GNU Head, Stallman's katana, and Internet Hall of Fame medal auctioned off to free software community members
On March 23, the GNU head, Stallman's katana, and the Internet Hall of Fame medal were won by three free software community members.
On March 23, the GNU Head, Stallman's katana, and the Internet Hall of Fame medal were won by three free software community members.
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In a live auction held in honor of its fortieth anniversary, the FSF auctioned off three historical memorabilia: the Internet Hall of Fame medal awarded to the FSF's founder, Richard M. Stallman, in 2013 as ultimate recognition of free software's immense impact on the development and advancement of the Internet; Stallman's legendary katana that -- with a dash of humor -- represents how wit can be used as a weapon in the fight for computer user freedom; and as the leading relic, the original GNU Head drawing by Etienne Suvasa (1992) that is the inspiration for, and more fine-lined version of, the iconic GNU logo present everywhere in the free software world.
"We are pleased that the GNU Head, the katana, and the Internet Hall of Fame medal have found a new home in the free software community," says executive director Zoë Kooyman. "We hope that the new owners will take good care of them." Miriam Bastian, the FSF's program manager adds: "We would like to thank all those who participated in the auction and congratulate the winners."
The attendees of the auction came from many different countries, including Australia and China, despite the late (or early) hour.
The live auction was the culmination of the FSF's Memorabilia Auction that began with a silent auction on Monday, March 17. In the silent auction, participants bid fiercely on an Amiga 3000UX, which was used by FSF staff programmers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to help further early development of the GNU operating system. Another popular item was the autographed Dynamic Duo print poster that shows the two superheros GNU and Tux teaming up to vanquish Digital Restrictions Management and proprietary systems. The VT220 terminal that used to welcome visitors to the FSF office with ASCII art, NetHack, and other free software lore and three plush gnus that greeted visitors in the FSF office lobby were also popular.
The Memorabilia Auction is just one of many exciting initiatives the FSF is organizing around its fortieth anniversary with the climax being an in-person anniversary celebration on October 4, 2025 that will feature talks and workshops by important community members, as well as a trivia night. It was also hinted that the FSF will host a virtual hackathon, but no official information has been disclosed yet. The organization continues to reveal more activities and details on their homepage and recommends subscribing to their newsletter to stay up to date.
About the Free Software Foundation
The FSF, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software -- particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants -- and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its websites, located at https://www.fsf.org and https://www.gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at https://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.
MEDIA CONTACT
Miriam Bastian
Program Manager
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942
campaigns@fsf.org
This image, "FSF live auction items sold" includes "Picture frame" © 2014, Fæ, used under CC BY-SA 4.0. "FSF live auction items sold" © 2025 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 by the Free Software Foundation.
