Julian Edelman continues to let his nerd side show with a second collection of NFTs based on the evolution of his career as represented by Pokemon trading cards. This is a fun one that appeals to the little kid inside of me that grew up in the 90s, squarely in the middle of Pokemon mania. A little surprised to see an NFL player be this into it, but hey everyone has their thing. I guess our’s is NFTs! So without further ado, let’s take a look at this collection. In collaboration with Superdigital and Yellowfly:
Julian Edelman SQUIRLIAN
The base level card, representing a rookie level 1 version of young Julian Edelman. Riffing off of one of his nicknames (Squirrel), we are presented with the SQUIRLIAN card. Squirrel + Julian, get it?? I like a lot of the details in the artwork of this one, including the squirlian’s little red hands, certainly mimicking Edelman’s famous red gloves as a player. Brief details on his player bio sit under the card artwork, listing out Special Teams, and his character’s measurables. Surely the real Edelman measures a bit bigger, but I have never met him in real life. Below that are his two moves, as any good Pokemon card would have featured. The Squirlian has the Quick Slant and the Juke as his disposal, and we’re also told they require two different types of energy cards (remember those??). One is an acorn (for a squirrel), and the other is the Star of David, reaffirming how Edelman is powered by his faith and heritage. There is also a weakness energy, which looks like a cube (ice, perhaps? Not sure I get that one.) A fun start to a fun collection. Similar to the INCREDELMAN series, we have 3 different pieces, where 30 editions of each were minted, and a rarer 1/1 holographic unit was created for each, as well. We are viewing the holographic version here which sold at auction for 2.6 WETH.
SQUIRLIOT
Congratulations! Your SQUIRLIAN has evolved into a SQUIRLIOT! Progressing through Edelman’s career now, the WR has grown up into more of a contributor on his Patriots team. He has grown from being on the Special Teams unit, to locked in as the Slot Receiver on the offense. He’s grown up, his HP has increased, and his tail is bigger and bushier than ever. He has also improved his game, as evident by his new moves here, Trick Play and Focus Catch. Much of the art is similar but it is fun to see the evolution progress. Better to have a SQUIRLIOT on the field, so this 1/1 holographic version sold for 3 WETH! Heck of a Focus Catch for ya.
Edelmon
At last, we get to the final evolution of the Edelman Cryptomons: EDELMON. He is now all grown up, and a star on his team. He’s bearded, juggling acorns, and has a huge tail more bulbous than a Patriots helmet. He has the moves to show for it as well, now equipped with a Relentless Mindset and the ability to catch the Long Bomb. He attacks his biggest battles, like winning championships, with his relentless mindset. Like the SQUIRLIOT, the Edelmon has developed a resistance to the ice cubes, but now has a weakness for burgers. Someone help me if I am wrong on that. I do know he remains powered by acorns and Judaism. Just how much did the final version of the Edelmon pull in? The 1/1 holographic sold for another 3 WETH.
A really entertaining collection, that came with so much more. If you bought one of the holographic editions, you were also gifted with autgraphed and framed prints, game worn autographed gloves, a tuft of Edelman’s playoff beard (you read that correctly), and being Edelman’s guest in the box complete with a meet and greet. 10% of proceeds also went to Stop AAPI Hate, to protect our Asian American communities. Check out the whole collection on Opensea.io!
