We put together this non-definitive chart of projects we believe fall into the following categories: Accepted Blue Chips; Likely Blue Chips; and Blue Chip Potential.
This chart is not a ranking but more of a rubric to help you judge projects you want to invest in against. Most projects won’t be bluechips and many are likely to fail over the long run.
In addition, this chart is mostly focused on the PFP side of the market. There are many other categories (such as 1/1 art, photography, generative art, etc.) that were not included, but also may be considered blue chip.
Just to say it again, this chart is for informational purposes and 100% INCOMPLETE. I’m only analyzing a small portion of the market to help illustrate our thinking on what makes projects valuable to the market. Feel free to completely disagree with what you see here or send us suggestions for future improvements.
What are Blue Chip NFTs?
To get a better understanding of blue chip NFTs as well as each of the ranking factors, we recommend that you first read the article: What are Blue Chip NFTs?
Accepted Blue Chips
CryptoPunks
Factor: Art
Punks are the OG PFP project and NFT collection. They are among the first to use a pixel art style and have set the tone for every NFT collection that's followed them. CP are one of the most historical NFTs are will remain significant to the history of the space regardless of how the overall market is performing.
Factor: Artist
Punks were originally created by Larva Labs designers Matt Hall and John Watkinson.
Factor: Developers
Larva Labs was the first developers of Punks, but now the project is being owned and maintained by BAYC's Yuga Lab one of the most highly regarded development teams in the NFT space.
Factor: Utility
Punks being the first collection there was not a lot of specific utility built into the contract, but owning a Punk is a major signal of not only financial status, but also time in the space, commitment to collecting and as a flex to others. Owning a Punk can also provide you access with many social benefits and alpha resources.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
74.75 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
Punks have tons of celebrity and notable owners. Back in 2021 a celebrity buying a punk or BAYC was a common way to announce one's entry into the NFT space.
Factor: Community
Punks don't necessarily have a community in the same manner as other projects. They have been valued so highly that Punk owners can open many doors just based the punk in their wallet.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
CP's have tons of historical value and owning one will always been significant regardless of how the market is doing.
Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC)
Factor: Art
The art behind BAYC is highly polarizing and subject to debate. Some love it, and others hate it. They've influenced tons of other collections, and have contributed significantly to the culture of the NFT space. Regardless of your personal feelings regarding their art, they've made a huge mark on the space.
Factor: Artist
The artist behind BAYC is All-seeing Seneca, she was contracted by the Yuga team before the project launched to create the traits for the Ape's. She's not involved with Yuga as a team member but her designs tied to one of the most prized collections in the entire space.
Factor: Developers
Yuga Labs are the developments behind BAYC and they have become a major development studio and are working on The Otherside, an immersive metaverse space, for BAYC, MAYC, Koda's and NFTs from other collections. They are one of the most innovative and well-funded teams in the space and are likely to remain on the forefront of development in the the industry.
Factor: Utility
BAYC has provided a ton of utility to their holders, everything from subsequent drops (BAKC, MAYC, Otherside) to events (ApeFest) to a seat at the table of their upcoming Otherside Metaverse. That's just a small portion of the utility available to Apes from Yuga directly. Ape's have rivaled Punks as the most important NFT collection.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
80.0 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
Like Punks, Apes have many celebrity holders include Snoop Dogg and Emimen who have been integrated their apes into the music careers. Other celebrity holders include Kevin Hart, Jimmy Fallon, Shaq, and Post Malone.
Factor: Community
Ape's have a strong community and they support each other online with the hash tag #apefollowape. Many holders have been in the project since the beginning and purchased their apes from mint and plan to hold for a long time to come.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
BAYC's have made NFT projects mainstream and are now the best known collection piercing popular culture.
CLONEX
Factor: Art
CloneX's are one of the first 3D avatar projects and are often seen as the BAYC of 3D avatars.
