NFT Archaeology Calendar I: Front-Running History
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MoonCatRescue Rediscovery saw 3,268 "Successful Rescuers" and 1,657 "Failed Rescuers" on March 12th, 2021
Created by: Jake Gallen | Published: August 17th, 2022 | Last edited: December 30, 2022
All information used within this dialogue has been referenced from public sources. All dates and timelines referenced may contain inaccuracies.
Defining the Field
Terminology
The language around aging NFTs is still evolving:
- Historical NFT and Vintage NFT describe non-fungible tokens from earlier periods in the ecosystem's evolution
- Early NFT suggests early adoption
- Old NFT may carry negative connotations of being outdated
NFT Archaeology compares to traditional archaeology but examines digital rather than physical artifacts. The field emerged recently given the NFT ecosystem's young age, serving to preserve and contextualize NFT history within the broader digital world.
Internet Archaeology is the study of the history and evolution of the internet and its impact on society and culture. NFT Archaeology extends this concept to blockchain-based non-fungible tokens.
An NFT Historian represents someone knowledgeable about and interested in NFT history -- conducting research, writing analyses, or curating historical NFT collections, working to preserve and contextualize their cultural significance.
- Digital Antiquities refers to historically or culturally significant digital assets, including early NFTs and other artifacts like websites or online communities
Key Terminology
- Discovery: Uncovering previously unidentified hidden utility, meaning, or artistic expression
- Rediscovery: Finding tokens/projects that were abandoned; minted without original founder participation
- Relaunch: Finding abandoned projects; minted with original founder participation
- Pre ERC721: Non-Fungible Tokens created before ERC721's first contract implementation in March 2018
- NFT Wrapper: ERC721 contracts wrapping individual ERC20 tokens
The March 2021 Rediscoveries: Birth of NFT Archaeology
On March 12th, 2021, the crypto community discovered MoonCatRescue, initially considered "the 2nd oldest NFT on ETH." The event saw 3,268 "Successful Rescuers" and 1,657 "Failed Rescuers" -- over 5,000 individuals attempted to participate in rescuing the final cat.
MoonCats are currently available on Opensea for 0.4 ETH
Just before MoonCatRescue, enthusiasts rediscovered CryptoCats from 2017, which preceded CryptoKitties by eleven days. Multiple contract versions existed.
CryptoCats are currently available on Opensea for 2 ETH
Within twenty-four hours, another group discovered Curio Cards -- "the first known Art NFT collection on Ethereum," predating CryptoPunks by one month.
Curio Cards are currently available on Opensea for .3 ETH
Hours later, Etheria's relaunch was announced. Deployed in 2015, Etheria preceded Curio Cards by nearly two years and even predated the ERC20 standard. Two contract versions existed: V1.1 and V1.2, as documented by Allen Henna.
Etheria is currently available for 10 ETH
March 14th, 2021 brought the rediscovery of Dada Creeps & Weirdos.
Within seventy-two hours, five legendary Ethereum collections and over 50,000 NFTs were rediscovered. The NFT archaeology movement was born.
Creeps & Weirdos are currently available for .2 ETH
Provenance and Cross-Chain Recognition
Was the March 2021 rediscovery sprint the beginning of NFT Archaeology? Claims about provenance and credibility were made during those seventy-two hours, and some -- including those by Larva Labs -- were disproven within 48 hours.
It's possible that there were other early NFT experiments or projects that have yet to be rediscovered or brought to the attention of the broader community.
The Counterparty platform saw renewed interest. ROBNESS discussed Rare Pepe history and Kevin McCoy shared insights on 2014 projects. Non-Ethereum projects existed but remained siloed within separate communities due to technical barriers.
