Sotheby's Unveils Exclusive Bitcoin Ordinals Collection in Online Auction
Courtesy: Asprey Buggatti Crown Egg Number 10 by Asprey in London.
Auction house Sotheby's has initiated the bidding process for its latest collection of Bitcoin Ordinals, marking a significant moment in the evolution of digital collectibles. Sotheby's is thrilled to present "Natively Digital: An Ordinals Curated Sale," a deep dive into the world of Ordinals on Bitcoin. The special curation features several notable collections and artists, including FAR, XCPinata, Nullish, Rudxane, Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, Popoki, Shroomtoshi, Des Lucréce, Ana María Caballero, Claudia Hart, alongside notable early inscriptions and rare sats.
The collection, open for bidding on Sothebys.com from January 12 to January 22, includes 19 distinct pieces, comprising rare Satoshis, artwork by pioneering artist Shroomtoshi, generative art, and items linked to the Bitcoin Ordinals brand Taproot Wizards.
Prices for the collection range from $5000 to approximately $70,000, with standout pieces such as two Shroomtoshi artworks listed at $50,000-$70,000. As bidding progresses, one Shroomtoshi piece has already reached a bid of $16,000, while the other stands at $8,000. Notable pieces like FAR for Taproot are listed for $15,000-$20,000, Nullish for $30,000-$40,000, and Nullish Block 9 for $10,000-$15,000.
Each "lot" is expected to close independently one minute apart, with the entire auction concluding on January 22. Sotheby's emphasizes the diverse creative range within the Bitcoin ecosystem, highlighting the explosive growth of Ordinals over the past year.
Sotheby's first auction of Bitcoin Ordinals took place on December 13, featuring three pieces from BitcoinShroom’s collection, one of the earliest Ordinals projects by Shroomtoshi. The auction proved highly successful, realizing a total of $450,850 in sales—an impressive fivefold increase compared to the collective value of the three pieces.
The rise of Bitcoin Ordinals positions Bitcoin as a formidable contender against Ethereum in the digital collectibles arena. The concept of Ordinals is gaining widespread recognition and adoption globally, as demonstrated by Sotheby's latest listing. The increased prominence of Bitcoin Ordinals was further underscored when digital artist Billy immortalized SEC Chair Gary Gensler's response to a false Bitcoin ETF approval post as a Bitcoin Ordinals piece.
However, the ascent of Bitcoin Ordinals has not been without its challenges. Bitcoin core developer Luka Dashjr has voiced opposition, advocating for the eradication of Bitcoin Ordinals. As the auction unfolds, the future trajectory of Bitcoin Ordinals within the digital collectibles space remains a topic of intrigue and debate.
Editor’s note: This article was written by Jonathan Gasca in collaboration with OpenAI’s GPT-3.5.