A guide to NFT mystery boxes

Who doesn’t love a good surprise? People, in general, are enchanted by the element of mystery. Whether literature or films, a gripping mystery feels delightful, no matter how intense. It's a similar case with NFT mystery boxes.

Over the past few years, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have become a raging trend worldwide. And to make things even more enticing, developers have added the element of surprise to these digital assets through NFT mystery boxes. But what are these boxes, and how do they work? Let’s find out!

The NFT Mystery boxes are a trend that emerged in early 2021 when NFTs were at the peak of their popularity. Gradually different companies and brands have started using NFT mystery boxes as a way of surprising their customers.

NFT mystery boxes are similar to physical mystery boxes, the contents of which are a secret. However, unlike physical mystery boxes that contain tangible items, NFT mystery boxes contain one or more random NFTs. It can be an NFT ticket, artwork, trading card or even an in-game digital asset.

No one knows what an NFT gift box contains, and that’s the appeal. It could contain a super-rare NFT worth thousands of dollars, millions even, or a common NFT, something that’s more run-of-the-mill. Some NFT marketplaces try to sweeten the pot by ranking their NFT mystery boxes in terms of rarity. They will drop standard boxes now and then but reserve rare boxes for special occasions. These rare boxes usually cost the most and are almost sure to carry valuable assets. However, this does not mean that regular NFT boxes cannot contain special NFTs; it’s just that the chances are lower.

It’s pretty simple. You can buy these boxes or receive them through an airdrop. However, before that, you will need a crypto wallet supported by the marketplace through which the NFT mystery box will be distributed. If you are buying the box, you will also need the right amount and type of cryptocurrency required to purchase it. Once you have the box in your wallet, you might be required to pay a small gas fee to open/mint the NFT. After that, the NFT will show in your wallet, and you can trade/sell it. Some users trade/sell unopened NFT mystery boxes as well. Again, it is the surprise element at play here.

There have been several examples of NFT mystery boxes. For instance, in February this year, Nike unveiled its first-ever NFT in the form of a mystery box. The collection was called MNLTH and was designed in collaboration with RTFKT, a virtual sneaker studio that Nike acquired in December 2021. The collection was airdropped to the holders of RTFKT NFT collections. The contents of Nike’s NFT mystery box were only revealed a few months later, with some lucky winners receiving a pair of Nike Dunk Genesis, a skin to modify the look of the NFT and MNLTH 2 access cards.

NFT card game Duelist King also used these mystery boxes in December 2021. The platform used these surprise NFTs for its second NFT card sale. The initiative was a massive success, with all 20,000 mystery boxes selling out immediately. Each box was priced at $5 and could contain cards of varying rarity, including standard, rare, super rare, and legendary. Standard cards appeared in every 1 of 2 boxes, while legendary cards appeared in every 1 or 1,200 boxes.

Opensea, Binance, SuperRare, Rarible, Foundation, and Enjin are reputable marketplaces from which you can purchase your NFT mystery boxes. You should choose the right platform or marketplace to purchase your NFT mystery box. If you buy these assets from illegitimate, non-verified sources, there is a possibility that you can run into some fraud or a scam.

NFT mystery boxes are an exciting concept. They do exceptionally well for the brands and platforms that issue them and can also be highly lucrative for a few lucky investors. Therefore, if you are in for the mystery and surprise, try purchasing an NFT mystery box. If you receive a valuable NFT, well and good, and if not, then better luck next time.