NFT Project Plans Crowdfund to Purchase Cold War Nuclear Bunker in the UK

NFT Project Eyes Cold War Nuclear Bunker in Wild Crowdfund Plan

In a bold and bizarre Web3 twist, Solana-based NFT project Dead Bruv has launched a crowdfunding campaign to purchase a Cold War-era nuclear bunker in Rutland, England—by minting 100,000 NFTs.

The creators behind the darkly comedic, narrative-driven Meatbags collection plan to fund the bunker purchase through NFT sales starting April 21, pricing each at $14. Of the total supply, 10,000 NFTs will be airdropped to current Meatbags holders, while the remaining 90,000 will be offered to the public.

Purchasers will become part of a new decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) dubbed the Billionaire Bunker Club, which will democratically vote on the future of the bunker. Proposals already floated include a members-only survivalist resort featuring a “Doomsday DJ,” an end-of-the-world music festival location, or a quirky Airbnb complete with “caviar tastings and canned bean room service.”

Source: Meatbags

The target property, currently listed by SDL Property Auctions, carries a guide price of £650,000 (approximately $862,000 USD), with the auction scheduled for April 24. The 1960-built bunker once served as a Cold War monitoring post, one of 1,500 installations across the UK designed to detect nuclear activity and fallout. It was decommissioned in 1968 and sits on 1.4 acres near a former reservoir. The listing confirms that it has already received planning permission to be converted into a residence.

What began as a joke among the Dead Bruv founders quickly turned into a full-fledged plan. In an April 18 statement on X (formerly Twitter), the pseudonymous co-founder Robert said the project is about bringing back the fun and creative energy that originally defined the NFT space.

“There’s not much to compare this to,” Robert wrote. “But these are the kinds of things that made me fall in love with NFTs in the first place. Taking risks. Getting creative. Pushing the boundaries of what this tech can do to create something completely new, absurd, and incredible.”

He added: “When something comes from a place of, ‘this is completely insane, we gotta do it,’ that’s when I know we’re onto something.”

Source: Robert

This isn’t the first time a DAO has tried to use crowdfunding to acquire a unique real-world asset. In 2021, ConstitutionDAO famously raised over $47 million in Ether in a bid to purchase an original copy of the U.S. Constitution at a Sotheby’s auction. Although they ultimately fell short, it demonstrated the massive fundraising power of DAOs.

More recently, LinksDAO successfully acquired Scotland’s Spey Bay Golf Club in May 2023 and later claimed to have added the U.S.-based Hillcrest Country Club to its portfolio earlier this year.

As for Dead Bruv’s bunker play, it’s still anyone’s guess whether they’ll win the bid. But the project has already sparked excitement online, blending absurdity, nostalgia, and blockchain experimentation into one wild, meme-fueled mission to make NFTs fun again.