Patrick Mahomes’ NFT Art Hauls in $3.7 Million
Patrick Mahomes got a bit of crypto-revenge for Super Bowl LV this week, as the Kansas City star’s debut collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) sold for $3.7 million, more than champion Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski’s NFTs pulled in ($1.75 million) a week earlier during the latest digital art and blockchain craze.
Mahomes did not break Gronk’s record for a single token sale by an NFL player, though, as the most expensive image of Mahomes sold for $248,688.49 (or 135.69 Ether). Gronk’s top digital card went for $433,000.
Mahomes’ rarest digital work, created by the UK-based “Impossible Brief” team with help from NFT experts, also came with a 55” digital frame for displaying the art, along with a physical signed Mahomes jersey and jewel-encrusted helmet. After days of bidding, an anonymous bidder took home the item Friday night as the price tripled over the final hour of action. The winning bidder gets non-commercial rights to the piece.
While Gronkowski used popular NFT marketplace OpenSea, Mahomes turned to MakersPlace, another marketplace launched by an early Pinterest employee.
An undisclosed portion of the auction funds will be used by the Chiefs QB’s 15 and the Mahomies Foundation. “I’m excited about this unique and innovative way to connect with fans,” Mahomes said while announcing the collection last week. Over 500 items across seven designs contributed to the haul, which set a record for an NFL player in the digital space.
The league itself is now reportedly investigating its NFT options. In the meantime, it sent a memo to teams telling them not to make their own agreements without league approval. The NBA has led the way in sports, partnering with Dapper Labs to create NBA Top Shot, an evolving set of digital highlight collectibles with an estimated market cap over $1.5 billion. The NBA has also formed a committee to investigate further blockchain implementations.
Meanwhile, a cartoon frog version of Mahomes in a Chiefs helmet recently sold as an NFT for over $700.
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