When you are getting involved in a space, it is important that you are always improving your knowledge. This means consuming as much relevant material as possible, as well as following the guidance of people who have a tried and tested record in the space.
In this respect DappRadar is the go-to source for data and statistics covering not only over 3500 dapps, but also data for token collectors. In fact, all of the data used in this article comes from that source.
Let’s look at the NFT influencers aka collectors
While the NFT world is still in its infancy, there have been a number of NFT collectors that have showcased time and time again their ability to make profitable NFT flips. Three of the biggest names in this regard are Wilcox, Dingaling, and Pranksy.
While the overall crypto market has been in a bearish phase in recent months, there is still a positive trend in the NFT space. There is a lot more exposure from the likes of brands and celebrities to the space. The launching of community-based marketplaces has also been a big contributor to the up-trending market.
It can be a useful exercise to see what some of the most influential people are currently looking at when it comes to the NFT world. This includes those people who have a lot of buying power. This article will look at three of the most notable collectors of NFTs to see what sort of patterns can be picked up over the last six months or so.
What are some key points?
Of the three main wallets we are looking at in this article, their combined net worth is close to $250 million. They also follow different strategies. Pranksy tends to be a pretty active trader, while Wilcox generally takes a more passive approach to trading NFTs.
One thing that is consistent is that a lot of the most notable people in the space have a lot of metaverse exposure. In particular, they have big investments in voxel avatar NFTs and virtual lands.
Who are the big NFT whales?
Those people who have a large number of a certain token, such as NFTs, are designated often as being whales. Their behavior will often have a strong effect on the market and can even sometimes lead to pressure to sell or buy certain NFTs.
Wilcox, Dingaling, and Pranksy are the three main whales we are looking at in this article. Dingaling and Pranksy in particular are very engaged in an active way within the community. They are also both active on social media, while still protecting their true identities.
Pranksy
Pranksy has one of the largest collections of Ethereum NFTs. They were the brains of the NFTBoxes operation and already own over 32,000 NFTs. The worth of this wallet is more than $120 million. They have has a large number of Avastars and CrpytoKitties, as well as being the fourth-biggest collector of Doodles.
During the most recent six-month period, Pranksy has purchased over 2,100 pieces and flipped 5,200 NFTs during this period. This represents a very active type of trading strategy.
Dingaling
Dingaling has a very unique type of collection. With over 3,600 total NFTs, there is a multitude of projects involved. Only one person has more Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, as Dingaling has 106 such pieces. Other areas of interest are the BAYC ecosystem, Ghxsts, and Top Shot. The estimated value of Dingaling’s NFT wallet is over $50 million.
Wilcox
Wilcox is a figure shrouded in mystery. They are completely unknown with rumors doing the rounds as to the true identity of this user. Wilcox is currently the biggest holder of CryptoPunk and also a major Meebut holder. In total, you will see over 1,200 NFTs as part of Wilcox’s wallet. This includes projects such as CyberKongz and Pixel Vault.
The net worth of this wallet is around the $68 million mark. Wilcox takes a more passive approach to NFT investing. While Wilcox has managed to mint more than 1,000 NFTs during the past six months, they have only sold fewer than one hundred pieces. This reflects a more long-term type of approach.
Growing Importance of Virtual Worlds
There has been an explosion in interest in all things metaverse-related since the big announcement from Meta. This is why a lot of virtual world-related NFTs have been blowing up. This includes the likes of digital parcel NFTs through projects like Decentraland and The Sandbox.
Each of the three whales discussed in this article has significant exposure in the area of digital land. Pranksy has been flipping a lot of plots of land as part of The Sandbox in recent times, as well as NFT Worlds, Decentraland, and the WorldWide Webb projects.
Dingaling tends to stray closer to the likes of avatars. These are another core part of the metaverse. Some of the avatar projects that Dingaling has exposure to includes VoxoDeus and Voxies. They also have a big land plot in The Sandbox and Decentraland. Finally, Wilcox has exposure in the likes of The Sandbox and CryptoVoxel land.
The Issue of Fake NFTs
It is unsurprising that whales can hold a lot of influence when it comes to the NFT market. This is why many scam projects try to fake that major whales have a big interest in their projects. The way that they do so is by sending tokens to the receiving address when there has been no attempt to actually trigger this transaction. This makes it appear as if the whale has minted these NFTs.
As part of Pranksy’s wallet, there are about 4,700 Adidas fake NFTs. This is why it is important you use analytical tools to make sure that NFTs are a genuine part of a whale’s wallet before investing in a project.
A Mixed Bag for Larva Labs
Larva Labs is the group that is behind major projects like CryptoPunks, Autoglyphs, and Meebits. It has a major place in the growing NFT space. Wilcox is currently the largest whale for CryptoPunks, as well as being the fourth biggest collector of Meebits.
Dingaling looks to be more neutral when it comes to Larva Labs. They have a very diversified portfolio in general. They have just three CryptoPunks, as well as 20 Meebits. Finally, it looks like Pranksy is veering a bit away from Larva Labs.
There are no CryptoPunks as part of their wallet and they sold in August 96 Meebits. This means that there is just one Meebit left in their wallet. It is unclear the reasoning behind this change in approach.
Embracing Newer Projects
While these whales own plenty of prominent and established types of projects, they also are looking at new possibilities all of the time. This is a good sign for the future health and growth of the NFT space. Some of the newer projects that these whales support include Killer GFs, Party Degenerates, and CryptoBatz.
Summary
As three of the most high-profile whales in this unique space, you can clearly see that they all have different approaches to NFT trading. Pransky has a lot of the bigger projects as part of their wallet, while Dingaling takes a very diversified sort of approach. Finally, Wilcox appears to really like Larva Labs projects.
Some of the things in common between these three whales is that they seem to be embracing the metaverse. This is either through voxel avatars or digital land. They are also regularly supporting newer projects, not being content with what they already have.
For anyone looking at taking away something for this article, you should place an emphasis on having a strong diversification strategy in place. You should also take the time to learn about new projects that have a proven team at the helm.
