NFT News Digest: Donald Trump Releases Digital Trading Cards Series 2
In addition to the news that Donald Trump Releases Digital Trading Cards Series 2, in today’s NFT News Digest for the past week 15-21 you’ll find:
- Starbucks releases First Store Collection and is preparing to launch the Odyssey Web3 platform,
- BAYC sales exceeded 1 billion ETH,
- Hugo Boss released NFC baseball caps, the fashion brand’s “phygital” experience.
Donald Trump Releases Digital Trading Cards Series 2
On Tuesday, April 18, an event occurred that thrilled the entire NFT community. After Donald Trump’s indictment a couple of weeks ago boosted sales of the first NFT collection, the 45th U.S. president decided to continue his journey in the crypto world. Donald Trump announced on his Instagram account that he is launching Digital Trading Cards Series 2 with his participation. This decision was apparently made in part due to the great hype generated by the original Trump Cards collection. The post consists of a photo of Trump himself holding the Liberty Bell and an accompanying caption:
I am pleased to inform you that, due to the great success of my previously launched DIGITAL TRADING CARDS, we are doing it again, SERIES 2, AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW. Donald Trump wrote in his Instagram post
What is Digital Trading Cards Series 2 from Donald Trump?
There are a total of 47,000 digital collectibles in Digital Trading Cards Series 2 from the 45th president of the United States, all of which have settled on the Polygon sidechain. Of the total, the developer has reserved 1,000 NFTs, but it’s not yet known for what purpose. Some of the Digital Trading Cards Series 2 are digitally signed by Donald Trump himself, and the price of each card is $99. That’s exactly what the NFTs from the first issue cost.
Regarding the price of the tokens in the new collection, Trump remarked that he could have raised the price much higher and made a lot more money, but he didn’t, because no one would have called him a “nice guy” if he did.
Trump isn’t selling NFTs to make money. He’s doing it because he’s such a nice guy pic.twitter.com/L3g438LsqU
— Matt Novak (@paleofuture) April 18, 2023
As for the appearance of the new tokens, they are in perfect harmony with the former president’s flamboyant image. Trump appears to the viewer in the most unexpected images – a fireman, an explorer, a muscular hunter, a king of hearts, a biker, a rock star and even George Washington himself!
Where can I buy Digital Trading Cards Series 2 and how much does it cost?
The Digital Trading Cards Series 2 can be minted at the official website. At the time of writing, all of the NFTs are sold out. From now on you can buy the sensational tokens only on secondary markets. At the moment the floor price is only 0.049 ETH. But at the same time, the volume of secondary trading has already exceeded 1K ETH.
Benefits of owning Trump Digital Trading Cards Series 2
We know that holders of the new tokens will get some interesting perks. If you buy 47 collectible cards from the new collection, you will be awarded a ticket to a gala dinner with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Golf Club in Florida. However, as noted, this time the developers are not so generous with gifts. For example, owners of the 1st Series of Trump Digital Trading Cards could not only attend a cocktail tour at Mar-a-Lago, but could also meet President Trump in person, talk to him on Zoom, or have lunch with him in Miami.
Community Reaction and Perspectives on Trump Digital Trading Cards Series 2
Immediately after the release of the Trump Digital Trading Cards Series 2, several Twitter users pointed out the “cringe” nature of the items in the new collection. Ed Krassenstein snidely remarked that with the Series 2 Trump decided to show everyone what an alpha male he is.
BREAKING: Just when you thought Donald Trump couldn't get any more cringy than he already was, he just released series 2 of his Digital Trading Card NFTs for $99 a piece.
The 10 New Trump Trading Cards show Trump as a BBQ chef, an explorer, a King of Hearts, a Lion Tamer, a… pic.twitter.com/C1aJVBe3oA
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) April 18, 2023
Others have said that Trump has destroyed the value of his Trading Cards with this new collection.
you just ruined the value of the collection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! omg! omg! why!??!??
— 🍊Salt 🍊 (@SaltyFishyman) April 18, 2023
The former U.S. president is already used to the barrage of criticism in his address, so he is unlikely to be embarrassed by the community’s reaction to the new collection. Perhaps he secretly still hopes to repeat the success of the first issue of Trading Cards, which earned from $500,000 to $1 million.
Starbucks releases First Store Collection and is preparing to launch the Odyssey Web3 platform
It was announced this week that famed coffee brand Starbucks announced the launch of its second First Store Collection of NFTs and the launch of a Web3 platform called Odyssey. Earlier in December 2022, Starbucks launched the Starbucks Odyssey loyalty program based on NFT At that time, it attracted extensive public attention and widespread interest from fans of the coffee brand.
The First Store Collection is a set of 5,000 digital souvenir stamps that are hosted on the Polygon network. Each collectible token in the collection cost $100. The same price was set for the NFT items from Starbucks’ first NFT collection which sold out in minutes.
"Starbucks First Store" is a collection of 1/1s depicting elements from the company's first store at 1912 Pike Place. Since opening in 1971, the Seattle Pike Place Market has represented the start of a coffee movement, which people from all over the world visit.
— Mintify | Live on Blast & ETH (@Mintify) April 17, 2023
What is the First Store Collection from Starbucks?
The First Store Collection NFTs are, in the words of the developers, “a multimedia collage of photos, in-store textures, and prominent icons”. The collection draws its inspiration from the first Starbucks store opened in Seattle.
