The 2024 OG NFT Comeback

TL;DR
Several OG NFT collections that had been out of the spotlight now appear to be making comebacks, with prices moving up and attention returning. This includes well known Web3 names Meebits, Moonbirds, Rektguy, Sappy Seals, Creepz, World of Women, and Imaginary Ones, while in the NFT art space, there was a huge sale involving a set of items from the Autoglyphs collection.

Are we in line for an OG NFT comeback? Since the euphoria of 2021/22, many major projects slipped out of the spotlight, and what’s more, newer projects have come along and grabbed everyone’s attention. However, this month has seen some sharp upticks in price on veteran collections, and with bullish sentiment growing across the crypto space, sustained comebacks now look possible.

What Are the Top NFT Comebacks?

While Bitcoin Ordinals are a hub of activity, and Solana looks primed, it’s on Ethereum that we can find older collections making moves (since Ethereum dominated the early NFT space, and back then, Ordinals didn’t yet exist), so here are some Ethereum-based collections of interest.

Meebits

As well-credentialed a collection as you could hope for, Meebits was the work of CryptoPunks creators Larva Labs in May 2021. It’s a collection of 20,000 3D voxel avatars, which rode high on the metaverse hype that coincided with the crypto bull market peak at the end of 2021.

Meebits–along, at the same time, as CryptoPunks–was subsequently acquired by Yuga Labs in 2022, but remains highly collectible in its own right due to its prominence in the (still very brief) history of NFTs.

Moonbirds

Last week, it was announced that Yuga Labs is acquiring Kevin Rose’s Web3 project Proof, which includes within it the Moonbirds PFP collection. This provoked a mixed reaction, but still, at the time of writing, Moonbirds has registered substantial increases in price and volume.

Whether this run is sustainable depends on what Yuga has planned for the pixelated owls, and it should also be noted that there has been some controversy around price action, since the Moonbirds prices and volume started rising prior to the official acquisition announcement.

Rektguy

A CC0 mint in May 2022, and sitting somewhere between PFPs and an art collection, Rektguy is closely tied in with the FOMO-fuelled excesses of bull market crypto culture, and its value comes partly from being an unabashed product of a uniquely crazy period, along with the fact that it was co-created by influential Web3 figures Mando and OSF, of Canary Labs, together with well-respected artist AlienQueen.

Rektguy holders found out recently that they’re eligible for the SyncusDAO airdrop, and have a chance at accessing an incoming new NFT drop from OSF, while there is also a physical product on the way, with Rekt Drinks launching soon.

Sappy Seals

This seal-centered PFP collection, which dates back to September 2021, has registered major price increases over the past week, while its associated token, PIXL (which is part of the project’s Pixlverse gaming and metaverse development), has also made significant gains.

As for why the Seals have been on the up, one reason is the current trend for new tokens to provide allocations to selected NFT collections, which meant Seals holders were given access to airdrops from Starknet, SyncusDAO, The Arena, and Arcade.

It’s also worth noting though, that to be in a position to receive these kinds of token rewards, Sappy Seals needed its own solid reputation and strong community.

Creepz

The Creepz project has a lot in its favor, including gaming partnerships with Immutable and Revolving Games, an in-production animation, an apparel brand and, critically, a loyal community. It’s also established the kind of ecosystem that always generates impeccable vibes, which can be a valuable attribute.

However, what appears to have kicked off recent price gains is the prospect of eligibility for an incoming airdrop from gaming platform Portal, which is being developed by the creators of Creepz: a group called SuperDuper, although a Creepz allocation has yet to be confirmed.

World of Women

Launched in July 2021, World of Women was designed by artist Yam Karkai, with a second collection, World of Women Galaxy, launched in March 2022. Having soared in the bull market but experienced a steep correction in 2023, the project remained busy throughout, launching community platform Patio, and from there, floor prices have now picked up.

This may partly be down to the collection’s status as a dominant early mover, but also, holders this month received tickets to a Gala event in Paris (the project’s second such get-together), at which newly launched, NFC-integrated bracelets were gifted to attendees.

Imaginary Ones

A couple of NFT styles popular in 2021/22 were primary-colored cuteness, and looped animations of characters walking, and Imaginary Ones managed to include both of these features, while bringing in a big name partnership with Hugo Boss back in 2022.

Imaginary Ones’ recent gains appear to stem from the upcoming planned airdrop of the project’s BUBBLE token, and there’s also a new partnership with the above-mentioned and much-hyped Portal.

And Not a Comeback, but… Autoglyphs

This one is different, firstly because it’s a landmark generative art project, and also because it’s consistently maintained a high floor price. It’s not a comeback, but Autoglyphs is mentioned because recently there was a huge OTC sale that brought to mind NFTs in 2021-style WAGMI mode, and which looks positive for the entire space.

The Autoglyphs collection was created in 2019 by Larva Labs, and last week a set of ten items was sold for an incredible 5,000 ETH (around $14.5 million), to an anonymous collector from the traditional art world. And immediately after that–perhaps giving a useful signal about which NFTs to hold for the future–the seller then purchased three CryptoPunks and 32 Meebits.

Overall then, with the market picking up, it looks like there are some veteran projects that are well prepared to make their presence felt again.