By 2015, Rare Pepe, a derivative of Matt Furie’s Pepe the Frog, emerged as a viral internet meme, with unique designs often marked with watermarks like “RARE PEPE DO NOT SAVE” to deter unauthorized use. That year, 1,200 Rare Pepe images briefly listed on eBay, fetching up to $99,000. Created by the “Pepe Scientists,” an open-source group of enthusiasts, Rare Pepe evolved into a collectible phenomenon. From 2016 to 2018, artists submitted designs to the Pepe Directory, with the Scientists curating selections for official series drops. In September 2020, the Ethereum Emblem Vault enabled Rare Pepe holders to wrap their 2016 collectibles as ERC-721 tokens, allowing trading on Ethereum-compatible platforms. This fusion of meme culture and blockchain technology cemented Rare Pepe’s place in the early NFT movement
Introducing $PEPE, the crypto meme coin born from one of the internet’s most iconic and culturally significant phenomena—Rare Pepe. Inspired by the legendary meme movement that began in 2015, $PEPE pays tribute to the original digital collectibles that helped spark the early NFT revolution. Rooted in the legacy of Matt Furie’s Pepe the Frog and the creative explosion led by the “Pepe Scientists,” this coin celebrates a time when memes met blockchain. By honoring the spirit of the Rare Pepe Directory, the original eBay listings, and the Ethereum Emblem Vault that brought these memes to the ERC-721 standard, $PEPE blends nostalgia, internet history, and crypto innovation into a token for collectors, meme lovers.
Rare Pepe NFTs, launched in 2016 on the Counterparty platform atop the Bitcoin blockchain, stand as one of the earliest examples of crypto collectibles, predating Ethereum-based NFTs like CryptoPunks and CryptoKitties. This project showcased the potential of blockchain technology in digital art and collectibles, setting a precedent for future NFT developments.
The Rare Pepe collection comprises 36 series, each containing 50 unique cards with varying rarity levels. Created by a global community of artists known as the "Pepe Scientists," the project fostered an open-source environment where artists submitted designs to the Pepe Directory. These submissions were curated for inclusion in official series drops, emphasizing community involvement and artistic diversity.
Beyond their artistic value, Rare Pepe NFTs have achieved notable market success. In 2018, a "Homer Pepe" NFT sold for $39,000 at a live auction, and three years later, it resold for $312,000. The collection's cultural resonance and historical importance have solidified its status among collectors, with some cards fetching substantial sums in the secondary market.
