Candy Digital Looks To Innovate Nostalgia In New Baseball Hall Of Fame Partnership

As the Baseball Hall of Fame celebrates its Class of 2022 headlined by Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz, an announcement was made prior to the sport’s luminaries descending upon the rocking chairs on the back veranda of the Otesaga Resort Hotel. The venerable museum is embracing non-fungible token (NFT) technology by blending innovation with nostalgia. Candy Digital, a next generation digital collectibles company, will help bring history to life with a Baseball Legends Series that will celebrate iconic ball players and the recreation of rare historical artifacts. They will serve as the Baseball Hall of Fame’s official licensee of digital collectibles.

The partnership begins with a 2022 Hall of Fame ICON Series featuring 30 Hall of Famers. Digital packs will be offered in two formats beginning on Tuesday, August 2^nd. The first format will be limited to 1,500 in quantity as it will be a 10-ICON Pack with each containing 10 Hall of Famers priced at $249.00 per pack. The second format will be limited to 5,000 in quantity as it will be a 4-ICON Pack of four Hall of Famers priced at $99.00 per pack.

Like a traditional baseball card, digital collectibles vary in value based on rarity. According to Candy Digital, the 2022 Hall of Fame ICON Series will have five different rarities per ball player. A Core is a ball player card and two photos. An Uncommon is a ball player card, two photos, and a video. A Rare is a ball player card, two photos, one video, and narration. An Epic is a ball player card, two photos, two videos, narration, and ball player signature. Legendary also has a ball player card, two photos, two videos, narration, and ball player signature.

Each 10-ICON Pack will have at least one ICON with a rarity of Rare or higher. The 4-ICON Pack is guaranteed to have at least one ICON of Uncommon rarity or higher. There is a special aspect to the 4-ICON Pack, and it involves Ken Griffey, Jr. Baseball card collectors of a certain age fondly remember the frenzy surrounding Griffey, Jr.’s 1989 Upper Deck rookie card. Candy Digital has randomly inserted 24 ultra-rare Griffey, Jr. digital collectibles into the 4-ICON Packs.

To excite and educate fans about the new partnership, Candy Digital is offering a Hall of Fame Induction Ticket digital collectible free for anyone who visits the museum, retail stores, and tent surrounding the festivities in Cooperstown for a limited time. Fans will be able to scan a QR code and follow directions to redeem their digital ticket. The promotion will run from July 21^st through July 27^th.

The 30 Hall of Famers who will be honored in Candy Digital’s first collaboration with the Baseball Hall of Fame are as follows and identified by primary ball club and year of induction in parentheses:

Luis Aparicio – Chicago White Sox (1984)

*Johnny Bench – Cincinnati Reds (1989)

Craig Biggio – Houston Astros (2015)

*George Brett – Kansas City Royals (1999)

*Lou Brock – St. Louis Cardinals (1985)

Gary Carter – Montreal Expos (2003)

*Bob Feller – Cleveland Indians (1962)

Rollie Fingers – Oakland Athletics (1992)

Whitey Ford – New York Yankees (1974)

*Tom Glavine – Atlanta Braves (2014)

*Ken Griffey, Jr. – Seattle Mariners (2016)

Jim “Catfish” Hunter – Oakland Athletics (1987)

*Al Kaline – Detroit Tigers (1980)

Ralph Kiner – Pittsburgh Pirates (1975)

Barry Larkin – Cincinnati Reds (2012)

*Willie McCovey – San Francisco Giants (1986)

*Eddie Murray – Baltimore Orioles (2003)

Phil Niekro – Atlanta Braves (1997)

*Jim Palmer – Baltimore Orioles (1990)

Tony Perez – Cincinnati Reds (2000)

Phil Rizzuto – New York Yankees (1994)

Ryne Sandberg – Chicago Cubs (2005)

*Tom Seaver – New York Mets (1992)

*Ozzie Smith – St. Louis Cardinals (2002)

Duke Snider – Brooklyn Dodgers (1980)

*Warren Spahn – Milwaukee Braves (1973)

*Wille Stargell – Pittsburgh Pirates (1988)

Bruce Sutter – St. Louis Cardinals (2006)

*Frank Thomas – Chicago White Sox (2014)

*Robin Yount – Milwaukee Brewers (1999)

*: Denotes elected in their first year of eligibility by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA)

The casual observer might view the partnership as merely digital baseball cards of Hall of Famers using blockchain technology for something other than cryptocurrency. However, endless possibilities far exceed ambivalence. Candy Digital has already demonstrated excellence with collections for Major League Baseball as well as Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson. Most importantly, this is an outstanding opportunity for the Baseball Hall of Fame to engage with a new generation of tech savvy fans while establishing a place of prominence within the digital collectibles world.

A pilgrimage to the Baseball Hall of Fame is a bucket list item for every baseball fan. The village of Cooperstown exudes warmth, hospitality, and a profound reverence for America’s National Pastime. The residents meticulously preserve baseball’s rich and vast history while offering visitors with an unforgettable experience based on simplicity and civility. Sadly, the journey for many is an arduous task given the Baseball Hall of Fame’s location in central New York State and significant distance from an airport and train station. The reality is many baseball fans will never get to experience the magic and splendor of Cooperstown in person, but that could change thanks to Candy Digital.

Creativity will define Candy Digital’s partnership with the Baseball Hall of Fame. If done well, fans can build a lasting relationship with the museum without ever setting foot on Main Street in Cooperstown. Popular exhibits such as Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream or Babe Ruth: His Life And Legend could become digital collectibles. Fans could own a non-fungible token of the complete uniform Aaron wore on April 8, 1974, when he surpassed Ruth as Major League Baseball’s home run king or even the baseball Ruth hit for his 714^th home run on May 25, 1935. With over 40,000 artifacts and 3 million library items at their disposal, Candy Digital is staring at a once in a lifetime opportunity to revolutionize digital collectibles while providing fans with an unprecedented connection to the Baseball Hall of Fame.