XCOPY is one of the most enigmatic and talented digital artists in web3. And while little is known about XCOPY's personal life with the exception of his London roots, his works are highly sought after and have generated multiple seven-figure sales. Below, we'll delve into XCOPY's history and some of his most populart artworks.
Who Is XCOPY?
XCOPY is one of the most notable digital artists in web3. He has been producing work online in some capacity since 2010, starting with a humble Tumblr blog on which he posted GIFs and other experimental art, many of which resemble his present day works that have elements of darkness with intricate patterns and shapes. As he continued to explore producing art online, XCOPY discovered cryptoart and the rest is history.
In an editorial feature, XCOPY told SuperRare about his beginnings, "I got lucky. Late 2017, I bought some bitcoin and fell down the crypto rabbit hole. Soon after that I discovered Ascribe.io which was using Bitcoin to create digital editions. I started selling these for a couple of bucks through twitter and geeking out with other nerds. In early 2018 I ended up beta testing what became SuperRare."
Since that time, his legend has grown to epic proportions, cementing him as one of the top NFT artists of all-time.
XCOPY's Most Notable Artworks
XCOPY has sold more than 9,500 pieces of art on-chain and his collection is valued at more than more than $61 million according to cryptoart.io. Below we'll walk through some of his top sales and most notable collections.
A Coin for the Ferryman
Minted in 2018, "A Coin for the Ferryman" was among XCOPY's first pieces minted on SuperRare, which was just an experimental decentralized application (dAPP) at the time. After minting in Apr. 2018, it would be four more months before XCOPY acceted a bid of 0.5 ETH, approximately $137 on the day of the transaction.
Fast forward a few years and the piece most recently sold for 1,300 ETH or $6 million in Nov. 2021.
Death Dip
Minted just four minutes after "A Coin for the Ferryman," Death Dip was actually the first XCOPY piece to generate a sale of more than 1,000 ETH on SuperRare, breaking the all-time sales high at the time.
The piece originally sold for $400 less than two weeks after its mint date and the original purchaser, "jmahhh" held three long years, reselling to Punk 4156 for $1.7 million in early 2021.
All Time High in the City
In USD denomination one of XCOPY's highest ever sale was on "All Time High in the City." The piece was minted on the same day as the aforementioned pieces and first sold for 0.5 ETH in Nov. 2021 when XCOPY accepted an offer on the NFT.
In early 2022 the piece resold for 1,600 ETH or $6.1 million.
Right-click and Save As guy
"I can just right-click and save as," is a popular jab at NFTs and digital art from those that dispute the importance of verified ownership...and XCOPY of course leaned into the saying for one of his most memorable pieces. It was another one of his 2018 mints, which first sold for $90, only to later be resold for $7 million or 1,700 ETH.
Summer.jpg
Minted amidst NFT hysteria during the summer of 2021, XCOPY sold this piece into to Punk6529's collection for 336.529 ETH more than $830,000 at the time of sale. It's now become one of his most iconic works, highlighted in part thanks to the "WAGMI" inscription on the champagne bottle.
Grifters
Not all XCOPY's are 1:1s. Though perhaps not intended for PFP use, XCOPY joined the game with his Grifters drop on AysncArt. The collection of 666 NFTs boasts a familiar XCOPY style, with each depicting a slightly different "grifter" face. The project has quickly blossomed to a floor well above 10 ETH.
MAX PAIN AND FRENS
Prices on XCOPY NFTs have become unattainable for most people, but in 2022 XCOPY released an open edition with Nifty Gateway allowing any person to mint as many MAX PAIN AND FRENS NFTs as they wished for 1 ETH. The timed open edition sold nearly 7,500 NFTs and now holds a floor price of 0.89 ETH, the cheapest entry point for a true XCOPY that was not built in collaboration with another project or artist.
XCOPY Goes CC0
Lots of other artists may be tempted to highly gatekeep their art and IP, but in 2022 XCOPY made all his non-collabortive works CC0, meaning anyone in the public domain could use his work in their own works. The annoucement came exactly one year after XCOPY minted his Summer.jpg NFT and came during a time where licensing debates were at the forefront of the NFT discourse.
An artist applying CC0 licensing to their work waives "copyright and related rights in their works to the fullest extent allowed by law," according to CreativeCommons.org.
Learn More About XCOPY
XCOPY is a truly unique and talented artist who has made a huge impact on the world of NFT art. His intricate and visually stunning pieces have captivated audiences around the world, and his mystery and intrigue have only added to his appeal. To learn more about him and explore his works, visit the following links:
