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:
- Valuable Product: zerocool believes in creating trading cards that have long-term value and will err on the side of valuable product over short-term profits.
- Equitable Distribution: zerocool believes in providing fair access to trading cards through a holistic distribution strategy, transparency of process and, whenever possible, transparency of data including numbers from print runs.
- Market-Based Pricing: zerocool believes that the price of trading cards should be set by the market, not manufacturers, and will attempt to release as many products as possible using market-based pricing, including, but not limited to, a Blind Dutch Auction, when appropriate.
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?
