Telegram founder Pavel Durov has received one of the most expensive NFT gifts in the messenger’s history — the Plush Pepe #1 token from the Plush Pepes collection.
According to the Telegram channel “Durov’s Code,” the gift was initiated by the founder of Mr FreeMan, a marketplace for sending gifts within Telegram. He purchased the NFT on the secondary market for 14,850 TON, equivalent to approximately 4 million rubles or $47,000 USD.
The appearance of NFT gifts within the Telegram ecosystem became possible with the launch of TON Gifts at the end of 2022, developed by an independent team. On October 5, 2024, Telegram officially introduced the ability to send gifts using its internal currency, TON, expanding user opportunities within Telegram’s digital economy.
It’s worth noting that Pavel Durov’s interest in digital assets has repeatedly proven profitable. For instance, on just April 1, 2025, he earned 95.8 million rubles from the sale of NFT bricks, showcasing his personal involvement in the development of the platform’s crypto ecosystem.
Telegram continues to actively expand its initiatives related to the TON blockchain, including token trading, digital gifts, and NFT collections, gradually transforming the messenger into a full-fledged Web3 platform.
