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Renowned British artist Damien Hirst has launched his own non-fungible token named 'The Currency' that will force buyers to choose between a £1,400 physical painting or obtain an online token instead.
Mr Hirst, 56, has started selling 10,000 non-fungible tokens - a digitised method of storing collectable unique assets such as works of art - that represent 10,000 of his unique A4 enamel works he made in 2016.
The physical works are said to be stored in an undisclosed location, within a 'secure vault'.
The $2,000 (£1,443) NFTs will contain high resolution images of both the front and back of the spotty artwork created by the British artist, who reportedly has a net worth of more than £315 million.
While the NFT's owners will be able to trade their asset freely, whoever is in possession of the token two months after its issue will face a difficult choice: Keep the NFT or the physical piece of artwork.
Damien Hirst, 56, (pictured) has started selling 10,000 non-fungible tokens that represent 10,000 of his unique A4 enamel works he made in 2016
The $2,000 (£1,443) NFTs will contain high resolution images of both the front and back of the spotty artwork created by the British artist
While they make look similar, the 2016 works were originally made using handmade piece of A4 paper, with each containing a signature, hologram and watermark of Mr Hirst's head.
No two colours used are the same, and each print has its own title.
Anyone hoping to grab their own print will have to fill in an application process that started today and lasts for one week.
Speaking in a video interview with the Financial Times, Hirst explains why he has opted for this 'experiment': 'I'm forcing people to make a choice. But the