Solving the Mystery: Maneki Cosmos

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The mystery surrounding a new NFT initiative from the IBC GANG Team has been steadily growing. The new collection of limited NFTs is launching in less than two weeks, and as you will see below there is a lot we already know. However, there is a mysterious aspect of the project that has not yet been revealed.

Let’s review what we do know, first.

10 Things We Know about Maneki Cosmos

It is a new collection of 1,000 NFTs.
The mint date is July 11th, 2022.
The minting event will take place on StargazeZone.
The mint price is $USD200.
The mint price will be paid for in the STARS token.
The collection is the brainchild of the IBC GANG Team.
The NFTs are designed by the NOTs NFTs Team.
The NFTs are adorned with logos from various blockchains and projects across the Cosmos ecosystem, at the collar.
There are rarity characteristics.
One bonus has been revealed: if your NFT has the coin with “IBC GANG” written on it, you will receive a t-shirt with your NFT screen-printed on it.

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10 Things We Know about Maneki-neko

It is a Japanese figurine.
The literal translation is beckoning cat.
The raised paw symbolizes a beckoning gesture.
Traditionally, the figurine represents a calico Japanese bobtail cat.
In Japan, the maneki-neko figurines are made from a variety of materials, including ceramic, clay, wood, jade, and even gold.
The figurines are adorned with accessories that have different meanings:

Neck decorations such as bells, bibs, and collars, used to track the cats or signify faith
Gold coins or kobans, representing money (ryo, an early predecessor of the yen)
Koi fish, representing wealth or abundance
Money bag, for wealth
Marble or gemstone, for wisdom
Fan or drum, for luck in business.

The raised paws also have different meanings:

Right paw - brings good luck and wealth
Left paw - attracts customers to a place of business or invites marriage
Both paws - provides protection.

The colors of the maneki-neko also have special meanings:

White - positivity and purity
Black - protection against evil
Gold - wealth and prosperity
Red - protection from illness
Green - education, health, and family safety
Blue - intelligence, wisdom, and success
Pink - love and romance
Yellow - stability, health, and relationships.

The figurines are popular fixtures in businesses all over Japan and many other Asian countries.
The maneki-neko is featured in many japanese legends.

Lots of the things that Tank has said on the live streams on YouTube must have revealed some hints to help us solve the mystery. Here is my list of candidates.

10 “Tank-isms”

“We are different”
“We want to build with our community, not off the backs of our community”
“When I do things, I do it for a reason”
“It can be done differently”
“I am trying to flip the NFT game on its face”’
“I am trying to set the bar for launching NFT projects”
“When it comes to your money, you are the abuser”
“Everything happens in two’s”
“If you are not taking profits, you are not doing it right”
“We need to protect the community at all cost”.

There are many questions regarding the Maneki Cosmos NFTs that have not been answered, yet.

10 Maneki Cosmos Unsolved Mysteries

Which token logo is the rarest of them all?
Is gold the most sought after color?
What accessory has the highest rarity factor?
Is the wink significant?
What is the importance of the banner words?
Which background will add most to the rarity?
Will a rarity score calculator be released?
What is the value of the gold coin?
Besides the free, personalized t-shirt, what other value is linked to the gold coin stamped with IBC GANG?
Are there any hidden features, not yet revealed?

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Unlocking the Mystery of Maneki Cosmos

The IBC GANG Team has been mysterious about some additional aspects of these new NFTs; as a result, they have raised the level of excitement in the community. There is clearly a significant element of value that has not been revealed, yet. It must have something to do with providing relief from these difficult market conditions. I have no inside knowledge, but here is my list of guesses.

10 Candidates for Possible Mystery Reveals

Airdrops of additional Maneki Cosmos accessory NFTs are planned for the near future.
Airdrops of NFTs from partner projects will be made to Maneki Cosmos NFT holders.
Discounted minting costs will be offered to Maneki Cosmos NFT holders, by NFT partner projects that are supporting this launch.
Stargaze Zone will offer a discounted minting opportunity to Maneki Cosmos NFT holders.
The Cosmos projects highlighted on the collars have committed prizes of some of their tokens.
Each of the NFTs comes with a reward that matches the token on the collar.
The NFTs with the IBC GANG stamped gold coins are eligible for a special one-time token reward.
The NFTs with the IBC GANG stamped gold coins are eligible to mint an additional limited edition NFT.
The NFTs with the IBC GANG stamped gold coins come with an ongoing staking reward, matched to the token on the collar.
Holding these genesis NFTs represents an inaugural membership to a greater metaverse project, yet to be developed.

The unsolved mystery will be revealed in the coming weeks; however, I have a feeling that the IBC GANG Team will not rest until each genesis owner in the Community will squeeze out every cent of value put into minting their Maneki Cosmos NFTs!

Veel succes - Opa.