Using both physical and digital methods, Americana’s “concierge vaulting” service aims to protect and showcase collectibles ranging from artwork to Rolex watches.
Precision authentication and climate control storage are combined with digitization technologies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to provide custody and liquidity options for valuable physical assets.
Americana CEO Jake Frey told Decrypt, “We are a team of collectors ourselves so we’re solving our own problems… to find the pain points and build solutions.” After launching with an initial community focus, the startup is now opening up its “phygital” vaulting platform more widely.
Physical items are first authenticated using specialized tools depending on the asset type. For artwork, an indenter machine takes multiple “molecular readings” at specific points to generate a digital fingerprint.
Once verified, collectibles enter temperature-controlled storage while also being digitized via 360-degree 3D imagery.An associated NFT serves as certificate of authenticity and ownership, backed by insurance and potentially creator royalties.
Frey said blockchain allows “using things that make sense to normal people,” citing vaulted items ranging from a Gucci cufflink collaboration to rare Pokemon cards and a Moto Guzzi motorcycle.
While traditional storage providers can lack accessibility, Americana aims to “provide the convenience of an online marketplace and the security of a physical vault,” according to Frey.
Americana’s hybrid system seeks to set a new standard for securely safeguarding and showcasing valuable physical assets while unlocking digital liquidity options through the use of NFTs and blockchain technology.
