Telegram Username “Boss” Sells for 500,000 USDT in TON NFT Resale

The @boss Telegram username NFT changed ownership for 500,000 USDT on Monday. The on-chain transfer routed one of the messaging app’s most coveted handles to a new pseudonymous wallet.

The resale settled in a single transaction on the TON network. The 500,000 USDT payment cleared as two Jetton transfers, according to blockchain explorer Tonviewer.

A $500,000 USDT Sale on Telegram

The previous owner claimed @boss in November 2022 during the early Fragment auctions. The buyer paid 40,000 Toncoin (TON), worth around $64,000 at the time. The resale represents an 8x return over 3.5 years.

Telegram launched username trading through Fragment in late 2022. Each handle is recorded as an NFT on TON, making it non-revocable by Telegram.

Owners can list and resell handles on secondary marketplaces such as GetGems.

In the latest case, the new owner’s address ends in 16b2, with no public label tying it to a known person or project.

A Premium Handle Market

Short, English-word handles like @boss, @news, and @crypto attract premium bids. Buyers value them as branding tools and as digital identity. The @news handle sold for an estimated $1.7 million in 2022.

“Fragment has been an amazing success, with 50 million USD worth of usernames sold there in less than a month. This week, Fragment will expand beyond usernames,” said Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in a 2022 post.

@danbao changed hands for $2.2 million in February 2026. The @crypto handle reportedly received a $25 million offer in 2025 after a $350,000 acquisition.

Meanwhile, NFT activity on Telegram has climbed sharply since 2024, helped by the platform’s exclusive integration with TON.

The @boss username could settle into branded use or return for resale, a move that would signal how active high-value handle trading remains.