Polygon now hosts NFTs, which may be purchased on eBay’s Web2 platform. With digital hockey collectibles, the e-commerce titan is testing the NFT waters.
Digital collectibles featuring hockey star Wayne Gretzky will be the first NFTs on eBay. Gretzky, 61, is widely regarded as the best player of all time, having played in the NHL for three decades and winning four Stanley Cups. The Gretzky NFTs, which are one-of-a-kind Ethereum sidechain tokens that represent ownership, were created in collaboration with Sports Illustrated and the NFT platform OneOf.
There are 13 different versions of NFTs, ranging in price from $10 to $1,500, each of which is a 3D recreation of a younger Gretzky in various stances, comparable to an action figure. Gretzky’s digitized autograph can be found on several of the NFTs.
In a statement, Gretzky stated, “Forty years ago, I was grateful to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated; it was a monumental moment in my life,” “I’m honored to bring this collectible experience to my hockey fans who have followed my career for decades.”
However, OneOf has already faced backlash for introducing the NFTs on Polygon rather than the Tezos blockchain.
“OneOf believes the future is multi-chain and we made the decision to go with Polygon on the initial Sports Illustrated drops (Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, and Dick Butkus) to build a bigger tent and bring new users into the OneOf ecosystem,”
After the Gretzky launch, eBay announced that it would continue its push into NFTs with digital reinterpretations of several Sports Illustrated covers later this year.
From NBA Top Shot to Tom Brady’s Autograph, many in the sports business have become early adopters of crypto and NFTs. Despite the current backlash and market dip, the crypto industry does not appear to be losing interest.
Along with most other NFTs, which are normally offered in exchange for other cryptocurrencies, such as Ethereum, the Genesis NFTs on eBay are sold in US dollars. Additionally, the sales will take place via eBay’s Web2 platform rather than on-chain, and the assets will be handed to their respective buyers via a redemption code issued via chat and email.
Dawn Block, eBay’s vice president of collectibles, electronics, and home, spoke of the company’s first NFT drop:
“NFTs and blockchain technology are revolutionizing the collectibles space, and are increasingly viewed as an investment opportunity for enthusiasts. Through our partnership with OneOf, eBay is now making coveted NFTs more accessible to a new generation of collectors everywhere. This builds upon our commitment to deliver high-passion, high-value items to the eBay community of buyers and sellers.”
The NFTs will be hosted on the Ethereum scaling solution Polygon and accessible for resale on the OneOf marketplace, according to eBay’s collection description. At the time of publication, eight of the fifteen diamond-tiered NFTs had been sold.
