GM

Pull over. It has come to my attention that some of you have been minting when you should be skipping, and/or skipping when you should be minting.

Can you not?

(jk do you)

In today’s edition:

• Two new ways to get paid to find NFTs

• The Mint & Watch Lists

• Four fresh drops

Links for the Mint/Watch list drops are HERE.

Did you know?

We have a premium pass that gives you access to a directory of every drop we cover, complete with detailed information on how to get on every whitelist (including those underrated ones that aren’t already full).

And for those curatooors out there, you can get free NFTs just by finding drops that end up on the Mint or Watch list.

Lastly, hang with me and the MoS team in a private discord with weekly voice chats. The vibes are great.

Would you like to be featured in Mint or Skip like the above ☝️ ?

Two new ways to get paid to find NFTs

There are many reasons why you might be reading this newsletter right now:

1. You enjoy our luxurious prose

2. You’re into the whole silver fox aesthetic I got going on

3. You can’t find the unsubscribe button

But most importantly – you might just be looking for new things to collect, and you may have realized that NFT discovery is really bad.

That’s exactly why we started this newsletter. We think the process of finding good NFTs needs to get MUCH better before the supply of drops inevitably grows by 1,000x or we’re toast.

This is a huge opportunity

You may not realize it, but the more time you spend in this space the more you develop your taste (i.e. preferences and insights on NFTs you think are worth paying attention to).

And now, it’s becoming easier for you to monetize that taste.

In fact, yesterday we saw two major NFT platforms launch features that do exactly that.

1 – Foundation introduced Moments

Context: Foundation’s most popular feature might be its Worlds, which are curated storefronts that anyone can set up.

As a curator, you fill your page with artist NFTs that you want to highlight, and you share a percentage of any sales that happen on your page.

Moments takes this further by adding events. Instead of a persistent storefront that just quietly opens up, you can now collaborate with artists on “drops”.

For example, someone like punk6529 can set up a gallery page, partner with a group of artists, reveal a set of NFTs that will go live at a scheduled date, and promote it as a limited-time drop.

This is a much better way of aggregating attention, and it’s a win-win for everyone involved.

2 – Superrare introduced Curation Staking

Using the $RARE token, curators can now show support for artists while earning from their sales.

How it works:

1. Curators “stake” their $RARE token in a pool tied to an artist

2. Others can join them in the same pool (earlier supporters get a higher share)

3. A percentage of every sale from that artist is sent to the pool

4. This fee is split across the pool

The idea is that when someone stakes in an artist pool, it acts as a “signal” that other collectors can then use to find up-and-comers.

It’s the kind of thing I need to see in action because, as always, there will be people who try to game the system – but it sounds really interesting.

Bottom line

I think it’s safe to say that every major NFT marketplace will have robust features for curators within a year or two.

These could be mini storefronts, affiliate programs, curation staking, or a million other ideas that haven’t been cooked up yet.

Dear Reader, my advice is the same as it was when we first wrote about the Curator Class a month ago:

Focus less on macro news, get involved with individual creators, and start refining your taste any way you can.

The opportunity is clear ✨

NOTE: These drops are lightly curated. Our only requirement is that they have recognizable founders. As usual, DYOR. To learn more go here.

Chimpers Figurine

Chimpers, a PFP project by the artist Timpers, joins the physical collectible trend with their own set of figurines.

The 1,050 collectibles will feature three different versions of the brand’s mascot in a classic sword-in-hand anime run pose (weeblets rise up!), available for pre-order at 1 PM ET today.

Buyers can scan a QR code on the figurine to redeem an NFT of their model and get a shot at a golden ticket.

Base Wars

Fini (formerly Finiliar), makers of cute animal software, are closing out Base’s Onchain Summer tomorrow with Base Wars.

I don’t know much yet, but I expect their Tamagotchi-inclined 3D beings to take center stage again, providing some utility in the form of portfolio tracking… perhaps Base-specific tracking?

Space Nation – Prime Navigator

Space Nation, a space-themed web3 MMORPG I initially covered 2 months ago, recently launched its free genesis collection last week. And it was a resounding success market-wise (were you paying attention to the Watch List, anon?).

Now, after unveiling additional gameplay with IGN (yes, that IGN), their next release should be Prime Navigator, a 3,000-supply PFP collection that grants special rewards like airdrops and priority access.

While neither the tokenomics nor the gameplay shown so far have turned me into a Space Nation maxi, this is probably a good one to keep your eye on.

The Girls of Armament Season 3

The Girls of Armament, a PFP project by Korean artist Gharliera, just announced an upcoming collection of chibi-styled PFPs.

This follows April’s Season 2, and if the mechanics are the same, it should be a burn-to-mint event involving the genesis PFPs.

While I’m still not sure I’ll mint this, Gharliera is one of the highest-selling artists ever on Foundation (at least as of last year) and I’m a big fan of his art.

Fun Fact: The genesis PFPs minted on the same day as the Luna crash of May 2022. Talk about unfortunate timing.

The Mint List

1. Taproot Wizards. OG Bitcoin meme inscribed as ordinals

2. 10KTF PFP. Drop from a team that includes Yuga and Beeple

3. Shadow Hats. Ordinals drop from the creators of Forgotten Runes

4. Project Animus. RTFKT's biggest launch since Clone-X

5. Deafbeef x Bright Moments. OG onchain creator with a track record

6. Sugartown Oras. Zynga, Farmville creators, releasing free NFTs

7. Distance by Mapan. Cactoid Labs x LACMA x influential artist

8. Glacier Dreams by Anadol. AI collection from the MoMA exhibitor

9. Symbiogenesis. Square Enix's upcoming gaming NFT

10. Memeland [TBC]. High-value treasure MVPs minting on BTC