US: Former United States First Lady Melania Trump announced on Tuesday that she will auction off a famed white hat she wore in 2018, with accompanying physical and digitised Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) drawings.
The three “important one-of-a-kind signed items” commemorate an April 2018 state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Washington – the first of the Trump presidency.
Bidding for this lot, called the “Head of State Collection”, will be held online between January 11 and 25, using the cryptocurrency Solana (SOL).
According to Mrs Trump’s website, where the auction was announced, bidding will begin at US$250,000 (S$339,000), currently equivalent to 1,416 SOL.
French-American designer Herve Pierre made the wide-brimmed hat at the request of Mrs Trump, who wore it as she accompanied French First Lady Brigitte Macron around Washington.
The autographed collection also includes physical and digital paintings of Mr Trump wearing the hat, both created by French artist Marc-Antoine Coulon.
The announcement states that a portion of the proceeds will go towards scholarships for children in foster care to learn computer skills.
Trump’s office did not immediately respond to an e-mail message inquiring about the size of the portion that will be donated.
In her first public project since leaving the White House, Mrs Trump announced last month that she would be joining the crypto trend by launching her own platform to sell NFTs.
“I am proud to announce my new NFT endeavour, which embodies my passion for the arts, and will support my ongoing commitment to children through my Be Best initiative,” Mrs Trump said in a statement at the time. – THE MALAY MAIL