Cool NFTs to Start Your Collection: Top NFTs and Artists Under 5 ETH

Cool NFTs Under 5 Ether

NFTs are not exclusionary, despite what some people believe. The high cost of top sales does not mean that only wealthy people can access or enjoy NFTs. 

The demand for NFTs exploded in late 2020, with CryptoPunks and Art Blocks leading the way. Digital art pioneer Beeple was also a major player in this space. Soon after came Bored Ape Yacht Club, a collection that has risen from a 0.08 ETH mint price to valuations exceeding $100,000.

The highest generative NFT sale to date: NFTNow 

The space has grown exponentially, and there are a wealth of options to choose from at more accessible price points. Despite what you may have been told, there’s a lot more to consider than simply art.

With the current lull, it’s the perfect time to learn how to harness this emerging tech. For many investors the depths of the bear can provide the best opportunities to enter the vibrant world of NFTs. 

Let’s dig in. 

NFT Collecting Overview: Beginner’s Guide

New investors can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice in the space. Navigating the minefield of bots, spam, and counterfeits has challenged even veteran collectors. 

NFT investing has evolved substantially alongside the sector’s sprint to the mainstream. Key collection metrics and market activity are now primary considerations for collectors. This is not an issue that’s unique to NFTs – with every nascent technology comes bad actors seeking to leverage it. 

Origin builds white label NFT marketplaces for trusted collections, prioritizing safety and a clear, seamless user experience. Origin’s marketplaces, such as the one developed for Pudgy Penguins, aggregate listings of official NFTs across generic marketplaces. This removes the pain of sifting through multiple counterfeit collections to discern the real thing. 

Additionally, these marketplaces are integrated directly into projects’ official sites and come complete with beautifully designed analytics dashboards to inform your decision-making.

The Official Pudgy Penguins analytics dashboard

Getting Started With NFTs

The barriers to entry to NFTs in 2023 are much less than what they were just a few years ago. With more tooling, payment rails, and marketplaces, it's relatively easy to get started with collecting NFTs.

In order to interact with NFT marketplaces and purchase an NFT, you'll need to setup an Ethereum wallet. Metamask is the most common web3 wallet for Ethereum, and it also supports other networks like Polygon, Binance Smart Chain, and layer-2 solutions. 

Once setup, you'll need to send Ether from a cryptocurrency exchange like Coinbase to your wallet. After receiving the funds to your wallet, you're ready to purchase your first NFT! 

New NFTs to Consider Purchasing for Your Collection

Deciding on a new NFT is an exciting, and sometimes overwhelming, undertaking. Luckily, there’s something for everyone in the market, from adorable projects like Pudgies, Sappy Seals, and Chubbiverse, to utility-focused offerings like RooTroop.

NFT strategies are as unique as the collectors that devise them, blending factors including personal taste, social capital and investment potential. 

Interested in owning a piece of history? At a floor price of 0.6 ETH, OnChainMonkey offers an accessible entry to the first collection ever minted in a single transaction. 

Entirely generated using a smart contract

If you’re a fan of diverse, vibrant art, Karafuru’s eclectic mix of characters might be more your speed. 

Furus are jam-packed with personality 

Top NFT Collections Under 5 ETH

While they may not earn you a mention on BuzzFeed, reasonably priced collections offer opportunities to enter active communities.  These are run by dedicated teams offering lucrative perks and vibrant communities.

Perhaps the greatest showing of community strength this year has come from Sappy Seals. The sappiest community around has racked up social engagement through outrageous memes, relentless positivity, and a spirit of welcoming collaboration. Seals are also building out The Pixlverse, a cross-collection retro metaverse.

The conquest of cuteness is in full force 

It’s been refreshing to see NFTs in general inspire a move toward greater inclusivity in Web3 over the past year. Yam Karkai’s collection World of Women perfectly encapsulates this shift with diverse NFTs designed to celebrate representation and equality.

When it comes to brand recognition, Pudgy Penguins are a strong contender for the crown. The collection is widely regarded as one of the space’s most resilient, and has thrived since launching in July 2021. Pudgies enjoy immense social capital in the space, with Nansen CEO Alex Svanevik even adopting one as his online identity.

RooTroop has created a platform that connects holders with job opportunities in the Web3 economy. This new approach to growth opens up new opportunities for the community. The collection also donates funds to save the collection’s mascot, the critically-endangered Tree Kangaroo.

Cool Cheap NFTs

When it comes to the most affordable and recognized NFTs, there’s an array of options to choose from. A common strategy for collecting such pieces involves buying pieces from secondary collections launched by top projects. These grant access and exposure to the wider community without having to drain your wallets. 

A prime example of this is Pudgy Penguins’ sister collection, Lil Pudgys. The secondary collection offers exposure to the Pudgy ecosystem at a far lower price than the original collection.

A similar dynamic has been adopted by fellow cuteness maximalists, Chubbiverse. The initial collection, Chubbicorns, was limited to 203 items. Conversely, Chubbiverse Frens offers a far more affordable entry.

Why so serious?

NFTs for Token-Gated Access

For active traders or investors, it may be worth finding an NFT that grants you access to a service or product that can aid in your investing. There are plenty of private discord servers and trading groups that are token gated, meaning you'll need to hold an NFT from the collection to join the community. For example, the IDO launchpad ScaleSwap offers an NFT pass to users, allowing them early access to token investing.

How to Make Money With NFTs as a Beginner

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees when it comes to investment – especially in a market as volatile, nascent, and illiquid as NFTs are in their current form. With this in mind, it goes without saying that the primary keys to success in NFTs, as with most things, are patience and research.

Research needn’t be a complex endeavor. To this end, Origin has developed comprehensive analytics dashboards to inform your purchases and gain insights into key collection metrics.

Are NFTs Still Worth Investing In?

As mentioned before, there are no guarantees in investment. However, we’ve just witnessed the first true NFT bull run since the technology was first developed. This explosion can arguably be likened to BTC’s first major mainstream bull run in 2017. 

Essentially, the doors have been blown wide open for fresh innovation in a sector that remains in its infancy. With the bear market in full-swing, teams are building relentlessly to offer novel NFT products that further disrupt legacy industries.

Origin has taken a significant step to offer real-world utility via NFTs. The protocol recently launched a white label marketplace for physical property exchange entirely on chain in collaboration with US Real Estate firm, Roofstock.

It’s taken only a year for pfp NFTs to become ubiquitous among crypto natives. It’s hard to fathom the many use cases this technology could bring to the world, and we’re privileged to be able to watch them unfold. 

Time to ditch the suit and tie