Former NFL and current actor, Vernon Davis has thrown his hat into the NFT arena, releasing a collection of digital collectibles on Rarible. The drop is auctioning off a series of six different tokens, each with their own level of rarity, that are meant to represent and walk through the former NFL player’s career and life in football. Davis, having only just retired in 2020, has wasted no time in forging his new path. Let’s take a look at what his foray into digital collectibles has in store for us:
Rookie SZN
First up, a commemoration of Vernon Davis entering the league. Rookie SZN is a depiction of Davis beginning his NFL journey, as an action figure, fresh in his packaging. The box does highlight certain details such as the year Davis joined the NFL (2006/2007), the fact he was a first round draft pick, and of course his position and jersey number. The image is three-dimensional and it rotates counter-clockwise to show off every angle of the packaged toy. On the back, as many toy boxes have, is a description of the contents inside and the corresponding story. In this case, we are told Davis was selected 6th overall out of the University of Maryland. The really funny details after that are the barcode and obligatory “warning: choking hazard” graphics that sit underneath the description. I mean, his helmet does come as a separate accessory, and you can’t be too careful. Though the color scheme is quintessential San Francisco 49ers, the logos are scrubbed, but there is no mistaking early San Fran Vernon Davis, complete with his long hair. 10 editions were put up for auction, starting things off with one of the rarer items of the drop. Sales went at the price of 0.5 ETH.
Championship L
From rookie season, all the way to champion, this collection covers it all. Highlighting Davis’ rise to the top in the NFL, we have Championship L. Davis spent a brief time with the Denver Broncos, who just so happened to win the big game that year. Telling the story of that season is this NFT, portrayed as a more traditional trading card style, as we’ve seen be popular so far amongst the sports-NFTs. The details shared are similar to Davis’ action figure, calling out the year of the season (2015/2016), the date of the Super Bowl (February 7th, 2016), and a jersey number switch for the TE on his new team (80). This unit also rotates, but lacks a description on the back like the previous token. Instead we have classic player trading card details, like height, weight, and date of birth. Again, the color scheme is dead-on Denver, but no Broncos were pictured in the making of this NFT. Davis released 80 of these units, with sales coming in around 0.1 ETH each.
Got Wings?
Another stop in the career of Vernon Davis equals another trading card style NFT, this time highlighting the TEs spent in Washington. The artwork features much of the same player details outlined in the previous tokens, but Got Wings is special as it portrays Davis in action, hurdling over some would be Eagles defenders. The image is a snapshot taken from a play where Davis scored a TD over the Philadelphia squad. Has we have been reminded throughout the series, Vernon Davis actually hails from Washington D.C. and likely grew up hating the Eagles. The title has to be a taunt. Another nod to his jersey number was made here in the amount of editions minted for this particular piece, totaling 85. Not a ton of action took place on these as only one moved for a price of 0.1 ETH.
Foot Work
One trait that set Davis apart in his career from his peers is his foot work as both a pass catcher and blocker. Vernon Davis really possessed all of the tools necessary to thrive as a TE and he used those tools to turn in a solid NFL career. An ode to one of those very tools, his footwork, is Foot Work, this NFT represented as a pair of game worn cleats, on display under a museum type glass and pedestal. As the cleats rotate around, we can see that they are signed by Davis and are attributed to him by way of name and jersey number. I think my favorite little detail is that there is actually a patch of turf sitting beneath the cleats, alluding to the fact that it is always game time. This piece is more rare than the trading cards viewed, seeing only 20 of these be minted. One of these sold for 0.3 ETH.
Ball Is Life
Related to Foot Work is the similar Ball Is Life NFT. A touch more rare, with only 15 of these tokens being minted, this NFT pays homage to Davis’ dedication to his career as a football player, from young man through into adulthood. I am sure the game provided Davis with much of what he has today, and this is an acknowledgment of that fact. Another museum style showcase, except we see a standard looking football on a tee on display in the casing. The details written on the football are a touch different from what you would see on a Wilson ball. Cheekily, you see the word NFT written exactly where the big NFL logo would go on the center of the pigskin. The other half of the ball is adorned with a huge signature from the TE written across the length of the football. We saw a few of these sell at 0.250 ETH each.
Jump Man *Golden Ticket*
Finally, what we all came here to see, is the magnum opus of this whole collection, Jump Man *Golden Ticket*. This is the daddy of the collection, a true 1/1, and offers the golden ticket to meet Mr. Wonka Davis himself. That’s right, one perk of this piece is actually earning a meet and greet with the TE on the set of one of his films. Very cool! The artwork itself remains aligned with the previous museum style showcase pieces, but this time the glass cover is off and we have a giant leaping Vernon Davis before. This guy really seems to be into hurdling over people. Davis is featured here in a relatively nondescript uniform, but he is rocking the 85, focusing on his time likely spent in San Francisco. This rarity sold for 1 wETH. I’d reckon that is a deal!
This concludes the deep dive into the Vernon Davis Collection. Check it out for yourselves, this time hosted on Rarible.com!
