Marvel announces ridiculously expensive 1-of-1 NFT variants
NFTs: they’re still a thing. Marvel and digital platform VeVe have been collaborating on them for a while, releasing digital variant covers of classic and current comics fairly regularly. Now Marvel has announced that they’re taking part in VeVe’s latest effort, VeVe Artworks, a new line of extremely limited NFTs that are even less fungible than before, I guess. Marvel’s entry into the line is a trio of new variant covers by artists Scottie Young, Sara Picelliand Brian Stelfreeze. However, unlike previous Marvel NFT variants, these new variant covers will be limited edition, 1-of-1 releases, and available through auctions with an opening bid of just $1,500.
The three lines of code for bidding are:
-
- Sara Pichelli, MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #25 (starting price $1,500)
This is an unpainted version of the 1:25 variant cover that was available in stores. The original artwork for another Pichelli Miles cover sold earlier this year for $9,000, so this is kind of a deal, if you consider spending thousands of dollars on nothing compared to spending thousands of dollars on something you can touch and hang on the wall. The physical copy of this variant cover of Miles Morales: Spider-Man #25 can also be purchased on eBay for around $20.
-
- Brian Stelfreeze, BLACK PANTHER #25 (starting price $1,500)
This variant cover was available in print last year, albeit with trade dress. The physical comic can still be had today on eBay for $5-10.
-
- Skottie Young, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 (starting price $1,500)
This variant cover was also released in print earlier this year. That comic can currently be had in physical form, based on current eBay auctions, for between cover price and $10.
In response to confusion about what the auctions actually are, Young took to his Substack newsletter to clarify that what’s up for bid is not actual physical artwork:
There is NO PHYSICAL component in this drop. I’ve seen a few people mention getting the physical original artwork with this and that is NOT true. You will bid on a digital NFT.
Young has actually already sold the original artwork for this cover via his own store, for $7,000. It is unclear how much money these artists will see from any of these NFT sales.
If you want to participate in these auctions for any reason (don’t worry, the auctions are silent, so no one will be able to see you do it), they go live via VeVe’s app at 12:00 PM Pacific today, and will run through Thursday, August 4.
