When I was checking Twitter this morning, I originally got excited when I saw that Coinbase had announced that it was launching a new Ethereum L2 - named Base - and was celebrating by offering folks a chance to mint a commemorative NFT, mentioned as "freely mintable" in their Twitter thread. You know me - when I see the word 'free' from a source I usually consider mostly trustworthy, I head to check it out.

From Coinbase's press release:

"Today, we’re excited to announce the testnet launch of Base, an Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) network offering a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly way for anyone, anywhere, to build decentralized apps or “dapps” onchain. Our goal with Base is to make onchain the next online and onboard 1B+ users into the cryptoeconomy. In pursuit of this goal, Base will serve as both a home for Coinbase’s onchain products and an open ecosystem where anyone can build."

So, why not? Let's get a free NFT to celebrate. I head to the site, easily connect my MetaMask wallet, get ready to "purchase" my NFT, and...

...mint fee? Ok, maybe I should have expected that. But even for less than two dollars, this NFT isn't looking to be worth it for me. Out of curiosity, I head back to the Twitter thread to see if any other users have mentioned it, and, uh...check out these gas fees on top of the surprise mint fee:

and...

Disclaimer:  I am not a financial advisor. It's your responsibility to do extensive research and consult a professional before investing.

I've seen that the crypto community has been pretty excited about the launch of Base today, and the hope that it will be an important step for both Coinbase specifically and the crypto economy in general. So you might be wondering why I'm focusing on a measly little NFT out of all of the noise. I guess it's just the marketing manager in me: I get annoyed when I'm lured in with, perhaps not an outright lie, but with at the least a misrepresentation. Do better, marketing folks!

Anyway.

If you're like me and were planning on checking out this "free" offer today, it may not be worth your time. We still have a few days that this offer will be running (it's running through Sunday at midnight EST), so it's *possible* gas fees may go lower. But even still - I'll still be here questioning if even the ~$1.78 minting price is worth it.

What about you? Have you / will you pick up this new NFT from Coinbase? 

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Valdyr is a "crypto-curious" blogger living in Texas with her husband and their ancient dachshund, Henry. When she's not working as an audio/visual technician or stagehand, you'll frequently find her traveling, hiking or enjoying a good craft beer. For more reading, check out www.laurahofford.com/blog/