Factor: Artist
CLONEX's were designed by RTKFT studios in conjunction with master artist Taskashi Murakami who designed several traits in the collection adding his stamp on the aesthetics and direction of the community.
Factor: Developers
RTFKT studios are another highly regarded team who's pushed the boundaries of the space with 3D wearables.
Factor: Utility
CloneX holders get access to the 3D model of their clone allowing them to use them through immersive metaverse environments. They also are eligible for additional RTFKT drops and they all come with access to a 3D Space Pod environment.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
8.49 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
Justin Bieber, Steve Aoki, Snoop Dogg, Reese Witherspoon, GaryVee.
Factor: Community
CloneX has a strong community and has some of the most technology-forward members of the NFT space as members. While other PFPs have faded from Twitter feeds CloneXs remain among collectors favorites.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
CloneX/RTFKT has pushed the technological boundaries of an NFT collection and have been leaders in creating avatars for future immersive metaverse environments.
World Of Women
Factor: Art
One of the first woman-led projects that features a female avatar in the PFP art. WoW set the tone for female-empowerment in the NFT space.
Factor: Artist
Yam Karkai is the artist behind WoW. She was looking at the early NFT space and saw an over-abundance of male PFPs and they didn't resonate with her as a woman. She wanted to create a project to uplift women in the space and around the world as well.
Factor: Developers
World Of Women Team - Contract was developed in house.
Factor: Utility
World Of Women gives full commercial rights to it's holders and also offers access to prints, giveaways, and partnerships with brands and charitable causes.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
3.32 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
Reese Witherspoon, Steve Aoki, Eva Longoria, and Shonda Rimes, Gary Vee.
Factor: Community
The premier community of women in the NFT space. The reach of WOW is international.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
Notable for being the first prominent women-created project, it's strong social mission, and bringing needed inclusivity to the space.
Doodles
Factor: Art
Doodles have a light-hearted and goofy style from the artist Burnt Toast. Doodles are one of the most sought after NFTs.
Factor: Artist
Burnt Toast (aka Scott Martin) has been creating his whimsical art style for years for many companies and agencies in campaigns, iconography, and murals.
Factor: Developers
Doodle Labs - Contract was developed in house.
Factor: Utility
Doodles holders are given access to brand expansions like Space Doodles, and are given the ability to vote on how the $5MM Doodlebank funds will be used to further develop the brand and project.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
9.99 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
Steve Aoki, Justin Beiber, Snoop Dogg, and Pranksy.
Factor: Community
The Doodles community is highly active in guiding the future of the project. They are one of the highest regarded NFT communities.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
Doodles stand out as a collection because of their commitment to building a brand that will stand the test of time in the NFT space. This is seen in their IRL events and strategic manner in which they build their brand.
Likely Bluechips
VeeFriends
Factor: Art
VeeFriend's Series 1 art are all hand-drawn doodles penned by GaryVee's own hand. Some have critiqued them as low quality, but they are in Gary's own style and having that connection to him as the project leader was important for the first Series. Later series have been redesigned by professional graphic designers and have a more commercialized cartoony feel to them.
Factor: Artist
GaryVee has gone all-in on NFTs/Web3 and launched VeeFriends based on his own doodle art style. Gary already had a massive following before joining the space and he's only grown in popularity since diving in.
Factor: Developers
VeeFriends Team.
Factor: Utility
Veefriends have some of the most advance structure of any project found in the NFT space. With over 255 unique characters, they all have unique utility in addition to rarities. Much of the utility revolves around connecting to Gary, his brand and network, but also the social community of holders around him. Holding a VeeFriend Series 1 also granted holders access to tickets to Gary's VeeCon conference.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
6.9 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
Logan Paul, Beeple, and Steve Aoki.
