Allll this hype will eventually settle. You will have a handful of collections worth a damn, and the rest will slowly bitrot away to nothing in ledgers stuffed in sock drawers, like beanie babies in the attic.

I have no problem with their use as vinyl figures, it just sad and confusing to people when they are also used as deeds to 1of1 pieces of art. Its not the notable artist who wins, its the “vinyl figure” gallery who was lent their name to then going back to selling beanie babies in the next show who won. And it’s not as if they had this notable artist make a limited run of vinyl figures separate from their main portfolio. They are convincing them to showcase their main portfolios of 1of1 physical works in the same space that next week is selling Pokémon cards.

OH let's also dispense with this idea that provenance is the only important thing. "Owning" a collectible is more than a receipt proving you paid money.

When you own a collectible, it has physicality, weight, presence. You put it on a shelf. People must be guests in order to view it. Part of its rarity is that anyone on the street who wants to even see it SIMPLY CAN'T. Right-clicking is an effective meme, because it lays bare the fact that experiencing an NFT is not an exclusive privilege -- anyone can have the *exact* same experience as the owner just by opening a browser in their underwear.