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Man Makes A Fortune With $22 In Bitcoin: 3 Altcoins For October 2023 That Can Do This

Bitcoin’s history is filled with stories of people who put small, disposable amounts of money into the crypto and ended up making a fortune. This has been no different from the case of one Norwegian man, whose throwaway $22 Bitcoin investment has turned into a life-changing sum.

When Kristoffer Koch had originally invested in Bitcoin back in 2009, the cryptocurrency was only trading for a few cents. Koch, at the time, was intrigued which is why he said he made the purchase. He got 5,000 BTC for around $22 at the time, although this figure often varies.

Nevertheless, Koch ended up forgetting about this purchase until four years later when Bitcoin had blown up. By the time the Norwegian man got into his Bitcoin wallet, his initial $22 purchase had ballooned into $850,000. Upon seeing the life-changing sum, Koch revealed that he had used part of the money to buy himself a flat in Oslo.

As stories like these continue to make the rounds, a question on the lips of investors, especially those who came in later than the likes of Koch, is which cryptocurrencies could replicate such growth. So here are some picks that look good.

Fetch AI (FET) Brings AI To Crypto

The AI narrative is still holding strong both within and outside the crypto market and this has positioned some projects to be able to take advantage of its expected growth. Fetch AI’s native FET token has already shown the opportunity that lies in this space but that was only in a bear market. A bull market could see FET’s price rise further and do numbers.

The project is looking to democratize AI access through a crypto economy. This means users will be able to access AI in a completely decentralized and permissionless way unlike the AI products seen in traditional spheres.

Secret (SCRT) Challenges Bitcoin With Privacy

Presently, when the topic of privacy coins comes up, two names tend to pop up quickly, which include Monero’s XMR and Secret’s SCRT. Secret actually users ‘Secret Contracts’ to allow decentralized applications to offer completely private transactions.

As the demand for privacy grows among crypto users who constantly have to be aware of the government’s encroachment, SCRT’s value proposition becomes even more important. Added to its low $51 million market cap, SCRT could see a rally similar to that of Bitcoin.

Radiant Capital (RDNT) With Fragmented Liquidity

When it comes to carrying out transactions on-chain, liquidity becomes king, and this is where Radiant Capital (RDNT) comes in. The project is looking to consolidate fragmented liquidity in a bid to enhance the available liquidity for decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols.

This will work across a number of lending protocols regardless of the blockchain that they are on. So instead of hopping from one protocol to another, DeFi users can take advantage of this using a single protocol.

Radiant’s value proposition in a sector that is continuously evolving and growing could see it put on a Bitcoin-like rally. This could see its market cap go from its current $70 million to billions of dollars.

Bitcoin price chart from Tradingview.com (Crypto altcoins)

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What Happened To Tarantino ’s “Pulp Fiction” NFT Collection? The Strange Finale

In the end, Quentin Tarantino ’s “Pulp Fiction” NFT Collection collapsed under its own weight. Did Miramax’s lawyers scare them off? Or was there not sufficient interest in the collection by the buyers? Did the Secret Network have any technical problem that they’re not telling us about? Sadly, we can’t answer those questions at the moment.

Something happened, though. We will present the facts and nothing but the facts so that each one can arrive at their own conclusions. As a reminder, in the collection’s official site they now describe the pieces as, “Each NFT in the collection consists of the original script from a single iconic scene, as well as personalized audio commentary from Quentin Tarantino himself.”

The Story So Far

This case is very complicated. It has a lot of ins, a lot of outs, a lot of what-have-yous. As soon as the news about Quentin Tarantino entering the NFT space hit the press, Miramax sued. The pieces were based on the 1994 movie “Pulp Fiction,” and they owned the rights. There was a strange caveat to the whole story, which Bitcoinist explained:

“The Secret Network is a Layer 1 privacy blockchain created by SCRT Labs. The unique value proposition from The Secret Network lies in the name; the NFTs will be “secret” and only accessible by the NFTs owner.”

“Just that fact makes the lawsuit endlessly interesting. Only the person that buys the NFT can see what’s inside, so Miramax has no clue about the kind of content they’re suing for. They just know they own the rights to the picture and the discarded material, but, besides the reports and the marketing material, they’re as in the dark as the rest of us about the actual content.”

Despite Miramax lawyers working overtime, The Secret Network went all in. Two days before the first auction, they were talking David Vs. Goliath. 

“The Secret Network, on the other hand, is milking the situation to the extreme. Money can’t buy this kind of publicity.

Their press release quotes Guy Zyskind, founder and CEO of SCRT Labs:

“Secret Network is proud to stand with Quentin. We are committed to working with talented artists across the globe, by providing them a better way to release their works directly to fans without relying on older distribution models, which favor conglomerates over creators.”

