It's that time of year again; the holidays are upon us. You know what that means: it's time to knock out some gift shopping!
These holidays, if you're hunting for goodies for people who are also into crypto like yourself, you've got plenty of good options. For today's post, I've created a quick guide to help you source thoughtful crypto-themed gifts.
Whether you're shopping for a seasoned investor or a curious newcomer, there's a little something for everyone below.
🔑 YubiKey
(starting at ~$50 USD)
Scammers are increasingly using phishing techniques to attack accounts that are underpinned by phone-based two-factor authentication (2FA) defenses. You can sidestep this attack vector altogether by switching to a physical 2FA system, and Yubico's YubiKey is arguably the most popular solution here.
That said, if you have any people in your life who are crypto professionals, a YubiKey is a good gift they can use to lock down everything ranging from their Coinbase account to their Twitter profile. Safety first, then teamwork!
🎮 Steam Deck (starting at ~$399 USD)
With some of the biggest games in crypto like Parallel, coming to Steam, the leading game distribution platform, it's an interesting time to stock up on a Steam Deck, the company's bespoke handheld gaming console. Accordingly, if your loved one is into crypto and gaming, and you're in the hunt for a big-ticket item for them, a Steam Deck will certainly wow. The base 256GB model currently has a $399 list price, though there are more expansive models like the 1TB edition, which goes for $649.
📖 Crypto Books
(starting at ~$16 USD)
Every year, books are a mainstay on my Christmas wishlist. If you similarly have any crypto-curious people in your life who are also big readers, you can't go wrong with an interesting book!
For the more technically inclined, I recommend Mastering Ethereum by Andreas Antonopoulos and Gavin Wood as a solid starting point. For non-fiction intrigues, The Infinite Machine by Camila Russo and Out of the Ether by Matthew Leising are page-turners. If it's a fiction lover you're shopping for, you might try Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, which is considered by some to be the "first crypto book."
As for me, this year, I'm preordering Chris Dixon's Read Write Own, which will be out early next year and will explore blockchains as the next great evolution in the Internet Era. It's looking like a must-read, in my opinion!
🖼️ NFT Displays
(starting at ~$120 USD)
Are you shopping for a friend that's a big NFT collector? Then, a nice digital frame they can use to highlight their favorite NFT would be a big hit. Toward that end, Infinite Objects is one of the most popular NFT-friendly frame companies around, so it's a great starting point here. The service provides e-gift cards you can give to your friend so they can set up their own frames as they please. The frames themselves start out at around $120.
🎨 Onchain art
(starting at ~$12 USD)
For any crypto veterans in your life, consider the gift that keeps on giving: fully onchain art that'll always persist. Their onchainness grants these NFTs an added layer of collectability and makes them some of the most conceptually interesting creations on Ethereum today.
This sort of gift would be ideal for seasoned crypto adventurers who plan to be around for a long time and would enjoy long-term digital collectibles to accompany them like gems along the way. Some of the more affordable onchain collections you can consider are as follows:
- 👀 The Bold Ones (~0.006 ETH floor)
- 🧑🎨️ OKPC (~0.01 ETH floor)
- 🔵 Zorbs (~0.015 ETH floor)
- 🎢 Crypto Coaster (~0.02 ETH floor)
- 👾 Etholvants (~0.02 ETH floor)
- 🚇 The Metro (~0.02 ETH floor)
- 🧑🚀️ Avastars (~0.03 ETH floor)
- 💀 1337 skulls (~0.04 ETH floor)
- 😎 Posers (~0.05 ETH floor)
- ⛓️ ChainFaces (~0.06 ETH floor)
👩💻 ENS domains
(starting at ~$25 USD)
Registering a 5-letter ENS domain for one year on app.ens.domains costs around ~0.012 ETH, or roughly $25 at current prices. If you know someone starting out their crypto journey, registering and transferring them an ENS name can be a great way to help them set up their first onchain "homebase." Just make sure they have a good address to receive it at before you begin!
🔒 Wallets
(starting at ~$79 USD)
A hardware wallet makes it easy to manage and store crypto safely, so it's one of my favorite things to gift loved ones and friends who are just beginning to dip their toes into the space.
If you think your prospective giftee will enjoy a mobile experience the most, I'd recommend the Ledger Nano X ($149), as it offers Bluetooth support so you can readily and wirelessly sign transactions on the go. If it's the best bang for your buck that you're interested in, the streamlined Ledger Nano S Plus ($79) is a super solid option at essentially half the price of the X model. If you have a bigger budget and want to swing for the fences, you might additionally consider the GridPlus Lattice1 ($397).