Valuable personal property can sit outside even a sophisticated wealth plan. Art and collectibles are a prime example. Sometimes these assets are not raised because their owners do not consider themselves collectors. In other cases, the assets are well known - even highly significant - but the professional requirements surrounding valuation, insurance, tax, transfer, or disposition are less clearly understood.

Originally written in early 2021 during Christie’s landmark NFT sale, this essay examined how blockchain technology, digital ownership, and institutional validation were beginning to reshape the landscape of digital art collecting.