FROM THE ORIGINAL RIPPLEPUNKS FOUNDER
THE STORY BEHIND XRP.PUB
xrp.pub is a new project by the founder of the original RipplePunks collection. The launchpad grew from years of building on the XRP Ledger—and from a collection history worth preserving accurately.
From RipplePunks to xrp.pub
Before creating xrp.pub, its founder created and maintained the original RipplePunks: one of the early Punk collections on the XRP Ledger. The experience included building the collection, supporting holders, experimenting with royalties and navigating the community split described below.
The collection began with 10,000 original Punks. Another 2,001 were ultimately added during and after that chapter, bringing the final onchain supply to 12,001 NFTs. Because numbering started at zero, the complete range runs from #0 through #12000.
This single page combines the history with the recurring claims and the facts that remain verifiable onchain.
Building the collection
The project started as a collection of 10,000 NFTs. From the beginning, it was largely built and maintained by a single person, with occasional help from a handful of dedicated holders. Countless hours of development, community management, and experimentation went into the project.
Royalties were distributed according to a predefined system. These transactions are public and can still be verified on the blockchain.
Claims that the creator “stole the royalties” are simply incorrect. In reality, substantial amounts were distributed to holders over a long period of time, arguably even more than what was sustainable for the project in the long run.
Why the royalty system ended
The decision to stop distributing royalties was not made overnight.
By that point, the collection had lost most of its trading volume, community activity had declined significantly, and there was very little support left to keep the ecosystem alive. At the same time, continuing a royalty-sharing system also became legally questionable.
No holder was ever obligated to promote or support the project. However, as activity disappeared and criticism increased, it became increasingly difficult to justify continuing a system that depended on volume that no longer existed.
The end of royalties was therefore the result of multiple factors: declining volume, declining community engagement, and legal concerns.
The beginning of the CTO split
After the royalty system ended, a relatively small group of holders became dissatisfied. It is important to note that this group represented only a fraction of the original holders. Most original holders simply remained with the original collection.
Members of what would later become the CTO group threatened to move their punks into a stale wallet and launch a separate collection with newly minted NFTs based on the original artwork.
That announcement led to the response that, if the original collection were to be stalled, another 10,000 NFTs would be added to the existing collection.
Threats and the public response
On September 18, 2025, the creator published a public statement after receiving an anonymous email demanding 200 XMR—approximately $60,000 at the time—and threatening exposure to local authorities. The statement named several CTO-linked accounts and rejected allegations of wash trading or other illegal activity.
Statement published on X, September 18, 2025“Be aware: several CTO-linked accounts are falsely accusing and blackmailing me.”
“I have been receiving serious threats from the CTO community, specifically from Locutus, Ajay and Marine Park Transfers & Executive Travel. They are attempting to blackmail me for approximately $60,000, threatening to expose me to local authorities otherwise.”
“I am happy to show the project and its history to the local police, because I have nothing to hide. There was no wash trading or other illegal activity.”
“Now that the threats are appearing directly in my personal email—including photographs and phone numbers—and considering that they already sent another email to the local police two weeks ago, I can't stay nice anymore.”
View the original post on X ↗
The truth about the “extra 10,000”
One of the most common accusations is that the project randomly minted an additional 10,000 NFTs.
That claim ignores an important fact: the original 10,000 punks still exist exactly as they did on day one. They remain the original collection.
The NFTs belonging to the CTO snapshot holders were moved into a stale wallet. Ironically, this reduced the circulating supply of the original collection, increasing scarcity for the remaining holders.
The irony of the CTO collection
Perhaps the biggest irony in the entire story is that the CTO collection itself introduced the actual duplicates.
The CTO NFTs are newly minted tokens in an entirely separate collection. They are not part of the original contract, they do not share the original history, and they are not connected to the original collection in any technical sense.
The only thing they share with the original punks is artwork copied from the project.
In other words, accusations that the original project created “copies” ignore the fact that the only collection that introduced new mints and duplicate artwork was the CTO collection itself.
