A new non-fungible token (NFT) collection backed by Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou has dethroned Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) on the OpenSea NFT marketplace in trading volume, reflecting growing interest in celebrity-endorsed digital collectibles.

Fast facts

  • The PhantaBear NFT series, co-created by Jay Chou’s hipster brand PHANTACi, sold out its 10,000 algorithmically-created NFTs on Jan. 1 within 40 minutes on its debut at 0.26 ETH (about US$1,000 at the time) each, according to a company statement
  • Its floor price currently sits at 5.88 ETH (US$18,344) at press time.
  • In the past seven days, the NFTs’ trading volume reached 17,194.22 ETH (US$53.6 million), a 462.66% jump from a week ago, outrunning BAYC’s 16,583.65 ETH (US$51.7 million) and Doodles’ 16,407.14 ETH (US$50.7 million), as of Tuesday morning, according to OpenSea data.
  • “When I said I am all about being no. 1, I wasn’t kidding!” Jay Chou, a 42-year-old singer-songwriter and actor who’s often dubbed the “king of Mandopop”, wrote today in an Instagram post along with a screenshot of PhantaBear’s OpenSea ranking.