They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that statement is true then CryptoPunks has spawned an entire industry of imitators and derivatives and cemented themselves into the fabric of crypto culture and digital art immutably.
Every blockchain has some version of the iconic pixel pfp collection, but the one that interests me most today is Pride Punks, a collection that is still very under the radar, relatively cheap ( by NFT standards), and worth looking into. Pride Punks are arguably — because nothing in vintage NFTs ever seems set in stone — the first derivative of CryptoPunks.
Pride Punks were born out of the desire of coder and entrepreneur Dennison Bertram’s desire to bring a bit of diversity to Web3, so on June 23rd, 2018 he rolled out a way for CryptoPunks holders to wrap their Punk in a contract and get a version of their punk with the iconic rainbow in the background. There were supposed to be 10000 Pride Punks to correspond to all 10k of the original CryptoPunks.
The Contract-6/23/2018
At the time, Ethereum felt like the most inclusive community in the Crypto-sphere (that’s not saying much but still…), but there weren’t very many statements on inclusivity.
I added the Rainbow because it was Pride and because the Rainbow felt like the most unambiguous statement that all would be welcome.
The Rainbow is a power political statement on the nature of inclusivity in Web3 and (at the time and now) Crypto Art. The Rainbow elevates and differentiates PridePunks as their own creative act of expression: political and artistic.
In March 2022 a more secure way of interacting with the original contract was built and the project relaunched, so most of the rest of the collection was minted.
As we all know, CryptoPunks now sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions. The new contract didn’t require you to lock your expensive Punk in a wrapper.
Part of the debate around Pride Punks is if only two were minted in 2018 and the rest in 2022, does that mean this is not a true vintage NFT project?
Screenshot of the two original PridePunks minted in 2018, Punk 6485 & Punk 2851
It’s a good question, and like anything else in the vintage scene, it has sparked lively debate.
All but the two NFTs minted by Dennison in 2018 (Punk 6485 and Punk 2851) were minted 4 years later, but they were minted on the original contract. What it means is that the majority of Pride Punks are 2022 NFTs minted on a 2018 contract. For some people that matters, for others not so much.
The original metadata stored on IPFS was dropped and no longer resolves, however, Dennison Bertram had the foresight to make sure that data was backed up elsewhere — on AWS. He has the proof that anyone can verify that the original images with the rainbow backgrounds existed in 2018.
screenshot of the data on AWS with the 2018 timestamp.
The historical significance of Pride Punks
In the opinion of the author Pride Punks is an iconic and important project for the following reasons.
- First NFTs celebrating diversity
- The NFTs are still minted on the 2018 contract
- Dennison’s attempt to create a wrapper despite being a novice at Solidity adds to the story. Pride Punks is a story about following your curiosity making mistakes and rising from the ashes.
- They are on display in the HNFT Museum, cementing their legacy.
The beauty of a backstory
I’m fond of saying that the story behind any given piece of art or project is part of the appeal to me. I love to know the labor of love that goes into something and to know the life and the thought processes that a creator brings to the table. It is the only way for me to understand art in a multifaceted way.
Without knowing the backstory art can touch you on an emotional level, but when you know the story behind it, and what the artist was trying to convey it propels the experience of art appreciation into a multidimensional experience.
Pride Punks, if anything, are a labor of love and passion and the first attempt to remix an iconic project and put a stamp on diversity in Web3. And by diversity, I don’t just mean LGBTQ+ concerns, I mean diversity in general because Dennison said on many occasions Pride Punks were not exclusive to that community, but for everyone in Web3 who feels different.
As he says in his excellent interview with NFT historian Jake Gallen he no longer feels like the odd man out, the weirdest guy in the room. Pride Punks are for everyone who feels different, or who sees the world with a different lens.
Final thoughts
I hope that as time passes the historical and cultural significance of this collection gets the respect and the accolades it deserves. I own several Pride Punks and will buy more as time and funds permit. Owning a Zombie Pride Punk is on my wish list of so-called “grail” NFTs that I would probably never sell.
Thanks for reading.
Links
Pride Punks Official
NFT History Wiki
Pride Punks on OpenSea
Pride Punks on Rarible
Pride Punks Official Twitter
Pride Punks Discord
Dennison Bertram Official