A framed, small scroll of paper (41 x 210 mm) that served as one of the actual IP packets carried by a racing pigeon is being offered at auction. The paper shows rolling creases from attachment to a pigeon's leg and is inscribed on the verso of the backing board "Property of David Waitzman." It originates from a full-scale implementation of RFC 1149, "A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers," written by David Waitzman as an April Fools' joke in 1990. On 28 April 2001 the Bergen Linux User Group printed individual IP datagrams as hexadecimal strings, affixed them to pigeons, and transmitted them between lofts about three miles apart; nine packets were dispatched and four replies returned. This scroll was presented to Waitzman the following year and was mounted in a physical frame as a tongue-in-cheek analogue to IP framing.
The lot is offered by Christie's Inc. in New York and the listing includes provenance, condition notes, and sale conditions: bidders must upload ID, agree to the buyer’s premium schedule, and accept the Conditions of Sale. The RFC 1149 implementation is highlighted as a canonical "artful hack" of early Internet culture, notable for its technical playfulness, collaborative spirit, and continued citation in Internet folklore.
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