Namecoin NFT Directory
Last updated: March 2022 | By CatDad
What is Namecoin?
Namecoin is the first known implementation of non-fungible tokens on a blockchain. It forked from Bitcoin on April 17, 2011 as the first altcoin ever created.
Originally conceptualized as BitDNS in 2010, it was discussed by Satoshi Nakamoto and Hal Finney on BitcoinTalk forums. In June 2013, NameID launched, producing "the first 'NFTs' to exist on a blockchain."
The Ethereum Whitepaper itself references Namecoin as an example of non-fungible digital assets, establishing its place in the intellectual lineage of all NFTs that followed.
Resources
Marketplaces
- OpenSea (via Emblem Vault) — multiple collections available:
- SouthXchange and Coinex — for trading $NMC tokens
Community
Twitter: @namecoin, @Eggs_Namecoin, @Eggs_Sales, @EmblemVaultBot, @PunyCodes2011, @HistoricDomains
Discord: Twitter Eggs, Punycodes, Historical Domains
DAOs: EggsDAO — Twitter | Medium | Wallet
Forums: Reddit | Forum.Namecoin.info
Information & Research
Directories:
- Twitter Eggs Directory — comprehensive Twitter Eggs documentation
- Blockheads Directory — catalog of early OneName profile tokens
- Namecoin Image Explorer (PowerBI) — visual data exploration
- Namecoin.org
- Wikipedia
- Namecoin PFP Emblem Vault Metadata
- HistoricalDomains.io — directory of historically significant Namecoin domains
Wallets:
- Electrum NMC — for managing Namecoin assets
Other Websites:
GitHub:
Technical Tools
Trading Activity:
Tools & Analytics:
- Namecoin on Coingecko.com
- Twitter Eggs (EggMuseum)
- Namecoin Block Explorer (Namebrow) — Namecoin browser
- Namecoin Block Explorer (TokenView) — block explorer
- Namecoin Block Explorer (CryptoID) — block explorer
- Simple CURL HTTP Header Request, URL Test Tool
- Punycode Converter (d/)
How-To Writeups
- Trading Namecoin Crypto, NFTs & dot-bit addresses on Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) Networks
- How To Check A Namecoin Emblem Vault NFT
- How to use Namecoin explorer to upgrade links to IPFS
- What are Punycodes?
FAQs
Academic Research
Twitter Threads:
- @WhiteRabit1111 on Twitter Eggs (8/26/21)
- @nishseq Video on Twitter Eggs (9/19/21)
- @KlauStortebeker on Twitter Eggs & Blockhead (9/20/21)
- @WhiteRabit1111 on Twitter Eggs (10/20/21)
- @jakegallen_ on Twitter Eggs (11/24/21)
- @Devotedwear on Punycodes (1/16/22)
Namecoin and Satoshi Nakamoto, Vitalik, & Academic Studies:
- BitDNS and Generalizing Bitcoin (December 2010) — Princeton research paper on Namecoin (2015)
- Ethereum Whitepaper calls Namecoin Domains Non-Fungible Assets — references Namecoin as a non-fungible asset system
- An empirical study of Namecoin and lessons for decentralized namespace design (2015) — academic analysis of the Namecoin system
Notable Collections
.bit Domains (2011)
The first non-fungible collection on any blockchain. Over 11,000 .bit domain registrations, with the earliest dating to 2011.
Twitter Eggs (2014-2015)
277 Namecoin-registered assets representing Twitter profile information. Among the earliest profile-picture-adjacent NFTs on any blockchain. The Dark Green Egg holds the highest sale record at 80 ETH.
Blockheads (2014-2015)
Tokenized profile pictures from the OneName app — proto-PFPs that predated the concept by half a decade.
PunyCodes (2011-2017)
3,255 tokens using Punycode encoding on Namecoin, with claims to being the first on-chain art. Premium ratio of 150x-200x over floor.
Manga Avatars
Japanese-style character avatars registered on Namecoin, bridging Eastern and Western crypto art cultures.
Press Coverage
The significance of Namecoin's role in NFT history has been covered across major outlets:
- FastCompany (5/8/14): "How Anil Dash And Kevin McCoy Think They Can (Almost) Eradicate Fake Digital Art"
- TechCrunch (5/9/14): "Monegraph Uses Bitcoin Tech So Internet Artists Can Establish 'Original' Copies Of Their Work"
- Twirpz (6/1/15): "EGG TIMER: THE HISTORY OF TWITTER'S DEFAULT PROFILE PIC"
- Twitter (3/31/17): "Rethinking our default profile photo"
- TheAtlantic (4/2/21): "NFTs Weren't Supposed to End Like This"
- TheNationalNews (6/6/21): "Sotheby's auctioning Kevin McCoy's 'Quantum' -- first NFT ever made"
- HyperAllergic (6/10/21): "'First Ever NFT' Sells for $1.4 Million"
- DigitalJournal (11/11/21): "NFT Collectors Discover 'Ultra-Rare' NFTs That Predate EtherRocks And CryptoPunks -- Catalogue Released"
- Sotheby's: Kevin McCoy's "Quantum" — registered on Namecoin in 2014 — sold for $1.4 million
Historical Significance
Namecoin represents ground zero for non-fungible digital assets. Before Ethereum, before smart contracts, before the term "NFT" existed, people were registering unique, non-fungible data on the Namecoin blockchain.
The progression from Namecoin (2011) to Counterparty (2014) to Ethereum (2015) traces the complete evolution of NFTs from concept to industry. For collectors and historians, Namecoin assets represent the absolute earliest chapter in this story.