Digital collectibles for a somewhat specialized class of NFT dealers and collectors, the Australian Football League's Ripper Skipper 2022 NFTs, have sprung into the market. And they are already sold out.

The AFL and Be Media, an Australian affiliate of the world's largest NFT gaming company Animoca Brands, announced Thursday the release of the first batch of non-fungible, limited-edition tokens from the AFL Mint.

This comes after the AFL's five-year deal with Animoca and the Perth-based digital agency was announced earlier this year, which gave the impression back in April that something similar was surely going digital.

"We do, however, know that they are based on the captains from the 18 teams in the Australian Football League thanks to press release material supplied with Stockhead and a small number of other media outlets," the AFL said.

There are 78 "big moments" to collect, representing various highlights of AFL team captains during the 2021 season. The NFTs themselves contain audio and video of the captain in action. 

The NFTs, which were released to the general public when they joined the allowlist, were available in lucky dip packs of three cards with varying levels of rarity for $49 each.

Around 90% of packs contain cards in the "Common" tier, 8% contain "Deluxe," and 2% contain "Ovation." Additionally, there is a 10% chance that one of the three cards in your pack will be a special, extra-utility carrying Genesis Ball NFT.

AFL Mint has ambitions to develop by adding to some NFTs what it thinks will be entertaining experiences for AFL fans, just sticking with the utilitarian premise.

For instance, game-day activities, tickets, original material, and player hangouts in the metaverse.

Kylie Rogers, Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial at AFL, stated, "Through our AFL Mint brand, we will debut exciting new moments throughout our men's and women's competitions, as well as honor past greats and other product launches that will bring a distinct fan experience."

The common word from both Jordan Fogarty, the CEO of Be Media, and Yat Siu, the Executive Chairman of Animoca, in their comments on the NFT drop was "enthusiastic."

AFLW Ripper Skipper is among the upcoming collectible releases for the AFL Mint program, and the AFL Mint Marketplace, where you'll be able to purchase and sell these items, is expected to launch in 2023.