Tarantino NFTs’ First Sale

At first, everything seemed normal. The first piece, based on the “Royale With Cheese” scene, sold for a whopping $1.1M. The collection’s tweet sold it as a big win. “And the winner of the ORIGINAL ‘ROYALE WITH CHEESE’ SCREENPLAY NFT is AnonsNFT, who bid $1.1M! We received a lot of great bids on the first NFT in the collection, but Anons took the prize.”

And the winner of the ORIGINAL 'ROYALE WITH CHEESE' SCREENPLAY NFT is @AnonsNFT, who bid $1.1M! 🥳🥳

We received a lot of great bids on the first NFT in the collection, but Anons took the prize.

The 2nd auction, 'Pumpkin and Honey Bunny' is now live @ https://t.co/O1fmcrN4Rm pic.twitter.com/8U44PHQ6HP

— Tarantino NFTs (@TarantinoNFTs) January 24, 2022

However, looking into AnonsNFT, the DAO defines itself as “1st @SecretNetwork PFP Collection.” So, is the organization related to the Secret Network in any way? That would put a dent in the “whopping $1.1M” story.

SCRT price chart on Huobi | Source: SCRT/USDT on TradingView.com
The Nuclear Option: Cancel The Whole Thing

A few days later, the Secret Network used the most bogus excuse to cancel the whole thing. Volatility. With a straight face, they blamed it all on volatility.

“AN IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR OUR COMMUNITY: In light of extreme market volatility, we’ve decided to postpone the remainder of the auction to put the needs of our community first.
We know that these exclusive collector’s items will be valuable for generations to come. Instead of adding to the volatility, we will wait for the right market conditions to ensure the integrity and fair market value for our community and creators.”

We know that these exclusive collector’s items will be valuable for generations to come. Instead of adding to the volatility, we will wait for the right market conditions to ensure the integrity and fair market value for our community and creators.

— Tarantino NFTs (@TarantinoNFTs) January 28, 2022

Why did they do that? Nobody knows for sure. But the cover story is terrible, volatility? Really? Miramax didn’t take credit for the kill. And the Secret Network did not admit to low interest in the series or to technical difficulties. They just shut down the whole operation.

Was Plagiarism A Factor? Did Tarantino Know About This?

This case was plagued with copyright issues. And, to add insult to injury, the Andrew Cremeans story just comes out of nowhere. “It has been brought to my attention that Quentin Tarantino has been using my art without permission to sell his Pulp Fiction NFTs,” Cremeans said in a tweet. 

It has been brought to my attention that Quentin Tarantino has been using my art without permission to sell his Pulp Fiction NFTs. Please see below. #nft #nfts #pulpfiction #tarantino #quentintarantino #jules #vincent #ripoff #art #artist #graphicdesign pic.twitter.com/MuTxRi9o2p

— Andrew Cremeans (@Andrew_Cremeans) January 24, 2022

In a case as complex as this, it’s hard to believe that the operation collapsed because of an illustrator’s copyrights claims. The art is clearly his, though. And Cremeans complaint had to be brought to the front. Before dropping this story forever.

This seems to be it for the Tarantino “Pulp Fiction” NFT collection, the saga’s last chapter. It’s a shame that it leaves an open ending such as this, with no definitive answers.

Featured Image: Tarantino NFTs promotional image from this tweet | Charts by TradingView

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Will Tarantino Be Able To Sell The Pulp Fiction NFTs? Or Will Miramax Prevail?

In two days, the auction of the first Pulp Fiction NFT will take place. A historical moment for the nascent industry, one that will set precedent for years to come. When Quentin Tarantino and the Secret Network announced a partnership aimed at releasing NFTs from the classic ’90s film, the world listened. Unfortunately for them, so did Miramax. The studio still holds the right to Pulp Fiction, so they sent a cease and desist letter. 

Related Reading | Upside Potential in NFTs is Massive Says Gary Vaynerchuk

The caveat here is that “the unique value proposition from The Secret Network lies in the name; the NFTs will be “secret” and only accessible by the NFTs owner.” When NewsBTC covered this story, we explained: 

“That fact makes the lawsuit endlessly interesting. Only the person that buys the NFT can see what’s inside, so Miramax has no clue about the kind of content they’re suing for. They just know they own the rights to the picture and the discarded material, but, besides the reports and the marketing material, they’re as in the dark as the rest of us about the actual content.”

What has happened since then? A LOT. Let’s explore the new developments in the case.

Bidding begins in one week! Register now on https://t.co/IafaEEqDqU. The future is now. You won't want to miss this. $SCRT $ATOM $ETH pic.twitter.com/qILjbtNZSH

— Tarantino NFTs (@TarantinoNFTs) January 10, 2022

Unreleased Scenes And Material

In the beginning, the implication was that the NFTs would contain unreleased material from Pulp Fiction. Miramax entered the picture and everything changed. Again, from NewsBTC’s previous report:

“On the day of the announcement, The Secret Network released a statement that quotes the director himself.

