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The Street
The Street
Business
Colette Bennett

Can Bill Murray's NFT Art Help Launch Coinbase's NFT Marketplace?

If you're a person who doesn't understand why NFTs are such big deal right now you can actually buy them from vending machines, you are not alone. 

It can be pretty confusing even if you've been a collector for a long time, whether your collectible of choice is stamps, coins, or Beanie Babies. Because at least when our hobbies got started, you got a physical item for what you paid money for.

Non fungible tokens, or NFTs, are a way of owning a piece of digital content, be that a photo or a gif. 

But to some that's not a very appealing idea. However, some folks that want to get in on the NFT market are thinking of ways to make their offerings more appealing for those of us who aren't thrilled by the idea of being the sole owner of some random meme.

Take Bill Murray, who has always had just the right sense of humor about everything from otherworldly deities to groundhogs. 

Not to mention mad hipster street cred from his frequent pairing with indie darling Wes Anderson.

The seasoned actor has decided to collaborate with The Chive on a special NFT project that will look back on his storied career in a special way. 

But those who decide to buy into it will get something much, much cooler than a digital file: A peek into bits of Murray's life.

Why Bill Murray's NFTs are not a waste of money

Yeah, I said it. 

Most NFTs are a weird ploy to convince you that you need to spend money on something that doesn't actually exist — depending on your concept of existence, that is — and I'm pretty sure in a few years we're all going to look back on this era and cringe. 

That said, buying an NFT from the Official Bill Murray NFT 1000 actually seems worthwhile. 

They do come with digital artwork from artist David Grizzle, so there's the NFT aspect. I'm sure it'll be good art, especially since Grizzle has depicted Murray many times before.

But truthfully, the great thing here is not the NFT itself, but what it comes with. Per The Chive:

"Not all the stories Bill treasures most are about his films. And it occurred to me that we love Bill Murray as much as a person as much as we love him as a movie star. He’s the everyman’s celebrity. He doesn’t sell the tequila, he pours it."

That's Murray, all right. And each of the NFTs in the collection will contain a specialty pour from the man himself, ranging from celebrity encounters to his personal quirks and hobbies. 

If that's not the most enticing offer since Peter Venkman faced off against Zuul atop a New York skyscraper, I'm not sure what is.

The Chive has a longstanding friendship with Murray, even going as far as to launch Project Venkman with him in the past, an e-commerce business aimed at modernizing loyalty point models using blockchain and NFT technology.

The Official Bill Murray NFT 1000 collection will also be one of the first to debut on Coinbase's COIN upcoming NFT marketplace, and the first token that goes up for auction will be donated to charity. 

So if you're looking for something cool to collect, it may as well be a story from the life of a pretty fascinating human. 

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