This article was originally written in January 2022 and updated on June 2023.
A 1/1 NFT is a way to describe digital objects that only have one copy in existence. Imagine the process of creating an item in the physical world, like a book, where there will be a number of copies in existence. NFT technology offers the possibility to create multiple copies or editions of the same artwork. A 1/1 NFT means it is the only one in existence, and there is only one owner.
Keep in mind there are collections (particularly important in generative art) where the pieces are also 1/1, but they are in batches by an algorithm. In that particular cases, those pieces are called 1/1/x (where the x depends on the collection size).
So, in summary, 1/1 NFTs are the rarest NFTs that exist, just because they are very scarce.
Since it is the #OneOfOne (1/1) month on Tezos, I thought it made sense to research and find iconic 1/1s in this blockchain. This isn’t a ranking, and I’m sure I missed many amazing pieces.
To create this list, I looked at the early minted pieces on the Tezos blockchain and talked to many active collectors and artists. Additionally, I checked the market for sales, offers, and potential future value. I also ignored big collections (like long-form 100+ collections on FxHash or PFPs) because I wanted to focus on rarer and unique pieces.
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Zancan is the top-selling artist in the Tezos blockchain. I had the chance to interview him, you can read it here.
Luckily, he has been slowly releasing 1/1s under the Lushtemples collection like A broad conversation in time, Vantage points — Monument edition.
Lushtemples — Highlights of the Hike by Zancan
Mario Klingemann aka Quasimondo is one of the artists that sparked the hic et nunc phenomenon. He is known for his AI works. Ornamism is his first minted piece (1st of March 2021) and object #167 on Tezos. By the way, there are multiple 1/1s from Mario from March 2021 that are very iconic too like Neural Studies: The Examiners.
Ornamism 2021 | Sketch #001 by Mario Klingemann
“Cuando olvido mi cuerpo mis pensamientos tan rápido solo encuentro refugio en la belleza de los árboles.”
A01 has the highest offer in the whole Objkt.com market, a whopping 38k Tezos ($54k), but it has been ignored by the collector until now. How much could it be worth?
I mentioned John Karel when I wrote about the top-selling artists on the Tezos blockchain. His “Window Still Life” series is a Tezos classic with just a few 1/1s (most are multi-edition).
Other window 1/1s are Window Still Life 038, Window Still Life 058, and Window Still Life 069.
Window Still Life 012 by John Karel
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Jenni is one of those artists that has mastered AI and her “AI” series is a delight for those that love mixing human creativity with adversarial networks. This series features only 1/1s and there are over 100 pieces in there.
I had the chance to chat with Jenni, read it here.
Adam Disbrow aka AD_AD is an expressionist painter who is another talented artist that minted very early on the Tezos blockchain. His piece FACES/PHASES - 5 was minted 20th of May 2021 and is one of the first times you could see his trademark golden square in an NFT.
FACES/PHASES - 5 by Adam Disbrow
“Handmade, no rulers”. You better zoom in to appreciate the small details in this amazing piece. Read more about Tim here.
Library Of Babel's Missing Links (or) Voids Of Entry by Tim Maxwell
Ganbrood is one of the first artists to experiment with GANs and mint his works on the Tezos blockchain. Purgatorio is a collage made with bigGAN that originally had 12 editions. Besides Purgatorio, Ganbrood has created other iconic 1/1s like the Collaborationist (recently sold for 6k Tezos).
This piece is part of the first collection Iskra minted in the Tezos blockchain in March 2021. It is called Generative Nature and it consists of 10 limited editions that share the same algorithmic structure.
no name VIII by Iskra Velitchkova
This one is a collaboration by two hic et nunc OGs. David is an oil painter while Von Doyle uses AI to modify historical creations. I think the combination, done in June 2021, is one of the most iconic pieces on Tezos.
Thinker in the Forest of Digital Dreams
Interestingly, the 1/1 format isn’t as popular as others.
In my opinion, it could be because other formats (like gen art long form collections or pfps) attract multiple collectors that keep the momentum going. Nevertheless, 1/1s are much more unique and rare.
As I said earlier, this isn’t a ranking and I’m sure I missed some amazing pieces. I’d love to hear your favorite 1/1s in the comments.
Until next time,
- Kaloh
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