Traversing the world of non-fungibles is a daunting task. With so many new NFT projects, artists, and large-scale collections cropping up weekly, it has become nearly impossible to keep up with every subsequent development.
In the past, a simple browse of OpenSea was enough to find the latest NFT craze. But things have changed drastically since the 2021 NFT boom. Now, NFT enthusiasts have to be acutely mindful of what and where they collect.
To aid in the unearthing of awe-inspiring NFT endeavors both new and old, nft now presents Undervalued: a weekly column highlighting innovative projects, collections, and artists pushing the NFT space forward.
EZU, launched on August 22, is a 15,000-piece NFT collection from Voltura Labs with a unique utility. You’ve heard of play-to-earn, maybe step-to-earn, but what about wear-to-earn? That’s the unique utility EZU hopes to impart to holders of its NFTs. Any piece of EZU-enabled clothing can provide its wearer with all sorts of perks, even free NFTs to function as achievement badges for wearing that particular item of clothing.
But how will this work? This NFT-activated apparel is slated to provide these utilities via embedded NFC chips into EZU-enabled articles of clothing, which can supposedly track who is wearing a particular piece, and for how long. It’s up to a brand’s discretion if they want to implement this functionality. EZU NFTs are currently available for purchase on OpenSea.
DeGods, launched on October 8 of 2021, is a 10,000-piece PFP NFT collection that currently sits as one of the preeminent projects on the Solana blockchain. The project carries an irreverent and rebellious spirit plastered all over its website. Holders are even disincentivized from selling their DeGods at a loss via what the DeGods team calls a “Paper Hands Bitch Tax.” Any holders selling their DeGods at a lower mark than its mint price of 3 SOL will have to pay this 33% tax.
Since its launch, this collection has garnered a loyal follow-base all over the world, and even counts rap legend Ice Cube as one of its supporters. This particular partnership was tremendous. Following the rapper’s publicly declared support for this NFT project, DeGods’ DeDAO was able to purchase a stake in the ownership of a Big3 basketball team — a three-on-three league founded by Ice Cube himself.
The future continues to look bright for this project. The launch of the y00ts NFT project, also from the DeGods team, is coming up very soon. Anyone interested in supporting that team’s initial project can pick up DeGods NFTs on Magic Eden.
CryptoCosplay, launched in September 2021, is an animated NFT collection from artist Miguel Garest. The collection features Garest’s character Crypto in a wide range of outfits and settings, shuffling forward in an infinitely-repeating animated loop. Several pieces in the collection even allude to pop culture, such as a piece directly referencing one of 2021’s best shows: Squid Game. Want to see more of Crypto in all its cuteness? A Gen 2 of the collection is currently in the works. But for now, pieces from the original mint are available to buy on OpenSea.
The Tony Stewart Legacy Series, launched on August 23, is a 500-piece collection of one-of-one NFTs to celebrate the hall of Fame racecar driver’s illustrious career. Each NFT in the collection depicts a car connected to a certain point in the motorsports athlete’s career, brought to life in vivid 3D. Additionally, one in five holders of each NFT is entitled to a 30-minute virtual hangout with the legendary driver. For holders of two or more NFTs from this collection, signed physical hats are promised as a perk. If you love to burn rubber, pieces from the collection are currently available for purchase on OpenSea.
Tezzards, launched in August 2021, is a generative PFP collection consisting of 4,200 adorable lizards hand-drawn by illustrator and digital artist George Goodwin. The collection currently stands as one of the most notable projects hosted on green blockchain Tezos — hence the name. They’re Tezos-native lizards: Tezzards! As such, each Tezzard carries Goodwin’s distinct take on cartooning. On top of the 4,200 Tezzards created in the initial mint, six super rare one-of-one Tezzards hand-drawn by Goodwin himself are hidden in the collection.
Notably, the project featured a distinct unique mint mechanic. For 15 XTZ each — Tezos’ native crypto coin — users could mint up to ten lizard eggs at a time, which would eventually hatch into a fully-grown Tezzard a day later. With 4,200 eggs sold during that mint, Tezos was pushed to its absolute limit. Since that mint, these snazzy lizards have received glowing praise throughout the NFT community. According to the project’s website, noted NFT collectors like Chris Wallace, Artchick.eth, and Jesse Altman are among the project’s biggest champions. Anyone interested in picking up a Tezzard can buy them on objkt and Rarible.
