KnownOrigin

KnownOrigin (knownorigin.io) was a curated Ethereum NFT marketplace dedicated to digital art. Founded in 2018 by David Moore, Andy Gray, and James Morgan in Manchester, UK, KnownOrigin was one of the original crypto-art venues — initially a pop-up in a Manchester basement where 10 artists minted 25 physical works paired with QR codes for simultaneous digital+physical purchase.

From 2018-2020, KO pioneered the digital-first curated NFT-art market when 'crypto-art' collectors could 'fit on a school bus.' Early XCOPY editions sold for $5 and took months to clear. By 2021 — when Collins named 'NFT' word of the year — KnownOrigin experienced a wave of mainstream collector interest that cemented it as one of the most innovative art-first marketplaces of the era.

Through 2022, KO shipped early-access sales, embedded NFTs, and Creator Contracts — self-custodial ERC-721 contracts that gave each artist true ownership of their minting contract, with royalties enforced at the smart-contract level by artist-set policy. Tokens minted under these Creator Contracts remain in the artist's (or collector's) custody, transferable on any third-party marketplace.

In June 2022 eBay acquired KnownOrigin for an undisclosed sum as part of eBay's expansion into digital collectibles. In 2023, the KO team made the difficult decision to shut down the marketplace, pivoting to broader web3-to-the-masses initiatives — closing six incredible years of onchain digital-art history.

Although KO no longer operates as a primary marketplace, KODA tokens (V1-V4 contracts on Ethereum) remain fully tradeable on third-party venues including OpenSea, Rarible, Foundation, and Magic Eden. KnownOrigin has committed to covering IPFS pinning costs until 31 January 2027, after which collectors will need to preserve their tokens via services such as Pinata. KO does not receive royalties from primary or secondary sales on third-party marketplaces; creator royalties are determined by the third-party venue and are set per-artist at the Creator Contract level (which remains self-custodial and owned by the artist).

Curated digital art focus

KnownOrigin was dedicated specifically to curated 1/1 and limited-edition digital art — deliberately excluding music, gaming, and PFP collectibles to maintain art-world focus. Curation was editorial, not algorithmic.

Creator Contracts (self-custodial ERC-721)

KO gave each artist their own self-custodial ERC-721 Creator Contract — the artist owned the contract outright, with royalty policy set at deployment. This pattern was later adopted by other marketplaces including Foundation and Manifold.

Smart-contract-enforced royalties

Royalties on KO Creator Contracts are smart-contract enforced — set by the artist at contract deployment, not adjustable as platform policy. On 3rd-party venues today, royalty enforcement is venue-dependent.

KODA contracts V1-V4 on Ethereum

KnownOrigin's shared minting contracts (KODA V1-V4) are non-custodial contracts on Ethereum mainnet. V1 and V2 are legacy; V3 and V4 remain tradeable on OpenSea, Rarible, Foundation, and Magic Eden. V2 contract tokens are lazy-minted (token doesn't exist until purchased or traded).

OG crypto-art provenance

KnownOrigin minted some of the earliest recognized crypto-artworks, including early XCOPY editions (originally $5 each), works by Stina Jones, Kjetil Golid, FoodMasku, deadseagull, and Sabet. KO-sourced works carry historic provenance that today's collectors prize.

IPFS pinning commitment through 31 January 2027

KnownOrigin committed to covering IPFS pinning costs until 31 January 2027 — after which collectors must arrange their own pinning via services like Pinata to keep token artwork visible.

eBay acquisition (June 2022)

eBay acquired KnownOrigin in June 2022 for an undisclosed sum, marking eBay's entry into curated digital collectibles and validating KO's art-first curation approach to a mainstream audience.

Community governance & Primordial DAO

KO piloted community-governance experiments including the Primordial DAO — giving collectors and creators a voice in marketplace direction during 2022-2023 before shutdown.

3rd-party aggregator reach

Even after marketplace shutdown, KO-sourced tokens remain fully tradeable on OpenSea, Rarible, Foundation, and Magic Eden via aggregator metadata.