Factor: Community
The VeeFriends community is incredibly strong, many have been following Gary for over a decade. They are kind and giving and embody the values Gary preaches, kindness, empathy, and hard work.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
GaryVee is a huge entrepreneur, social media influencer, and very bullish on the space and technology behind it. He is an active and highly motivated founder and has an incredible track record behind him. Gary studies everything intensely and plans out his moves well in advance. If he's 1000% in on NFT based IP then it's a strong vote of confidence for his own project and the industry as a whole.
Cool Cats
Factor: Art
Cool Cats feature the cartoon "Blue Cat" created by the artist Clon. It's a simple cartoony style that has been mimicked by many other collections.
Factor: Artist
Clon has been drawing a version of Blue Cat since 2013. He has pursued his art as an unknown cartoonist for years before "blowing up" with the launch of Cool Cats.
Factor: Developers
Cool Cats Team - Contract developed in house.
Factor: Utility
Cool Cat holders get access to exclusive merch, new NFT drops including Cool Pets and preferred access to live events like Cootopia.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
3 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
Mike Tyson, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Aoki.
Factor: Community
Many Cool Cats holders have been with the project since the beginning and are part of the 2021 bull cycle. They have seen NFT projects bubble up from nothing and many are in the project for life.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
Cool Cats are an early collection launching right after BAYC and the art is beloved by the community. They remain one of the most popular PFPs seen on twitter to this day. They are very friendly to main stream audience and have great potential.
Azuki
Factor: Art
Azuki was the first anime-style PFP that jump started many similar collections.
Factor: Artist
Zagabond is one of the founders of Azuki and was involved with several prior NFT projects before launching Azuki.
Factor: Developers
Chiru Lab - Contract developed in house.
Factor: Utility
Azuki owners own full commercial rights to the IP and can develop whatever they like on top of their NFT from businesses to individual lore.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
9.38 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
N/A
Factor: Community
Azuki's community are passionate about their PFPs and the potential to utilize them in Metaverse environments and more.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
Azuki shot out of the gates and did tremendous sales volume in the first 72 hours after their launch. Additionally they have shown plans for a comprehensive brand and IP development across several verticals.
GoblinTown.wtf
Factor: Art
GoblinTown's art is messy and looks like it was actually created by a goblin. GoblinTown has become known for not only its artwork, but also its performance art seen on Twitter spaces and during NFT.NYC 2022.
Factor: Artist
GoblinTown.wtf is a project created by the team at @truth / truth labs and they have worked with a several artists to create the project art.
Factor: Developers
Truth Labs - Contract developed in house.
Factor: Utility
None has been announced by the Goblins are CC0 so holder can do whatever they like with them!
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
2.1 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
N/A
Factor: Community
No official community or discord. The Goblins move different.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
Goblintown.wft had an incredible launch despite the market cooling off, they utilized performance art in their approach and captured the attention of a market feeling the doldrums. They are run by a professional team and they have well-thought out plans for the future, plus the goblin burgers are delicious!
Moonbirds
Factor: Art
Moonbirds features a pixel art style in the vein of CP's and are one of the most valuable NFTs featuring an avian character.
Factor: Artist
This project comes from Digg founder Kevin Rose and the distinctive pixel art style was designed by team CPO Justin Mezell.
Factor: Developers
Proof Holdings Team - Contract developed in house.
Factor: Utility
The primary utility of owning a Moonbird comes from "Nesting" it aka staking the NFT. This allows holders to be given increasing rewards over time depending how long they've nested their Moonbird.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
19.4 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
Jimmy Fallon
Factor: Community
Moonbirds are able to piggyback off the existing community built around Proof Collective and use the same discord although with token gated channels.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
Moonbirds like Azuki completely took the market by storm. In addition to being helmed by Kevin Rose who has been a successful tech investor for decades they are strong in nearly every area of their project from the team to the artwork and utility.
Bluechip Potential
Coolman's Universe
Factor: Art
Coolman's Universe feature's Danny Casale's characters "Speshie" and his various forms, and friends. Danny has been animated shorts with Speshie for years before launching his project in 2021.
