright violent.
-
Canadian athletes, parents call for culture change in sports
More than 1,000 Canadian athletes from gymnastics, boxing and bobsled/skeleton have called for independent investigations into their sports in recent weeks.
Autos
-
Expert's tips on what to do if you're being carjacked amid rash of Toronto incidents
Some drivers in Toronto may be feeling on edge as Toronto is dealing with a rash of violent carjackings targeting mostly high-end vehicles.
-
Price of gas remains high across Canada heading into long weekend
Canadians may find a lot of long faces at the pump heading into the long weekend as gas prices across the country remain high.
-
Mercedes just sold the world's most expensive car for $142 million
Mercedes-Benz confirmed on Thursday that it recently sold the world's most expensive car. A very rare 1955 Mercedes-Benz SLR coupe that had been kept in the German automaker's collection was sold to a private owner for €135 million, the equivalent of $142 million.
