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What is Marquise Museum (MUSEUM)?

Quick Facts

  • Founded: 2016 as an art business; blockchain integration in November 2017
  • Blockchain: Waves (primary), with Ethereum presence
  • Token symbol: MUSEUM (also referred to as ABTx-M2)
  • Backed by: A curated catalog of digital art NFTs
  • Trading venue: Waves DEX and Uniswap
  • Based in: Sweden
  • Patent status: Business method patent-studied in Sweden in 2018

Introduction

Marquise Museum (MUSEUM) is a blockchain-integrated art business that tokenizes a curated collection of digital artworks. The project uses the Waves blockchain as its primary platform, offering a fungible vault token — ABTx-M2 — that represents fractional ownership or exposure to a portfolio of NFT assets.

The project positions itself as one of the earliest examples of NFT-backed tokenization, claiming to be among the oldest ERC-20 NFT deployments in existence.

History & Background

Marquise Museum began in 2016 as a traditional art business. In November 2017, it integrated with blockchain by launching an Asset Backed Token (ABTx) on the Counterparty protocol. It was quickly reissued as an ERC-20 token and then ported to the Waves network for technical and usability reasons.

A secondary token batch was issued on Waves in early 2018 and later distributed to early investors. The project's underlying business method was submitted for patent study in Sweden in 2018, receiving scores across patentability, industrial application, and novelty.

How Marquise Museum Works

At its core, Marquise Museum operates as a fractionalized NFT vault. The MUSEUM token (M2) is backed by a catalog of NFT artworks published on platforms like OpenSea and Rarible.

The project features three decentralized NFTx swap funds — M1 and M2 on Waves DEX, and M3 on Uniswap — that allow users to tokenize cataloged NFTs at loan-to-value (LTV) ratios between 10% and 30%. This means holders can swap MUSEUM tokens for underlying NFTs, creating a bridge between fungible tokens and unique digital art assets.

Tokenomics

The MUSEUM token operates as a vault currency redeemable for NFTs from the Marquise Museum collection. The token's economic design links its value to the appraised worth of the underlying art portfolio. Token holders may be entitled to dividends, and the M2 token is also enabled as a sponsor token for Waves network transactions, adding a layer of utility within the Waves ecosystem.

Circulating Supply ? 659.70 million MUSEUM
Total supply ? 659.70 million MUSEUM
Max supply ? -- MUSEUM
Updated 3w ago

Ecosystem & Use Cases

  • NFT redemption: Tokens can be swapped for specific NFTs from the Marquise Museum catalog
  • Fractionalized art exposure: Investors gain exposure to a curated art portfolio without directly owning individual NFTs
  • Waves DEX trading: MUSEUM trades on the Waves decentralized exchange
  • Sponsor token utility: M2 functions as a sponsor token enabling Waves network fee coverage

Team, Governance & Community

Marquise Museum was founded by a single creator based in Sweden. The project has an active social media presence across Twitter, Telegram, Reddit, and YouTube. Governance appears to be founder-led, with no publicly documented decentralized governance structure. The community primarily follows project updates through the founder's social channels.

Advantages

  • Early mover: One of the earliest asset-backed token projects deploying NFT-linked fungible tokens
  • Real asset backing: Tokens are tied to an appraised art collection, offering tangible underlying value
  • Cross-chain presence: Active on both Waves DEX and Uniswap, broadening liquidity access
  • Utility within Waves: The M2 token serves as a sponsor token for network transactions

Risks & Challenges

  • Centralization risk: The project is heavily reliant on a single founder, creating key-person risk
  • Liquidity: Trading volumes on niche DEXs may be limited compared to mainstream tokens
  • Art valuation subjectivity: The underlying NFT portfolio's appraised value is inherently subjective
  • Regulatory uncertainty: Asset-backed and tokenized art projects face evolving legal and regulatory environments globally

Long-Term Vision

Marquise Museum aims to build a lasting bridge between the traditional art world and decentralized blockchain infrastructure. The project envisions its complete catalog of over 80 images, alongside audiobook and cryptobook NFTs, fully published and trading on major platforms. By maintaining a floor price index comparable to pioneering NFT projects, Marquise Museum seeks to establish itself as a recognized institutional-grade digital art vault within the broader NFT and RWA (real-world asset) ecosystem.

Frequently Asked Questions

The MUSEUM token (ABTx-M2) is a fungible vault token issued by Marquise Museum on the Waves blockchain. It is backed by a curated catalog of digital art NFTs and can be redeemed or swapped for specific NFTs from the collection.

Marquise Museum was created in 2016 as an art business and integrated with blockchain in November 2017. It initially launched on the Counterparty protocol before migrating to Ethereum and then to the Waves platform.

The primary MUSEUM token (M2) runs on the Waves blockchain and trades on the Waves DEX. The project also has an Ethereum presence and a swap fund on Uniswap.

The NFTx swap system allows users to exchange MUSEUM tokens for NFTs from the Marquise Museum catalog at a loan-to-value ratio between 10% and 30%. There are three swap funds: M1 and M2 on Waves DEX, and M3 on Uniswap.

Marquise Museum is based in Sweden. The founder submitted the project's business method for patent study in Sweden in 2018.

Marquise Museum claims to be one of the oldest ERC-20 NFT-linked tokens ever deployed, predating many well-known NFT projects. It uniquely combines a fungible vault token with redeemable individual NFTs from a curated art collection.

The MUSEUM M2 token is enabled as a sponsor token on the Waves network, meaning it can be used to cover transaction fees within the Waves ecosystem, giving the token an additional layer of practical utility.

The collection includes over 80 digital images, an audiobook NFT, and Viking Cryptobooks. A portion of the catalog has already been published and is actively trading on platforms like OpenSea and Rarible.