“I’m excited to be presenting these exclusive scenes from PULP FICTION to fans.” Tarantino says. “Secret Network and Secret NFTs provide a whole new world of connecting fans and artists and I’m thrilled to be a part of that.”

Tarantino’s words suggest simpler times. We’re nowhere near that stage anymore.”

The Content Of The Pulp Fiction NFTs Changed

After the cease and desist letter, it transpired that Tarantino only kept the rights to Pulp Fiction’s script. Recently, IndieWire quoted a statement that Proskauer Rose, one of Miramax’s lawyers, sent them: 

“There’s been no attempt to dismiss any of Miramax’s claims by Tarantino’s team, nor have they filed any counter claims or motions against Miramax, and since Miramax filed its lawsuit, the promotional website and Twitter account for the proposed sale have scaled back the unauthorized use of imagery from Miramax films (including Pulp Fiction)” 

And he’s right about that. A casual visit to the @TarantinoNFTs Twitter account will reveal that the people involved in the sale fazed out all images related to Pulp Fiction and replaced them with just text or high contrast images of Quentin Tarantino himself. The content of the NFTs also changed, now The Secret Network describes them as: 

“Tarantino owns the exclusive rights to publish his Pulp Fiction screenplay and the original, handwritten copy has remained a personal creative treasure he has kept private for decades. In collaboration with SCRT Labs, Tarantino has turned chapters from this historic document into a one-of-a-kind NFT publication. Each NFT in the collection consists of a single iconic scene, as well as personalized audio commentary by Tarantino himself.”

Are they legal now? That’s the question.

SCRT Market Cap, calculated by TradingView | Source: TradingView.com
The Secret Network Proceeds

The auctions will go from January 17th to the 31st. It will happen on the Secret Network and not on OpenSea, as originally announced. Did OpenSea run away from the controversy and possible litigation? We wouldn’t know. The Secret Network, on the other hand, is milking the situation to the extreme. Money can’t buy this kind of publicity.

Their press release quotes Guy Zyskind, founder and CEO of SCRT Labs:

“Secret Network is proud to stand with Quentin. We are committed to working with talented artists across the globe, by providing them a better way to release their works directly to fans without relying on older distribution models, which favor conglomerates over creators.”

3 days to go. Historical fact #1:

Quentin Tarantino writes his screenplays by hand ✍ For Pulp Fiction, he kept the original screenplay a secret for *28 years.* This priceless piece of history will be revealed for the first time in next week’s auction – but only to the buyer 🤫 https://t.co/wXbIUPOXUO pic.twitter.com/msgwomNs27

— Tarantino NFTs (@TarantinoNFTs) January 14, 2022

Miramax Attacks

For their part, Miramax’s lawyers sent Zyskind a letter that claims:

“Contrary to what you assert you are being told by Mr. Tarantino and his team, 

  • You do not have the necessary rights to mint the Pulp Fiction NFTs described in your press releases and other promotional materials; 

  • You do not have the necessary rights to market or promote those NFTs; and 

  • Despite your now having assumed the role of auctioneer, you do not have the necessary rights to promote and sell those NFTs.”

Not only that, they included a direct threat to possible NFT buyers:

“We would hope that you also inform prospective purchasers of the risks of purchasing these unauthorized NFTs, including that purchasers may have to return the NFTs to Miramax and forfeit the price they paid for such NFTs, and that purchasers may incur additional liability in the event they later sell the unauthorized NFTs”

Guy Zyskind response? He took to Twitter and replied:

“Your attempt to bully and intimidate us, and our community, will not work. This lawful sale of TarantinoNFTs will continue as planned, despite your efforts to sabotage it.”

Hey @Miramax. Got your letter. Your attempt to bully and intimidate us, and our community, will not work. This lawful sale @TarantinoNFTs will continue as planned, despite your efforts to sabotage it.https://t.co/1Qjkgfy8U1 pic.twitter.com/jpjbYDNmNp

— Guy Zy𝕊kind (@GuyZys) January 10, 2022

The TarantinoNFTs account contributed to the conversation by saying, “We will not be stopped. We will not let bullies intimidate our community.”

Related Reading | January Proves Turbulent For Investors But NFT And GameFi Seems To Be Eating Good

Is that enough? Or are they making a big mistake? Is Miramax in the right? Or do they know that they don’t have a leg to stand on and thus turned to intimidation? 

Turn on to NewsBTC next month for the next chapter of the Pulp Fiction NFTs’ exciting saga.

Featured Image: Tarantino NFT Collection promotional material | Charts by TradingView