A Guide to VeeFriends Iconics: Inspiration and Collectibility

When VeeFriends Series 2 launched in April of 2022, each Series 1 Spectacular token was gifted its evolved Series 2 Spectacular counterpart and was told another surprise was coming. The surprise was revealed today with the brand-new, one-of-a-kind art of 1,175 VeeFriends Iconics.

VeeFriends Series 1 Spectaculars (aka "The Holy Grail of VeeFriends") are the most sought-after rarity type in VeeFriends — true 1 of 1s, making them the most coveted for each character. In VeeFriends Series 1, there are 5 types of Spectaculars: Bubble Gum, Diamond, Gold, Hologram, and Lava.

VeeFriends Iconics is a collection of 1-of-1 NFTs featuring VeeFriends Series 1 Spectacular characters in a signature fractured WPAP style, hand drawn by the artist Gilang Bogy.

VeeFriends Iconics bring a new layer of collectibility to VeeFriends characters and the Spectacular rarity. These 1/1 tokens beautifully fit the profile picture (PFP) art that has rapidly become a driving force in the NFT landscape, while featuring an artist who designed the rarest and most sought-after tokens in a historical NFT project. Blending the physical and digital world of collectibles is important to VeeFriends, so eligible wallets have been granted access to claim an exclusive free 12x12 Metarelics Canvas of their VeeFriends Iconics characters as well.(Claim by Saturday, 9/17/2022 11:59 PM EDT)

The Collectibility of Gilang Bogy and CryptoStrikers "Iconics"

Historical NFT collections have cemented their significance in Web3 space and undoubtedly paved the way for the future of digital assets. As the audience for digital collectibles expands mainstream and grows more sophisticated, there will only be more interest in collecting the earliest and most innovative NFT projects. For this reason, VeeFriends has teamed up with Gilang Bogy, the artist behind the 2018 project titled CryptoStrikers (also known as Wrapped Strikers) project, who created the project's "Iconics" design, the most valuable and exclusive tokens throughout the collection. Gilang hand-crafted VeeFriends Spectacular tokens that immerse VeeFriends characters in their Iconic form!

CryptoStrikers is distinguished as the first sports-based project on the Ethereum blockchain. The project truly illuminated a new use case for NFTs and their involvement in sports and entertainment. The project was released prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and collectors could buy packs that included cards of players who would be active in the tournament. Before games, collectors could stake their tokens and be rewarded if their athlete scored, allowing enthusiasts to truly engage and interact with the sport on a level that was previously unimaginable. Successfully blending the world of sports with Web 3 and decentralization for the first time, the culture and appeal of sports cards were now officially and globally brought to the blockchain.

100 players are included in the complete collection, but only 32 are featured in the most exclusive and coveted set, "Iconics." In the excitement of opening packs to participate in the action of the World Cup, these specially designed tokens served as the ultimate chase in the collection. In order to have a chance at uncovering one in a pack, the user must have referred friends to collect as well. These CryptoStrikers "Iconics" are not only celebrated as the preeminent pieces of the collection, but also act as the first NFT appearance for many notable and highly-collectible athletes. We are excited to create VeeFriends Iconics, 1,175 unique 1/1 tokens inspired by Gilang's work in this project. Let's take a look at the highest existing sales!

Lionel Messi - 39.96 ETH ($129,025.25) sold 8/25/2021

Mohamed Salah - 35 ETH ($142,872.80) sold 10/24/2021

Mohamed Salah - 35 ETH ($142,872.80) sold 10/24/2021

Cristiano Ronaldo - 29.95 ETH ($122,258.30) sold 10/24/2021

Neymar - 20 ETH ($60,239.20) sold 8/17/2021

Apart from his work on CryptoStrikers, Gilang Bogy has a legacy of creating meaningful digital art. Gilang has partnered with brands such as Coca-Cola, Eurosport, AIG, and The Rose Bowl. Furthermore, Gilang hand-crafted the first ever VeeFriends Mini-Drops Collection, Spooky Vees. To learn more about Gilang's artistic career and journey, please read here!

Thank you to Gilang Bogy for your time and effort in creating incredible art and making this collection possible.

Iconic Inspiration Drawn from Premium Sports Cards

The joy of opening, collecting, and swapping trading cards has been a passion and hobby that has stood the test of time for over a century. In the 1990s, trading cards began to evolve with more companies experimenting with different foils, materials, and technology used to create their cards. These new designs marked a noteworthy moment in trading card history; these never-before-seen patterns of texture and color brought a broader appeal to the trading card industry, popularity for collecting new sets and athletes, and elevated value for rare and unique designs. VeeFriends Iconics aims to play on the same court, with an experimental nature and compelling refracted designs.

To learn more about some of the most unique and desirable 1990s basketball inserts, check out these articles:

Examples of the most innovative and collectible inserts of the 1990s

CryptoStrikers excelled at capturing the excitement and interoperability of trading cards and bringing it to the blockchain. The VeeFriends Iconics combines the innovation, creativity, and collectibility of 90's basketball parallels with the history of CryptoStrikers to create a versatile and electrifying one-of-a-kind collection.