Posted by James Zahn | Mar 8, 2022 | Collectibles, Collectibles, First Look, Industry, News | 1
What do you call a non-fungible token (NFT) that suddenly becomes … fungible?
Well, the world is about to find out as characters from Gary Vaynerchuk’s NFT Project, VeeFriends make the jump from digital assets to physical trading cards as part of the launch of zerocool, a new trading card brand from Fanatics Collectibles. Think of it as a “backward NFT” play.
Known as a major player in the world of sports-related fandoms, Fanatics Inc. bought The Topps Co. earlier this year gaining instant access to a trading card business in the process. Through its Fanatics Collectibles subsidiary, zerocool will serve as what the company is calling “the first trading card brand for the world’s most important people, IP, and brands across pop culture, art, and entertainment.”
Now, that could be considered a bold statement as nonsport trading cards — including those based on entertainment franchises — have been around for decades.
Zerocool says that its premium products will be offered through a direct-to-consumer platform using a Blind Dutch Auction model “that utilizes market-based pricing to ensure fair and transparent access to product for all collectors.”
Over the past few years, trading cards have become hotter — and more valuable — than ever, and Fanatics says that it’s consciously seeking to put collectibles on the market that will become truly valuable and accessible using a three-pronged approach to its business principles:
The zerocool x VeeFriends Trading Card Set features characters from the VeeFriends NFT collection in the physical realm. The cards are printed on premium, 36-point paper embellished with a full border and metallic etched foil stamp, with specialty holographic foils throughout the set. Additionally, the cards feature a soft-touch coating with a Spot Glass UV on the characters to create depth and the whole set comes packaged in a cigar-style box.
“Anyone who knows me in any shape or form knows that this is an absolute dream come true,” says Vaynerchuk. “My own intellectual property and my own cards are something that 15-year-old me could have never imagined.”
If you’re ready to bid, the auction is open for zerocool x VeeFriends through 9 p.m. ET on March 10 at zerocool.com. Fanatics says that it’s already inked licensing deals with entertainment companies, creatives, studios, and streaming services for zerocool trading cards to be released in the months ahead.
No word on whether or not this zerocool project was inspired Zero Cool from Hackers, but how could it not be?
James Zahn is a senior editor of the Pop Insider and the Toy Insider and serves as deputy editor of the Toy Book and editor of The Toy Report. Best-known as THE ROCK FATHER™, Zahn is an Illinois-based writer, media personality, commentator, director, actor, adventurer, raconteur, and overall pop culture and toy enthusiast. James is frequently called upon for expert commentary on the toy industry and has been seen on or quoted in Yahoo! Finance, CNN, FOX Business, MarketWatch, Forbes, NBC, ABC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The NY Post, The Chicago Tribune, PopSugar, Fangoria, Starlog, and many more. Follow James on Twitter @TheRockFather. Email him: james@toybook.com
Erm aren’t trading cards non fungible by definition? They just aren’t tokens that are digital. So he isn’t going from NFTS to something fungible… just not a token and a physical good.
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