It’s weird to watch history play out in front of you. But every so often, it happens. So close you can almost touch it – or own it, free from corporate power. For the early users of blockchain, CryptoPunks is that history. On June 23 2017, creative coders John Watkinson and Matt Hall embarked on an experiment. The Canadian duo (who founded Larva Labs) released 10,000 unique, 24x24 pixel digital art characters. “They needed to be a collection of misfits and non-conformists,” the duo explains, most likely to reflect the early internet community. “The London punk movement of the 1970s felt like the right aesthetic.” And so the entourage of Brit punk-inspired weirdos was born, complete with mohawks, sunglasses and cigarettes.