Do you believe someone could swap a paperclip up to a house within the space of one year? If you said NO you would be sensible. But did you know that a man actually did, after a number of trades, swap a paperclip for a house over the internet?
The real life internet story of Kyle MacDonald and his little red paperclip is now a legend. There is a blog about it, it is mentioned in Wikipedia, and television stations have broadcast the story. To me Kyle is a genius, or maybe he just needed a house. They say necessity is the mother of invention.
The facts are Kyle MacDonald started his one red paperclip quest on July 12, 2005. By July 13, 2006 he signed the deeds to his new house. It took him 14 trades in total. All documented and cleanly done. The entire trading journey began with a humble, simple, red paperclip.
I admire the originality of the idea. Certainly as far as creativity goes nothing like it in public was ever done like this before. The medium used, the internet, was a expression of this fast moving day and age. The age of change and economic upheaval. Who can claim to fully own a house in the space of one year? I do not know too many people. I sincerely take my hat off to Kyle for his groundbreaking achievement.
PAPERCLIP TRADING TIMELINE
First trade, commenced July 14, 2005. Paperclip for fish shaped pen.
2. Pen traded for doorknob.
3. Doorknob for camp stove.
4. Camp stove for Honda Generator.
5. Honda generator for an empty keg and neon sign.
6. Empty keg and neon sign for a ski snowmobile.
7. Ski snowmobile for a two person trip to British Columbia.
8. Trip traded for a van.
9. Van traded for a recording contract.
10. Recording contract traded for a one years rent in Phoenix Arizona.
11. One year’s rent traded for one afternoon with Alice Cooper.
12. One afternoon with Alice Cooper traded with a KISS snow globe.
13. KISS snow globe for a role in a film.
14. Film role traded for a house in Kipling, Saskatchewan.Trade date, July 5, 2006.
Total timeline paperclip trades above all within 12 months.
PAPERCLIP FACTS OF INTEREST
*Kyle started trading with one red paperclip.
*He had the target of getting a house from the start of paperclip trading and stated it publicly.
*No one in history ever traded a paperclip up to a house before Kyle.
*His trading attracted media attention.
*Klye used the internet, that is Craigslist, to announce his trading quest.
*The internet made his trading public and allowed many people to follow his swapping journey from the comfort of their homes.
*Kyle MacDonald holds the Guinness Book of Records of the most successful internet trade.
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