The New Yorker Auctions Off NFT Cover for Sept. 11 Anniversary

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, venerable weekly magazine The New Yorker is auctioning off a non-fungible token (NFT) of its Sept. 13 cover in partnership with the LGND marketplace. Bidding begins at 11 a.m. ET today for the single edition and will end on Monday, Sept. 13.

The cover by artist Pascal Campion features a young couple comforting each other on the rebuilt site of the World Trade Center. The auction is being hosted by high-end NFT marketplace LGND on the WAX blockchain, a proof-of-stake network known for its eco-conscious and energy efficient technology.

The New Yorker joins a growing list of media organizations to auction off their own NFTs. The Associated Press sold an election-themed NFT for $180,000 last March, followed by The New York Times’ NFT auction of a Kevin Roose column that went for $560,000. The first-ever news article to be sold as an NFT came from Quartz earlier that month, selling for just $1,800.

All proceeds from the New Yorker’s auction, whose bidding begins at $5,000, will be donated to 9/11 Day, an organization that coordinates an annual day of community service to honor the victims of 9/11, in addition to organizing hunger relief projects nationwide.