10 Oldest NFT Projects Created

NFTs are non-fungible tokens that have revolutionised the way we understand digital ownership. It allows a unique way to buy, sell, and trade digital assets.

Now most of us may know NFT projects as artworks, but there are many other types of NFTs like music and virtual real estate that people can own. Making these digital assets available to the consumer base has made a profound impact on various industries.

Here’s a look at the ten oldest NFT projects that have shaped the NFT ecosystem.

Oldest NFT projects

Although NFTs are quite new to the digital ownership landscape, it has made strides in how we perceive digital assets and their ownership. Now, we can easily buy, sell, and trade NFT projects whether they’re artworks, music, or digital real estate.

Let’s take a look at some of the first NFT projects that pioneered this movement.

10. The Hashmasks

Photo credits: Upside

Launched in 2021, this NFT project is fairly new when compared to the rest of the projects on this list. But, it deserves a special mention for its innovative approach to NFTs.

The Hashmasks is a collection of 16,384 unique digital artworks created by over 70 artists. Each Hashmask is an NFT with customizable features that allow owners to influence how the artwork appears. It is a blend of art and interactive elements, making it an exciting project to be a part of.

9. Async Art

Photo credits: NFT Now

Launched in January 2020, Async Art is a platform that allows artists to create and sell programmable and interactive digital art. Each part of an artwork in this project can be represented as an NFT.

Owners of these layers can then make changes to their part, affecting the overall appearance of the artwork. This paves the way for a dynamic and evolving art experience.

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8. Autoglyphs

Photo credits: Rarible

Launched in November 2019 by Larva Labs, Autoglyphs expands on the ideas introduced by CryptoPunks. It is a generative art project. Each Autoglyph is a unique piece of generative art, created algorithmically and stored directly on the Ethereum blockchain.

Unlike many other NFT projects, the algorithm behind Autoglyphs ensures that each piece is one-of-a-kind, blending art and technology in a novel way.

7. Zed Run

Photo credits: NFT Plazas

Introduced by Virtually Human Studio in 2018, Zed Run is a horse-racing game. It is blockchain-based and players can buy, breed, and race virtual horses. These horses are the NFTs here. This is an early example of combining NFTs with gaming and simulation. Each horse has its own unique characteristics and attributes.

6. Cryptokitties

Photo credits: Consensys

Launched only in November of 2017, Cryptokitties was quick to become one of the most famous NFT projects. Developed by Axiom Zen, this game allows players to collect, breed, and trade virtual cats.

Like Zed Run, each cat has its own unique attributes and traits. However, the NFT here is the trait itself. These traits and attributes are encoded in the Ethereum blockchain, making it another example of the innovative nature of digital ownership and gaming.

5. CryptoPunks

Photo credits: Christie’s

An earlier project by Larva Labs, CryptoPunks was launched in June 2017. It is one of the earliest and most iconic NFT projects to exist. Created by Matt Hall and John Watkinson, CryptoPunks features 10,000 unique 24×24 pixel art characters generated algorithmically.

These collectible avatars were among the first to be minted on the Ethereum blockchain, setting a standard for digital collectibles and paving the way for other NFT projects.

4. CurioCards

Photo credits: NFT Now

CurioCards was one of the first projects to use NFTs for digital art. Launched in May 2017 by artist Benitic and developers, it consists of a series of collectible digital artworks, each represented as a unique token on the Ethereum blockchain.

3. Decentraland

Photo credits: metamandrill.com

Decentraland, founded in 2017 by Ari Meilich and Esteban Ordano, is a virtual reality platform built on the Ethereum blockchain. In Decentraland, users can buy, sell, and develop virtual land parcels. These land parcels represent NFTs.

This was one of the first projects to explore the concept of virtual real estate while also combining gaming and blockchain technology.

2. Rare Pepes

Photo credits: Right Click Save

Rare Pepes is an early example of digital art collectibles. Inspired by the popular Pepe the Frog meme, Rare Pepes are a series of limited-edition digital trading cards created by various artists.

The project was initially hosted on the Counterparty platform, a Bitcoin-based system for creating and trading digital assets, and is considered one of the precursors to modern NFT culture. This kickstart to a new kind of NFT culture was developed in 2016.

1. Etheria

Photo credits: Encantadia Wiki

This is the oldest NFT project to exist. Etheria, created by Philip Rosedale and launched in 2015, is one of the first examples of NFTs used to represent virtual land. The project allows users to buy and trade hexagonal plots of virtual land on the Ethereum blockchain. Etheria’s approach to virtual property and land ownership was ahead of its time and contributed to the development of virtual worlds and metaverses.

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Conclusion

The first NFT project was developed and launched in 2015. While that may not seem that long ago, in 9 years, the NFT landscape has evolved immeasurably thanks to the developers who worked on the projects mentioned in this article. Without projects like Etheria, Cryptokitties and Rare Pepes, we would not have this diverse culture of NFTs where people can own and sell digital assets in the form of collectibles, artworks, and virtual real estate.