A collection of NFTs featuring anthropomorphic deer has netted its creator nearly $600,000 within hours of it being minted.<\/p>\n
In March, Welsh artist Ashley Crossland dropped 7,200 of his Stag Alliance NFTs, a series he\u2019d spent thousands of hours creating outside of his design agency day job. Each deer has a name and is built out of more than 400 traits from epic fantasy to steampunk to, well, outright silly\u2014Bluedew of Domence appears dressed as a Victorian gentleman with horns aglow and Lilac Larry like some surfer dude on a woodland retreat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI chose the stag because of its strong, positive connotations in many cultures around the world,\u201d Crossland told Artnet News. \u201cThe traits reflect on cultures from many parts of history and culture. The juxtapositions represent the wild and unpredictable nature of the NFT space.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a few hours, the NFTs, which are Cardano-based and each cost about $85 to mint, had sold out, with secondary sales now pushing the floor price to around $140.<\/p>\n
King Cunning is one of more than 7,000 humanoid deer. Photo courtesy Ashley Crossland.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Crossland became enamored with the NFT space during the pandemic and began collecting in 2020. His deer sketches were received positively online, but he wanted to world-build rather than just mint and so partnered with Jimmi Sandham, a friend from university, who has created a whole mythical universe, Elderworld. \u201cThe lore gives all the characters meaning and this improves their collectability,\u201d Crossland said.<\/p>\n
In short, Elderworld imagines a herd of deer placed on earth in 2519 B.C.E. by a mad sorceress. In her bid to take earth from humans, the deer are blessed with supreme magic, wisdom, and artifacts from across the ages. War duly ensues between the Stag Alliance and humans who see the devil at work in their horned adversaries.<\/p>\n
![\"Stag](\"https:\/\/news.artnet.com\/app\/news-upload\/2023\/06\/Game-Mobile-Preview-1024x819.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCrossland and his team are developing a full gamified experience for collectors, including on mobile. Photo courtesy Ashley Crossland.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It is the thoroughness of the project\u2019s story building that seems to have piqued the interest of collectors. The hope is to reach beyond the silo of NFT collectors<\/a> and connect with fans of fantasy, in part through publishing stories on Amazon and Apple, including audio versions for the reading averse.<\/p>\n Despite the project\u2019s early success, Stag Alliance is wary of some of the trappings of other large-scale collectible projects, such as creating connected tokens, offering incentives for collectors to hold NFTs, and artificially inflating the value of an NFT collection, a tactic called floor sweeping.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want people to hold and use our NFTs,\u201d Stag Alliance wrote on a webpage<\/a> explaining its market ethos. \u201cWe\u2019re focusing on true demand, not superficial and unsustainable or illogical value.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n More Trending Stories:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n London\u2019s National Portrait Gallery Responds to Rumors That Kate Middleton Pressured It to Remove a Portrait of Princes William and Harry<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n French Archaeologists Decry the Loss of 7,000-Year-Old Standing Stones on a Site That Was \u2018Destroyed\u2019 to Make Way for a DIY Store<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Excavations at an Ancient Roman Fort in Spain Have Turned Up a 2,000-Year-Old Rock Carved With a Human Face and Phallus<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Looking for an Art Excursion in New York This Summer? Here Are Four Perfect Itineraries That Combine Nature and Culture<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Art Buyers Stopping Off in Zurich on Their Way to Art Basel Found Heady Exhibitions and a Market in Transition: It\u2019s Now a Buyer\u2019s Game<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Researchers Find a Megalodon Tooth Necklace in the Titanic Wreckage\u2014But the Rare Object Will Probably Have to Stay at the Bottom of the Sea<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Archaeologists in Peru Used A.I. to Discover Ancient Geoglyphs of Killer Whales, Two-Headed Snakes, and Other Creatures Carved Into Land<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Is Time Travel Real? Here Are 6 Tantalizing Pieces of Evidence From Art History<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n