Melania Trump Announces World's Most Expensive Garage Sale

Get your cryptocurrency wallet ready. Melania Trump is auctioning off a hat she wore during a 2018 state visit with the French prime minister, and it could be yours, along with an original watercolor and “digital artwork NFT with motion” — both of which depict her in the white wide-brimmed headpiece. But you’d better have some serious crypto cash. Bids will start at a hefty quarter of a million dollars and must be made with SOL cryptocurrency.

The three-item package, titled “The Head of State Collection” and announced Tuesday on MelaniaTrump.com, will be listed from Jan. 11-25. The “one-of-a-kind” hat was designed by French-American designer Hervé Pierre to match the white Michael Kors suit the former first lady wore during the visit. The artwork is by Marc-Antoine Coulon. All items will be signed by Trump, and the NFT will be permanently minted on the Solana Blockchain.

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This is Trump’s second foray into the NFT world and SOL. Last month, she sold on the blockchain “Melania’s Vision,” a digital watercolor of her eyes accompanied by audio of her saying, “My vision is … look forward with inspiration, strength, and courage.” But her last NFT was much more affordable, listed at 1 SOL (between $150-200, depending on the value of SOL at the time of purchase).

According to a press release from the former first lady’s office, a “portion” of the sale proceeds will go to Fostering the Future, part of her Be Best initiative, to “assist children aging out of the foster care system by way of economic empowerment and with expanded access to resources needed to excel in the fields of computer science and technology.” Melania’s office did not immediately respond to a request from Rolling Stone for clarification on how much of the proceeds would go to the former foster children. Per the release, Trump will “proudly grant the opening round of scholarships to recipients during the first quarter of 2022.”

Melania has mostly stayed out of the spotlight since her husband left office, aside from these NFT sales. She has said she plans to auction off more non-fungible tokens in the future at “regular intervals.” As an anonymous former Trump White House official told CNN, the NFT scheme is “ostensibly a quick moneymaker.”

“It’s a classic Trump move,” the source said, “using their brand and their supporters to cash in.”

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