Factor: Artist
Danny Casale was notable as an illustrator, cartoonist, and animator on Instagram and Tiktok before he jumped into the NFT space. His animations of Speshie were beloved by millions.
Factor: Developers
Coolman's Universe Dev Team.
Factor: Utility
Coolman's Universe is an avatar project and owning a Spesh gives you access to additional drops and future projects developed by the Coolman team.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
0.2 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
N/A
Factor: Community
The community around Coolman is drawn from his fans outside of Web3. For a project with a relatively low floor price his social media presence is large with over 187k followers on twitter and nearly 29k in the project discord.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
Coolman has an established audience outside of the NFT space, as more of those fans onboard into Web3 it's likely they'll find a natural home with one of the creators they already know and love.
Alien Frens
Factor: Art
Alien Frens' art is a hand drawn style similar to Cool Cat's, the art and characters are simiply, colorful, and lovable.
Factor: Artist
Mason Crowe
Factor: Developers
Autopixel
Factor: Utility
Alien Fren's is a community project and gives holders access to new drops including their Alien Frens Evolution incubator as well as white list access to other major projects like 3Landers and Cool Pets.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
0.4 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
N/A
Factor: Community
Alien Frens has a large presence on twitter with over 136k followers and over 40k members of their community discord.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
Alien Frens is beloved by NFT industry influencers and the team behind the project has been vetted by tastemakers like Farokh of Rug Radio. Their good PR and marketing strategy have helped keep Alien Frens on our radars.
3Landers
Factor: Art
3Lander's is an avatar project was the artist Pom and has a wacky cartoon style.
Factor: Artist
Pom
Factor: Developers
OxStudio
Factor: Utility
3Lander's is an avatar project that believes in freedom and adventure. Holders can access to 3Lander Biomes land for their metaverse environment.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
0.28 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
N/A
Factor: Community
The 3Landers community has over 73k on twitter and over 29k members in their discord. They run Twitter spaces often and release a weekly newsletter via Twitter to keep the community updated.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
Like Alien Frens, 3landers are also beloved by NFT industry taste makers. Part of the appeal is the unique PFP design and that it's an artist led project.
Psychedelics Anonymous
Factor: Art
Uses 3D art with elaborate patterns, colors, and shapes. It's futuristic and inspired by cyberpunk and post-modern themes.
Factor: Artist
Voltura and team were one of the first projects to engineer a massive following using White Games and mystery around the project launch.
Factor: Developers
Voltura Labs
Factor: Utility
PA promises to be an NFT experience company and wants to support medical research into psychedelics as therapy for mental health disorders like depression and PTSD. There are still a lot of unknowns regarding their utility.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
1.1 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
N/A
Factor: Community
The PA community is at 158k on Twitter and over 40k in discord.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
Psychedelics Anonymous made a splash in the NFT space by doing things differently. The team is regarded as intelligent and committed to the values of decentralization and anonymity.
MFers
Factor: Art
MFer's have a simple inked doodle style from the artist/twitter personality Sartoshi and the "Are You Winning Son?" meme format.
Factor: Artist
Sartoshi has been a Twitter personality who became popular with sarcastic and shitpost tweets directed at the community during the NFT bull market. Sartoshi doesn't want NFTs to lose their decentralized open nature and MFers were created with those values in mind.
Factor: Developers
Sartoshi
Factor: Utility
No Utility, No Roadmap.... just vibes.
Factor: Floor Price (August 2022)
1.29 ETH
Factor: Celebrity Endorsements
Doesn't matter 1 MFer = 1 MFer.
Factor: Community
The MFer community is in charge and Sartoshi has left the project entirely in their hands. If MFers succeed, it's an amazing sign for fully decentralized communities.
Factor: Why It's Ranked Here
MFers have cultural significance deriving from Sartoshi's stance on the space and their hands-off and egalitarian approach to the project and community.
