The non-fungible token (NFT) collection called Gitcoin Presents has become highly valuable after its open edition mint ended recently, and it has become the top-performing collection across various marketplaces. This surge in popularity and value is linked to the involvement of Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, though it is unclear if he was directly involved in the NFT drop.
The collection includes 9,221 tokens that were minted at a price of 0.5 ETH each, resulting in a trading volume of 7,763 ETH or around $12 million. The NFTs commemorate a paper on Quadratic Funding authored by Buterin, economist Zoë Hitzig, and social activist Glen Weyl in 2018. The NFT purchase grants collectors a digital copy of the paper and two essays by Gitcoin's founders discussing the success of the funding mechanism. The profits from the collection will be shared among Gitcoin, Metalabel, and Plurality Institute for funding public goods.
However, some Twitter and NFT collectors have expressed skepticism about the "Vitalik NFT drop" and whether it is an official drop from Buterin.