Natively Digital: Sotherby’s Announce Ordinal Curated Sale

Sotheby’s, the renowned art auction firm, is once again at the forefront of putting Web in the spotlight with its ongoing auction, “Natively Digital: An Ordinals Curated Sale,” featuring a diverse collection of nineteen unique pieces from Bitcoin Ordinals. The auction, set to conclude on January 22 at 2:00 p.m. ET, showcases the explosive growth of Ordinals within the Bitcoin ecosystem over the past year.

The auction’s first edition in December 2023, featuring the BitcoinShrooms collection, was a resounding success, fetching $450,850, five times higher than the combined estimate for the three items.

What’s going under the hammer?

Shroomtoshi, a pioneering artist in the Bitcoin Ordinals space, appears as Lot #1 in the auction with “Inscription 21.” This unique piece directly references the symbolic number in Bitcoin culture—21 million, the total supply of Bitcoins. Shroomtoshi’s work serves as both a conceptual testament and a testament to the early days of the Bitcoin renaissance. Shroomtoshi’s “Inscription #80.”

Nullish, a digital artist and developer, is featured twice in the sale. The first, “Antimatter #4: Plasma Square, Inscription 9980.” is part of a hand-typed generative art collection exploring the abstract concept of antimatter through visual chaos, offering a hypnotic and vibrant experience. Nullish’s second piece is Lot #9 in the sale, and is a piece that holds a special historical provenance as it features “Block 9, ed. 8/9.” Block 9 is a series of nine artworks, each uniquely inscribed on satoshis mined by none other than Bitcoin’s mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, on January 9, 2009. This collection offers a tangible connection to the genesis of Bitcoin, creating a bridge between the past and the present.

FAR, in collaboration with Taproot Wizards, introduces “Genesis Cat,” a 1/1 artwork within the Quantum Cats collection. This piece marks a historic moment as the first public collection by Taproot Wizards, with the Genesis Cat being the only 1/1 artwork within the Quantum Cat collection; described as “3333 playful cats that will evolve alongside the Bitcoin protocol itself.”

The auction also features the work of Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, known for their groundbreaking contribution to NFTs in 2014. “Brancher,” a constantly forking growth algorithm, exemplifies their unique approach to digital art, creating organic images that evolve from chaos to complexity.

Des Lucréce’s “Benediction from Between Worlds” explores the artist’s heritage and beliefs against the backdrop of personal struggles and the historical journey of Vietnamese Catholicism. This contemplative piece offers a unique perspective on cultural intertwining.

In a surprising move, Sotheby’s introduces three rare satoshis for sale, adding a layer of uniqueness and rarity to the auction. The concept of rare sats transforms ordinary satoshis into collectible, historical artifacts, creating a new avenue for collectors within the Bitcoin ecosystem.

The Sat Republic team, partnering with Sotheby’s, educates experts on rare sats, offering insight into their historical significance. The inclusion of rare satoshis, such as the Black Rare and Rodarmor Rare Sat, adds a numismatic dimension to the auction, attracting collectors with an interest in the historical evolution of Bitcoin.

Other lots in the sale include pieces from Claudia Hart, Ana Maria Caballero, XCPinata, Asprey Studio, Rudxane, Popoki, and NodeMonkes.