Closing the chapter
As time passed, it became clear that the CTO project failed to gain meaningful traction. Because of that, there was no longer any reason to continue the plan of replacing the stalled NFTs with another 10,000 tokens.
Instead, the story concludes with 10,000 originals plus 2,001 later Punks: the numbered range #0 through #12000 and a final onchain supply of 12,001 NFTs.
Punks on XRPL
Many narratives have been created around the collection over the years.
Some claim that the royalties were stolen. Others claim that the original collection was secretly reminted or diluted.
The blockchain tells a different story.
The royalty transactions are public.
The original 10,000 still exist.
The CTO collection introduced the actual duplicate mints.
People are free to believe whatever they want, but the facts remain permanently recorded onchain.
The original collection is now simply called Punks on XRPL. It is complete: 10,000 original Punks plus 2,001 later additions, for a total supply of 12,001 NFTs.
CLAIMS / FACTS / ONCHAIN CONTEXT
The recurring claims, answered
The history above explains how the collection reached its final name and supply. These are the direct answers to the claims that followed.
“The developer only came back because the volume returned.”
Did the developer return because trading volume increased?
No. Recent volume appeared only after the early-August 2026 announcement that the collection would be permanently finalized at 12,001 pieces. Increased activity followed that announcement and completion of the project; it was not the reason development continued.
“The project was abandoned.”
Was the original collection abandoned?
No. Development slowed because community support and trading volume had largely disappeared. The original collection was never officially abandoned. In early August 2026, the decision was made to close this chapter by finalizing the collection at 12,001 pieces.
“The plan was always to reach 20,000 pieces.”
Was 20,000 pieces always the final goal?
No. Expanding the supply was considered during the conflict surrounding the project. After it became clear that only a small number of holders supported the CTO split, the decision was made to permanently end the collection at 12,001 pieces.
“The CTO represented the entire community.”
Did the CTO represent all original holders?
No. Only a limited number of holders joined the CTO collection. The majority remained with the original project or simply moved on.
“The project suddenly came back to life.”
Why did activity return in August 2026?
Activity returned after the announcement that the collection would be completed at 12,001 pieces. The community responded to finalization of the project and the closing of a chapter that had lasted for more than a year.
“Punks on XRPL is still a one-to-one CryptoPunks derivative.”
Is Punks on XRPL still a pure CryptoPunks derivative?
No. New pieces and new traits were introduced over time. Anyone looking for a strict one-to-one derivative may prefer the CTO collection instead.
“The developer disappeared without explanation.”
Why did development slow down?
Support declined significantly, trading volume disappeared and the community became divided. Under those circumstances, active development slowed, but the project itself was never formally ended.
“The collection is still unfinished.”
Is Punks on XRPL finished?
Yes. The final numbered range runs from #0 through #12000: 12,001 Punks onchain. The story started with 10,000 originals, added 2,001 later Punks through a period of drama and division, and is now permanently finished.
“You bought the wrong collection.”
Did buyers purchase the wrong collection?
No. This is the original XRPL collection, with its original token history and onchain provenance intact. The CTO collection was minted later as a separate collection. People may prefer either project, but that preference does not make ownership of an original Punk a mistake.
“It is all on the ledger.”
Can the project’s contributions be verified onchain?
Yes. The ledger records that 50% of royalties were given back while the project was thriving. It also records the continued collection sweeps and giveaways made over time. These were not private promises or retrospective claims—the transactions remain publicly verifiable on the blockchain.
“The developer was the scammer ruining everyone.”
What was happening behind the public accusations?
While CTO-linked accounts continued publicly accusing the developer of scamming and harming holders, the developer documented an anonymous demand for 200 XMR—approximately $60,000 at the time—combined with threats to contact local authorities. On September 18, 2025, the developer published the allegation, the demand and a redacted screenshot of the threatening email. The full statement and supporting source material remain available on the Story page.