Starbucks Odysseus: an intriguing initiative from a well-known brand
The drop of the First Store Collection didn’t happen just out of the blue, but as a new phase of Starbucks’ partnership with Polygon. And it began with the launch of the Starbucks Odyssey loyalty program last September.
Beta testing of the new platform started in December 2022. Participants in testing the pending Starbucks Odyssey app receive rewards based on their activity.
Starbucks Odyssey Beta launched to a small group of waitlist members; as one of the first companies to integrate Web3 technology & NFTs with a loyalty program we are entering the space differently, learn more here: https://t.co/4ECpbqQkHd
— Starbucks News (@StarbucksNews) December 8, 2022
The value of the new project was outlined immediately. Starbucks app users who purchase tokens from the First Store Collection will receive 1,500 points in rewards. These can be redeemed for a variety of perks, such as the opportunity to name a tree at the Starbucks coffee farm in Costa Rica, to receive a personalized MiiR 360 coffee tumbler with an NFT image on it, or to drink free coffee at the Starbucks store chain any day during the month.
The company has hinted that the app will be released to the public very soon. On Tuesday, it sent out an email to beta testers of the platform, the subject line of which said “We’re Getting Closer”.
Success story of Starbucks in the NFT world
In March 2023, Starbucks released its first NFT collection called Siren. The 2,000 NFT tokens sold out in just 18 minutes. Originally priced at $100 apiece, the Siren NFTs sell for about $500 on the secondary market now. Experts expect First Store Collection collectibles to boost the NFT market and increase NFT sales. By doing so, Starbucks will strengthen its position as one of the leaders in the digital world.
BAYC sales exceeded 1 billion ETH
One million ETH is the best gift that the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT collection has given itself for its 2-year anniversary. Launched in 2021 by Web3 leader Yuga Labs, BAYC has quickly made its way into the top-selling Ethereum blockchain collections.
BAYC just hit 1 million ETH lifetime trade volume on marketplaces
As someone who minted at .08 when it didn’t even look like it was going to sell out, I’m still occasionally dumbfounded by how far we’ve come in two years
— wave (@0xWave) April 15, 2023
The 1 million ETH mark was passed by BAYC on April 15. Since then, this grand sum has increased by more than 11K ETH. In total, the project has collected more than $2.7 billion at the time of writing. This allowed BAYC to secure the second position in the rating of ETH collections, leaving behind only Axie Infinity which sales exceeded $4.2 billion. Considering that BAYC is 3 years younger than Axie Infinity, we can heartily congratulate BAYC which became a billionaire collection in a short time.
a mil 💥 #BAYC pic.twitter.com/77hMjbiSS2
— yeli 🍌✨ (@theYRDGZ) April 15, 2023
BAYC achievements are an indicator of the growing interest in NFT
The dizzying success of the Bored Ape Yacht Club is the best proof of the growing interest in the NFT industry. Last year’s bearish trend could not dampen that interest. Leading NFT brands are still receiving increased attention, not to mention blue-chips like BAYC which are not threatened by any crypto winter.
BoredOHms, one of the members of the BAYC community, was among the first to let the world know the good news of the collection’s financial achievement. To celebrate this milestone, BoredOHms, the founder of Sewer Apes, created a special “ONE MILLION ETH” Jimmyfied edit for BAYC collectors.
Congrats @BoredApeYC on the One Million Eth trading milestone! pic.twitter.com/TdZy09a5TJ
— BoredOhms.eth 🍌 (@BoredOhms) April 15, 2023
Such an initiative demonstrates the cohesiveness of the BAYC community and also shows the high level of freedom that NFT technology provides, allowing people to express themselves openly and interact effectively.
Hugo Boss released NFC baseball caps
Legendary fashion house Hugo Boss has launched baseball caps with NFC-tags that provide wireless connection between the clothes and the corresponding NFT. The innovation will allow buyers to create digital NFT look-alikes and dress up their Metaverse avatars in branded clothing. All the user has to do is just scan the tag to access a digital version of the physical item of clothing!
On top of that, the Web3 platform Ready Player Me offered branded baseball cap and sweatshirt wearers to take selfies to create full-size 3D avatars and use them as characters in the Metaverse.
These innovations were preceded by the release of the Embrace Your Emotions NFT collection launched by Hugo Boss in partnership with Singapore-based Web3 ecosystem Imaginary Ones in November 2022. Each of the collection’s 1,001 3D avatars was offered complete with an IRL T-shirt and a QR code redirecting the NFT owner to Snapchat Lens for dramatic effect.
Phygital is becoming a trend in the fashion world
The introduction of NFC-tags will greatly increase the value of the collection, as it will allow users to feel a unique “phygital” experience and dress up the avatars in branded baseball caps and hoodies. Hugo Boss’ audience will predictably expand as the avatars dressed in its clothing are used by more than 3,000 game and app makers who are Ready Player Me partners.
The use of NFC technology in the fashion world is already becoming a trend. Nike introduced a “phygital” collection, connecting IRL apparel with AR NFTs using NFT technology. Hugo Boss reached a new level with innovation, adding value to their NFTs.
The fashion world is actively embracing NFT and Metaverse technologies. The use of Web3 gives brands significant advantages, as the recent “phygital” experience of Hugo Boss confirms.
