According to Decrypt, collectible card vaulting platform Courtyard is giving away hundreds of mystery card packs containing tokenized Pokémon cards. Each digital pack will have an NFT tied to one graded Pokémon card, which can be traded. On November 21, card collectors can open their virtual packs and see which Pokémon card they have received. Digital cards can also be redeemed for their physical versions, stored via vaulting firm Brink's, if desired.
The Pokémon cards available include vintage base set cards, modern cards, and promo cards, with a 2020 Sword & Shield Shiny Star Charizard and a 1998 Starter Red Green Gift Set Holo Scyther hidden among the packs. Courtyard is working with crypto tech startup Privy and Ethereum NFT collection Chimpers to release the free collection. Courtyard will give away 100 packs per day across four daily drops, totaling 400 packs between November 14 and November 17.
Tokenization and NFTs establish digital scarcity and a unique identifier for digital assets, making their crypto component virtually impossible to replicate. This technology allows marketplaces like Courtyard to offer tokenized versions of actual Pokémon cards as certificates of authenticity, which can be redeemed for the real thing. Last year, Courtyard raised $7 million in seed funding from New Enterprise Associates, Y Combinator, OpenSea Ventures, VaynerFund, Brink's, and others.