n0 0rdinary kind is a 7,680-piece collection of Bitcoin Ordinals minted on July 31, 2024. The project, commonly shorthanded as n0k, is the second collection from the CTRL ecosystem. It features “wrapped” PFPs that lean into themes of autonomy, decentralization and privacy. As a brand new collection, there’s still plenty more to come with n0k, but let’s take a look at what we do know about the project and its ethos.
History of n0 0rdinary kind
The n0 0rdinary kind collection was designed by the London-based One Penny Piece, an acclaimed stencil artist. It features 7,680 recursive Ordinals that were inscribed to Block 9 450X satoshis and has described itself as the “only Ordinals collection descending from 2 rare sats.” The CTRL team is motivated by resisting the harms caused by traditional, centralized financial systems and created the collection to “inhabit the post-fiat future.”
According to the team’s website lore, “n0k openly challenges and resists the over-reaching, weaponized grip of central finance, unafraid to illuminate the circus of tyranny imposed upon global citizens. Fiat has failed us. Dollars inflate, banks break, but Bitcoin is immutable.” It’s an ideology they take seriously, but is tinged with a subtle sense of humor. Among the just 13 people their X account follows is U.S. Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen.
The n0k collection follows up and expands upon the CTRL team’s genesis mint from last year, which was focused on individual sovereignty. That same underlying theme of self-determination is evident in the design structure of each n0k, which begins as a “wrapped” PFP that holders can choose to unwrap in multiple stages, revealing the ‘surprise’ of what is within their inscription.
Concept Behind n0 0rdinary kind
To state the obvious, the external art is essentially a condom wrapper with a masked black figure on the front. The first level of rarity entails the wrapper color, which could be gold, holo (silver), or green. The “final” PFP – and its various rarity traits – lies inside of the wrapper, waiting to be revealed by its holder in a multi-stage sequence. The first unwrap reveals “all traits except the Left Eye and Phase 2 reveals the fully unwrapped n0k.”
Technically, you can keep your n0k fully wrapped. The autonomy theme of the collection means holders are not obligated to unwrap their PFP. But to unravel the mystery of your PFP’s traits, you have to take that plunge. Once unwrapped, they cannot be rewrapped. The unwrapping process also impacts rarity, as traits are randomly assigned. Over time, as more n0ks are unwrapped, more traits emerge.
Development of n0 0rdinary kind
The n0 0rdinary kind collection is an ode to binary code, honoring “the foundational role of binary numbers in cryptography.” Each one is derived from two rare sat parents, utilizing a child-parent relationship with the first rare sat to be inscribed and the second rare sat ever found. These rare parents passed down 1s and 0s to each n0k. The collection has minted out, but they can be purchased through the Magic Eden or Gamma secondary markets.
If you decide to unwrap your n0k, you can do so through the Seize CTRL website by connecting your wallet through a read-only connection. The team emphasizes that at no point will they have control over the assets inside your wallet during this process. After connecting, you’ll get the option to unwrap your n0k by inscribing “children” with your n0k as a parent. For more details on completing this process, you can see the FAQ portion of the site.
Partial unwrapping allows collectors to utilize rarity in trades while still maintaining some of the initial mystery of the wrapped PFP, but there are other incentives to unwrap your n0k. Collectors can play the team’s poker-style N00RDINARYKARDS (KARDS) game where they receive a KARD at each stage of the unwrap (collectors can receive up to two KARDS total). Once the on-chain KARDS game begins, n0k holders will be able to use their KARDS to collect the N•O•K Rune #120.
On the other hand, maintaining a wrapped PFP as others succumb to the pressure to unwrap their own will allow the last wraps standing to increase in rarity in their own right.
Projects Associated with n0 0rdinary kind
As noted above, n0 0rdinary kind is the second collection in the CTRL story. Their first, Seize CTRL, is a collection of 404 unique pieces of art inscribed on 404 uncommon sats. The Seize CTRL collection minted on June 28, 2023. As of now, they can be acquired through Magic Eden and Gamma.io.
