Pavel Durov Gifts $12,000 Worth of Plush Pepe NFT to a Telegram Designer
Telegram founder Pavel Durov bought Plush Pepe #834 for 7,500 Gram (GRAM) on The Open Network, then transferred the NFT to Adler Toberg, a designer linked to Telegram’s interface and present system.
The acquisition marks Durov’s third confirmed buy of a TON collectible in simply over six months. He added his first Plush Pepe in December 2025, then picked up a Telegram Gift NFT in January 2026. Together, the strikes mirror deliberate and ongoing private engagement with the digital asset layer Telegram continues to construct.
Plush Pepes and the TON Collectibles Market
Plush Pepes are Telegram’s official collectibles collection, issued natively on The Open Network (TON). At GRAM’s present value of $1.55, the 7,500 GRAM spent on Plush Pepe #834 comes to roughly $11,625.
The particular piece is the Donatello mannequin, a 1% rarity variant, with a Bell Pepper image (0.5%) and a Navy Blue backdrop (2%). Of the two,861 Donatello editions, 2,825 have discovered house owners.
TON improvement has accelerated alongside the demand for collectibles. A serious protocol improve made TON 10 times faster, reducing transaction occasions to sub-second finality.
On the product aspect, GOAT Gaming’s Underground Pepe moved Plush Pepes past profile equipment. The mission turned them into energetic gaming belongings, full with a devoted rewards foreign money.
Secondary market exercise has additionally expanded. A Telegram username sold for 500,000 USDT in a latest TON NFT resale, reflecting robust demand for Telegram-native belongings.
Durov Gifts the NFT to Designer Adler Toberg
The TON Blockchain X account responded to Durov’s buy with a dry piece of humor. It expressed hope that he would move the NFT alongside to a Telegram intern as a office bonus. The joke turned out to be shut to the reality.
Durov transferred Plush Pepe #834 straight to Adler Toberg, a designer recognized for his work on Telegram’s interface and present system. Toberg has beforehand made public statements concerning the route of Telegram’s collectibles program, together with the cadence of new present releases.
The switch factors to one thing actual. Within the Telegram ecosystem, collectibles now carry social weight as markers of neighborhood standing. Durov’s choice to give a high-value NFT to a member of his crew reinforces that dynamic.
His function as Telegram’s CEO makes every on-chain transfer a seen sign throughout the community.
The token itself additionally modified course this 12 months. GRAM was rebranded from Toncoin following an 81% governance vote, reverting to the identify from Telegram’s authentic 2018 whitepaper. The chain additionally broadened its attain by Apple Watch integration and a wider ecosystem push.
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