Curio Cards: From Obscurity to NFT History
Curio Cards: From Obscurity to NFT History
馃帹 Ancient NFT Wakes Up
Launched in May 2017, one month before CryptoPunks, Curio Cards represents a significant milestone in NFT history. Initially taking four years to mint out, the collection experienced a dramatic surge in 2021, becoming a top-traded collection on OpenSea.
Key developments:
- Community-built wrapper contract enabling modern NFT platform compatibility
- Creation of ccsupply.xyz for tracking ownership statistics
- Launch of community merchandise store and physical card sets
- Over 200 artistic remixes in the Remix Gallery
- Featured in Christie's and Sotheby's auctions
Only 20 complete sets exist, with notable collectors like @dmorey joining in 2021. The project has been featured in museums, books, and international TV, documenting early NFT history.
Curio Cards launched one month before CryptoPunks, on May 9, 2017
In the four years since the last NFT bull run, Curio Cards never went away Instead, the community got active and did some amazing things to expand on the existing lore of the original project From airdrops to merch to collabs, here are a few highlights!
Curio Cards have appeared in multiple books, museums and galleries documenting the history of NFTs 馃摐
.@MyCurioCards are probably up because they were just in a museum again yesterday.
Curio Cards is a wild story
Imagine building a company from $0 to $100M with no marketing budget, and giving it all away. I just recorded one of the wildest Web3 origin stories with @travisformayor , co-founder of Curio Cards - one of the earliest digital collectibles on Ethereum. They launched in 2017,
It took four years for Curio Cards to mint out. And then just a couple of months to be among the top-traded NFT collections on OpenSea.
Curio Cards went from completely unknown in 2021 to being among the top-traded collections on OpenSea during the NFT bull run To selling at Christie's and Sotheby's And being mentioned on international TV. And we're earlier than CryptoPunks.
Curio Cards is so old that the original contracts aren't compatible with OpenSea (or other modern NFT utilities). In 2021, during the Rediscovery, a wrapper contract was developed by the community and members of the original team to make trading on new NFT platforms possible.
It's been four years since @dmorey became a Curio Cards full set collector. Only 20 full sets have been assembled so far 馃弳
Anyone doubting that crypto cycles still matter - four years ago today, legendary collector @dmorey completed his full set of @MyCurioCards
Curio Cards: The First Curated NFT Art Show on Ethereum
Launched in May 2017, Curio Cards pioneered a unique approach to digital art curation on Ethereum. Inspired by a 2016 Bitcoin physical art show, it became the first project to introduce minting via smart contracts. Key features: - First tokenized artwork platform on Ethereum - Carefully curated 30-card collection telling interconnected stories - Four-month release schedule on New Card Tuesdays - Seven artists with distinct styles and mediums - Each card builds upon previous themes and narratives The collection's thoughtful curation, from the storytelling in the first 10 cards to the intentionally placed Card 30 Eclipse, sets it apart from other 2017-era projects.
Curio Cards Full Sets Become Ultra-Rare with Only 20 Complete Collections
The historic Curio Cards project, launched in 2017 as the first Art NFT on Ethereum mainnet, has become increasingly scarce. Initially, 111 complete sets were possible from Cards 1-30. However, due to lost or burned tokens - particularly Cards 24 and 25 - only 33 full sets are now theoretically possible. Currently, just 20 collectors have managed to assemble complete sets, making these early NFT collections extraordinarily rare in the Web3 space. - Original possible sets: 111 - Current possible sets: 33 - Actual complete sets: 20 This scarcity highlights the historical significance of Curio Cards in the NFT ecosystem.
Curio Card Sweep Update
A coordinated effort to acquire Curio Cards, the first Art NFTs on Ethereum mainnet, continues to gain momentum. This marks the third sweep event, following previous movements in January and early August 2025. The sustained interest in these historical NFTs demonstrates ongoing collector appreciation for early blockchain art artifacts. - First sweep: January 2025 - Second sweep: Early August 2025 - Current sweep: Ongoing *Historical significance*: Curio Cards represent the earliest form of digital artwork ownership on Ethereum, pioneering a DRM-free approach to NFT art.
Early NFT Projects Cement Their Place in Ethereum History
Early NFT projects on Ethereum continue to shape the blockchain's cultural legacy. As the NFT ecosystem expands across multiple chains, pioneering Ethereum-based projects maintain their historical significance. Key points: - First-generation NFT projects represent crucial milestones in blockchain development - Historical NFT collections gain value as blockchain technology advances - Cross-chain NFT growth reinforces Ethereum's original projects' importance These early innovations laid the groundwork for modern digital ownership and continue to influence new developments in the space.