Mid-2021 Developments
The following four months were quiet in the emerging NFT Archaeology field. Key milestones included:
- Adam McBride hosting the first NFT Archaeology podcast featuring Curio Card artist Daniel Friedman
- Roaring Auctions moving to video format
- Larva Labs auctioning nine CryptoPunks at Christie's for $16.9 million
- Kevin McCoy selling "Quantum" at Sotheby's for $1.4 million
- HarryBTC publishing the first known "Early NFT Timeline"
- Various projects receiving attention: OLGA, EtherWaifu, IKB Digital Zones, Crypto Strikers, Lost Robbies
August 2021: The Rediscovery Sprint
HarryBTC's "Early NFT Timeline"
Nearly twenty early projects were rediscovered within thirty-one days, featuring "controversy, confusion, and possibly even corruption."
Key Discoveries
This is a real photo
Cryptoarte, Ether Rock, Deus ETH, CryptoCystal, Su Squares emerged early in the month.
Ether Rock -- 100 "Pet Rocks" on a bonding curve ending at 10 ETH for the hundredth mint (ERC20 tokens).
"WELIKETHEROCKS" -- Predated Ether Rocks by one day, becoming known as Genesis Rocks.
Ether Rocks are currently available for 200 ETH
During the first week of August frenzy HarryBTC released "Early NFTs V2"
Pre-ERC721 Week
Lunar Moon Plots (August 8) -- 400 real estate plots on the moon, predating Ether Rocks by sixty-six days.
Lunar Moon Plots are currently available for 2.5 ETH
Ether Tulips -- Early project with contract bugs preventing Generations 1 and 2 from rendering on OpenSea. A wrapper solution created "Ether Tulips Legacy."
Legacy Ether Tulips are currently available for .1 ETH
Realms of Ether (deployed December 30, 2017) -- Minted via Github; 500 contractual limit though promoted as 1,000. The project had no image or wrapper but left breadcrumbs of lore.
Realms of Ether are currently available for 3 ETH
EtherLambos -- 1,800 NFTs modeling iconic crypto leaders. The first 100 of each of the 8 models were minted in 2018.
Ether Lambos are currently available for .6 ETH
Leaders of the Movement
Leonidas' first NFT Timeline, which at the time was the most complete graphic
Leonidas emerged as a key leader with his "History of NFTs on ETH V1" timeline and 42,000 Twitter followers -- about 15,000 more than Adam McBride.
Crypto Jingles
Crypto Jingles (2018) -- Pre-ERC721 generative audio-visual token, the first of its kind. The collection split into 2018 Genesis Jingles and New Crypto Jingles. One captured BitConnect's Satish Kumbhani's voice.
Genesis Crypto Jingles are currently available for 15 ETH
WeiCards
WeiCards (December 23, 2017) -- "Advertisement Board for Crypto Twitter," 100 unique cards that allowed image uploads. Pre-ERC721 wrapping valued them at 3-8 ETH.
WeiCards are currently available for 3.5 ETH
Crypto Titties
CRYPTO TITTIES (January 8, 2018) -- Pre-ERC721 charity project, 144 NFTs on a bonding curve. Rediscovered August 17th, 2021, with a portion donated to "The Breasties."
CryptoTitties are currently available for 3 ETH
Pixereum
Pixereum (March 2, 2018) -- 10,000 pixels users could purchase and color. Pre-ERC721 project introduced August 17th, 2021.
Pixereum Pixels are currently available for .05 ETH
The Significance
As new information is introduced a new version is required
On August 23, 2021, WRabbit1111 published "The Origin of Digital Antiquities Market" on Medium -- considered the most comprehensive analysis of the Vintage NFT industry to date. The post has been updated 8 times and covers history, story, timestamps, personalities, and lore.
These individuals, alongside Adam McBride and others, established the intellectual framework that would define how the community understood and valued historical digital assets.
The August 2021 sprint demonstrated that the Ethereum blockchain contained far more history than anyone realized. Projects deployed in 2017 and 2018 had been sitting dormant for years, waiting to be rediscovered by a community that finally had the context to appreciate them.
NFT archaeology wasn't just about finding old tokens -- it was about reconstructing the narrative of digital ownership from its earliest days. Every rediscovery added a new chapter to a story that was being written in real-time.
Update: Part 2 & 3 of the NFT Archaeology Calendar series are now live.
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