# Melania sells her art **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 16, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174 "2021-12-16T20:29:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/1 "2021-12-16T20:29:16Z")
So, Mrs. Trump is launching an NFT platform where you can buy her digital art for $150. The well known philanthropist says a portion of the proceeds will help children. Hurry because you only have (you guessed it) two weeks to purchase. I’m sure millions will be investing in Melania schlock. Maybe some Russian oligarchs? And think of the children when buying! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.E](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.e/32/8932_2.png) [@Mr.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.E)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/2 "2021-12-16T20:37:58Z")
I really don’t care, do you? ---
**Author:** ![Ranch\_Dip](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranch_dip/32/5238_2.png) [@Ranch\_Dip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranch_Dip)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/3 "2021-12-16T20:38:03Z")
Maybe she should try OnlyFans. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/4 "2021-12-16T20:44:25Z")
Maybe she’ll use it to fund her highly successful anti-bullying campaign. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/5 "2021-12-16T20:46:47Z")
Is that what kids are calling it these days? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/6 "2021-12-16T20:47:40Z")
150 $? I would pay that for almost anyone else’s art. But I am afraid her “art” is missing an _f_ at the very start. And that is a generous interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/7 "2021-12-16T20:49:14Z")
To benefit “children” in general, or rather, HER children specifically, because it makes a difference and I wouldn’t put it past her if it was the latter. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/8 "2021-12-16T20:51:59Z")
If they’re NFTs, then she’s probably not actually selling the art. The only way she would is if she was giving up copyright or offering an irrevocable license (like the SDMB has for our posts). ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/9 "2021-12-16T20:56:32Z")
The art is not even hers, I am assuming it is a portrait of her: [https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/16/politics/melania-trump-nft/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/16/politics/melania-trump-nft/index.html) > The NFT is a “watercolor” by Marc-Antoine Coulon that includes an audio recording of Trump, according to a press release from her office. The former first lady’s digital art will cost approximately $150 and will be available to purchase between December 16 and December 31, 2021. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/10 "2021-12-16T21:05:31Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > a portion of the proceeds will help children So, after hubby is convicted, paying for lawyers to keep her step-children out of jail? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/11 "2021-12-16T21:08:37Z")
We’re all somebody’s child, eh. She can just keep the money and not be a liar, if all she said was “it’ll help children.” ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/12 "2021-12-16T21:15:20Z")
Huh. I’ll allow that maybe I can’t wrap my Boomer head around NFT or blockchain cryptocurrency so I don’t get it why someone would part with “real”(\*) money for this. At least an autographed picture I can tape to the wall. (\* I realize the mild irony in comparing “realness” of fiat money based on that the country will still be there next year, vs. crypto based on that their servers will) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/13 "2021-12-16T22:07:47Z")
"I’m giving the money to Jerry’s kids. His _real_ kids." ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/14 "2021-12-16T22:18:22Z")
Any “earnings” will probably by her ticket home. The one in Europe. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/15 "2021-12-17T16:44:33Z")
So what exactly is an NFT anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/16 "2021-12-17T16:50:57Z")
A Non-Fungible Token. Effectively using cryptocurrency blockchains to “store” or “own” art. From what I gather, all you get is a URL. If the website falls off the face of the internet, you’ve lost your art. It’s frequently used in “scams” and is about as sensible an investment as memecoins. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/17 "2021-12-17T17:50:38Z")
It’s like those certificates telling you you own a piece of the moon. Except it’s not on paper and it doesn’t give you “a piece of the moon”, instead it says you own what’s on the web at a particular URL. But it’s crypto, so the people propping up that particular pyramid have to keep saying it’s awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/18 "2021-12-17T18:11:49Z")
I don’t completely get it (even after reading the Wikipedia page on NFTs), but any further questions I have should probably go in a separate thread so as not to derail this one. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/19 "2021-12-17T18:15:17Z")
We’ve had a few threads about NFTs, **Shoeless** : > [@Help me Understand Non-Fungible Tokens](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-non-fungible-tokens/938969): > > Every now and then, I try to educate myself on the latest tech hype. Non-fungible tokens have been around for a while, but (at least in my perception), they’ve been really exploding lately, with digital artists earning record sums, and Nike filing a patent for a ‘blockchain-based NFT-sneaker’ called ‘CryptoKicks’ ¯\_(ツ)\_/¯. So I’ve been skimming a couple of articles trying to figure out what’s what here, but I’m not sure if I’m really getting it. Best as I can tell, an NFT is sort of like a bit… > [@Dan somebody explain NFTs to me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-somebody-explain-nfts-to-me/941126): > > I keep wondering what buyers of NFTs get out of it? There was news recently about somebody who paid thousands of dollars for the original photo of a meme. What do they get? Everybody can see the meme online, the owner of the original photo could, potentially, sell it to somebody else. How does the buyer profit? > [@How is an asset linked to a token to create an NFT?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-an-asset-linked-to-a-token-to-create-an-nft/938639): > > There has been a lot of [buzz](https://observer.com/2021/03/nft-hype-tech-celebrity-jack-dorsey-elon-musk-nba-fans/) around NFTs of late. I’ve read a few technical breakdowns if them (including the actual Ethereum [EFC](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/standards/tokens/erc-721/)). The process seems to be: Generate a hash from a digital asset (very easy CS101 stuff, eg SHA256) Create a “crypto” key or token (do some dumb, pointless, but computationally expensive, sums that result in big number that’s “yours”) Link the hash with the key forever. Now the asset is “yours” too. Profit!! So it’s that penultimate step that I don’t quite get. Is … ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174/20 "2021-12-17T20:22:46Z")
Thank **Bo** I’ll check those out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melania-sells-her-art/956174.md?page=2)