KNOWNORIGIN

2018-2024

It’s been an unforgettable experience. But the time has come to close the lid on KnownOrigin as an active platform, and look back on it as a lasting piece of crypto-art history.

All NFTs minted from any of the KODA contracts are safe and will live on.

We can’t thank you all enough for trusting us over the years to be the place where so many crypto-artists started their journeys and continued to call home.

THE STORY

THE LAUNCH

2018

KnownOrigin was born out of a simple question: "Can we use the power of blockchain to mint digital assets for artwork that evolves proof of ownership, provenance, and authenticity?"

The experiment began from a pop-up in a basement in Manchester, with 10 artists creating 25 physical artworks.

QR codes and a very basic wallet app enabled attendees to buy the digital artwork on the spot, claiming the NFT and the physical piece simultaneously.

Stina Jones artwork
A KITTEN CALLED BASTET - STINA JONES

THE EARLY YEARS

2019-2020

Following the success of the launch, work began on turning KO into a digital-first art marketplace, to prove that it could work at scale.

Back in 2018, the number of people buying crypto-art could fit on a school bus. It's fair to say we were early to the party.

Early adopting artists were minting work and struggling to find people who wanted to buy crypto-art. One early XCOPY edition took months to sell out, at the price of $5. It was the calm before the storm.

Early years illustration
CURVESCAPE 1 - KJETIL GOLID

THE BOOM

2021

Fast forward to 2021, and “NFT” was named Collins’ word of the year. We had a huge influx of activity on KnownOrigin. Creators were starting to monetise their craft to a global audience of collectors, who were rapidly building their collections.

Those same pieces that were struggling to sell were being regarded as early relics of crypto-art history. NFTs were the talk of the town. Sales boomed.

That summer was a whirlwind for KnownOrigin. We had more eyes than ever on our platform.

FoodMasku artwork
CHILLI DOGS - FOODMASKU

THE GROWTH

2022

Adoption of NFTs continued through 2022, and we lead the way as one of the most innovative marketplaces out there.

Features such as early access sales, embedded NFTs and creator contracts all enabled the KO community to keep experimenting and pushing the boundaries.

A new wave of emerging artists took the mantel from the OGs, as collectors continued to search for the next big thing to emerge from KnownOrigin.

deadseagull artwork
BLOOMING - DEAD SEAGULL

THE ENDING

2023

By 2023, things were changing. Innovation in Web3 was becoming bigger than we ever anticipated. After careful consideration, we decided to pivot to allow our team to pioneer bringing Web3 to the masses. This meant it became more and more difficult to sustain the marketplace.

We made the difficult decision to shut down KnownOrigin. This brings us to where we are now, closing off six incredible years of onchain digital art history.

Sabet artwork
EARTH 2023 - SABET

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Where can I view KnownOrigin artworks?
Most tokens are viewable on 3rd party marketplaces such as OpenSea.

Do I need to move my minted or purchased KnownOrigin tokens?
Most KnownOrigin tokens will aggregate onto 3rd party marketplaces such as OpenSea. If you are viewing the token for the first time you may need to click the 'refresh metadata' button for the token artwork to display.

Some earlier edition tokens through the V1 and V2 KnownOrigin contracts may not display on 3rd party marketplaces, find more information about historic tokens below.

Can KnownOrigin tokens still be purchased?
You are able to purchase tokens through 3rd party marketplaces such as OpenSea.

Are KnownOrigin royalties withheld on 3rd party marketplaces?
KnownOrigin does not receive any royalties from both primary and secondary sales of tokens on 3rd party marketplaces on any contracts. Creator royalties are dependent on the 3rd party marketplace that the tokens are being sold on.

Creator contracts withheld the royalty percentages on a contractual level, this level has been decided by the artist who minted the tokens.

Can I mint KnownOrigin tokens on other marketplaces?
In order to mint your artworks elsewhere you will first need to burn the KnownOrigin token editions. If there are multiple editions of tokens you will need to burn every edition before minting the artwork elsewhere.

Tokens can be burnt by navigating to a 3rd party marketplace and logging in with the wallet which owns the tokens, after this select burn. If the tokens have been purchased then the collectors will need to all individually burn the tokens before the artwork can be minted elsewhere.

What happens to KnownOrigin tokens?
The KnownOrigin shared contracts are all non-custodial contracts, although contracts are owned by KnownOrigin any tokens created through them are in ownership of the creator if they remain unsold or by the collector if they have been purchased.

KnownOrigin Creator Contracts are self-custodial and therefore owned by the creator of the contract. If you have created a Creator Contract you are able to find your contract address through platforms such as etherscan.

I have received an ETH payment from KnownOrigin, why?
As part of the closure of KnownOrigin as a marketplace we have actioned any outstanding bids on tokens by returning the ETH held to the bidder. If you have received an ETH refund from us this is likely due to an outstanding bid that has been placed by you previously that was not accepted by the seller.

PRESERVATION EFFORTS

What are KnownOrigin’s commitments to hosting and pinning tokens?
KnownOrigin commits to covering pinning costs until the end of 31/01/2027, up until then any tokens will remain visible as prior on 3rd party marketplaces.

After 31/01/2027 you will need to preserve your tokens through services such as pinata.

CREATOR CONTRACTS

Can I continue to use my Creator Contract?
KnownOrigin Creator Contracts are self-custodial and therefore owned by the creator of the contract. If you have created a Creator Contract you are able to find your contract address through platforms such as etherscan.

Once you have located your Creator Contract contract address you are able to action any transactions through etherscan. Tokens created this way will aggregate onto 3rd party marketplaces.

Where can I view tokens minted through Creator Contracts?
Most tokens are viewable on 3rd party marketplaces such as OpenSea. In order to find the Creator Contract listing first find the Contract link and then paste it into the 3rd party marketplace.

HISTORIC NFTS

Where can I view historic KnownOrigin tokens?
Historic tokens are those created under the shared KnownOrigin V1 and V2 contracts, tokens created through them may not appear on 3rd party marketplaces.

Tokens created through the KnownOrigin V2 contract are 'lazy minted' and do not exist as a token until they are purchased or traded. They will not appear on 3rd party aggregators unless the token has been created.

If you have minted tokens through the V2 contract that remain unsold you are able to interact with them through etherscan where they can then be interacted with to become a token through trading or purchasing them.

CONTACT US

Please read the the questions and answers carefully before reaching out, but if you do need to contact us the email below is monitored however responses may take 5 business days.