My Honest Take on Veefriends Trading Cards
Gary Vaynerchuk (often known as Gary Vee) is a Belarusian-American entrepreneur, investor, and internet personality known for his work in digital marketing, social media, and entrepreneurship. Here's a breakdown of who he is and why he's influential:
🔹 Quick Bio
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Born: November 14, 1975, in Babruysk, Belarus (then USSR)
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Immigrated: Moved to the U.S. as a child, grew up in New Jersey
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Early Business: Took over his family's liquor store, turning it into Wine Library, a $60M/year business by embracing e-commerce and YouTube early on
🔹 Major Roles & Ventures
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VaynerMedia
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A full-service digital agency working with Fortune 500 brands (PepsiCo, GE, etc.)
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Core of the VaynerX media and communications empire
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Angel Investor & VC
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Early investor in Facebook, Twitter, Uber, Venmo, Snap, and Coinbase
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Known for his knack for spotting consumer trends early
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Public Speaker & Author
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Motivational style focused on hustle, self-awareness, and patience
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Bestselling books: Crush It!, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, AskGaryVee
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Sports Cards & NFTs
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Prominent in the sports card boom (2019–2021), often credited with helping revive interest in collecting
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Launched VeeFriends, an NFT project combining IP and community
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Owner of Sports Teams
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Publicly stated his long-term goal is to buy the New York Jets
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🔸 Why He’s Controversial or Criticized
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"Hustle culture" mindset: Some say it's unrealistic or promotes burnout
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Hype cycles: Criticized for fueling speculative bubbles (e.g., NFTs, sports cards)
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Marketing-heavy approach: Some argue he sells ambition more than tangible advice
âś… Summary
Gary Vee is a savvy marketer, investor, and trend spotter who has successfully built multiple businesses and a massive personal brand. Whether you see him as a visionary or a hype machine often depends on your view of hustle culture and speculative markets.
VeeFriends trading cards are collectible cards based on the VeeFriends NFT project created by Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee). These cards bring the characters and themes from the VeeFriends digital universe into physical form—specifically as sports card-style collectibles.
🔹 What Are VeeFriends?
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VeeFriends is an NFT collection launched in May 2021.
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Each character (e.g., Empathy Elephant, Patient Panda, Gratitude Gorilla) is hand-drawn by Gary Vee.
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The project centers around positive traits and personal development, with each character representing a virtue.
🔹 About the Trading Cards
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Produced by: ZeroCool (a Fanatics brand)
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This was Fanatics’ first venture into non-sports/NFT crossover cards.
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First release was in March 2022.
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Design & Format:
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Sports card-style, premium design, foil parallels, and short prints
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Cards feature VeeFriends characters with rarity levels (base, rare, epic, 1/1s)
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Sealed Box Info:
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Boxes contain packs with randomized cards
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Limited print run—first set had only 10,000 total boxes produced
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Chase Cards:
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Autographs (Gary Vee signed cards)
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1-of-1s and low-numbered parallels
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Ultra-rare characters or serialized cards
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🔸 Market & Value
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Initially sold out quickly due to hype around Gary Vee and NFT culture
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Early boxes were flipped for 3–5x retail
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Secondary market values have dropped since the NFT crash, but rare cards, autos, and early boxes still retain some value
âś… Why It Matters
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VeeFriends cards are part of a broader trend of digital IP crossing into physical collectibles.
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Gary Vee aims to build long-term IP like Pokémon or Hello Kitty using these characters.
🔹 Sealed Box Prices
VeeFriends Series 1 (ZeroCool, 2022)
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Market Value: Listings on eBay show sealed boxes priced between $10,500 and $19,999 .
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Rarity: Only 1,000 boxes were produced, with 800 sold to the public, making them highly sought after .eBayVeefriends.com
VeeFriends Series 2 – Compete & Collect
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Green Debut Boxes: Available for around $360–$425 .
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Signature Editions: Priced between $370–$680, depending on the edition and seller .eBay
2025 Topps Chrome VeeFriends
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Hobby Boxes: Listed at approximately $439.90–$519.99 .
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Blaster Boxes: Priced around $123.49, offering a more affordable entry point .eBay
🔹 Individual Card Values
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High-Value Cards:
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A CGC 10 Gift Goat from Series 2 is listed at $4,500 .
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A 2025 Topps Chrome “Cynical Cat” Orange Magna /25 is available for $499.99 .eBay+1eBay+1
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Mid-Range Cards:
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Cards like the “Sophisticated Stingray” Gold Refractor /50 are priced around $99 .eBay
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Lower-End Cards:
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Base cards and common refractors can be found for as low as $3.99 .eBay
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🔹 Where to Buy
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eBay: Offers a wide range of listings for both sealed boxes and individual cards.