This week’s featured collector is Lofiretrowave
Lofiretrowave is a digital creator who creates artworks with themes of time, culture, and space. Check out their collection at lazy.com/lofiretrowave
The results of last week’s poll: What’s your reaction to the NFT market downturn as seen in the falling indexes?
Last week’s poll results on the NFT market downturn reveals a community largely skeptical about a near-term recovery, with nearly half believing NFTs need fundamental reinvention to rebound. While some see a buying opportunity amidst the falling indexes, overall confidence remains low. NFT collectors should proceed cautiously, monitoring the space for innovative approaches that could breathe new life into the market. If this poll is to be believed, savvy collectors may find attractive deals, but should remain highly selective and take a long-term view.
Sotheby’s ‘Gold Fur’ Bored Ape NFT Auction Will Retest Art World Demand
Sotheby’s, the famous auction house, is gearing up to sell a curated batch of Bored Ape Yacht Club related Ethereum NFTs on June 18. The highlight of the auction is a gold-furred Bored Ape, accompanied by other rare NFTs from the Mutant Ape Yacht Club and Bored Ape Kennel Club collections.
The gold-furred Ape #8552, formerly owned by the now-bankrupt crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC), is expected to draw significant attention from collectors. Gold fur is a highly sought-after trait, with only 46 out of 10,000 Apes featuring this characteristic. The last gold-furred Ape sold for $933,000 (247 ETH) in March, and Sotheby’s has previously facilitated a record-setting $3.4 million sale of a similar Ape in 2021.
The auction comes at a time when the prices of more common Bored Apes have dipped dramatically from their peak in April 2022. The floor price for a Bored Ape has dropped from nearly $430,000 to $47,500 (12.6 ETH) over the past year, despite Ethereum’s upward climb.
For NFT collectors, this auction presents an opportunity to gauge the staying power of Ape-themed assets in the fine art community. The provenance of the NFTs, particularly their association with 3AC, may also influence their value and desirability.
As the NFT market continues to evolve, high-profile auctions like this one at Sotheby’s serve as a barometer for the demand and perceived value of rare and sought-after digital assets. Collectors should keep a close eye on the results of this auction, as it may provide insights into the future direction of the NFT art market and the potential for further mainstream adoption.
U.S. Charges Three Individuals in Connection with Evolved Apes NFT Rug Pull
The U.S. has brought charges against three individuals in connection with the Evolved Apes NFT scam from 2021. The defendants are facing charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
Evolved Apes was an NFT project that promised investors a unique collection of 10,000 NFTs and the development of a video game. However, a week after the project’s launch, the anonymous developer known as “Evil Ape” disappeared with 798 ether (approximately $3 million at today’s price) from the project’s funds, leaving the promised video game undelivered.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated, “The defendants ran a scam to drive up the price of digital artwork through false promises about developing a videogame. They allegedly took investor funds, never developed the game, and pocketed the proceeds. Digital art may be new, but old rules still apply: making false promises for money is illegal.”
This type of scam, known as a “rug pull” in the crypto world, is an exit scam where developers raise funds from investors through the sale of tokens or NFTs and then abruptly shut down the project and disappear with the money. According to De.Fi’s Rekt database, over $14.5 billion has been lost to rug pulls since 2011, with the largest being South African digital assets investment fund Africrypt, which absconded with 69,000 bitcoins (nearly $4.8 billion) in 2021.
For NFT collectors, this case serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with investing in NFT projects, particularly those that make grandiose promises without a proven track record. It is crucial for collectors to conduct thorough research and due diligence before investing in any NFT project, and to be wary of projects that seem too good to be true.
This week’s poll: What do you think will happen with prices at Sotheby’s upcoming auction of rare Bored Ape NFTs?
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