NFTs are Collected — But NFUs Do The Work
The Seven-Level Hierarchy
Every NFU on the Emporium belongs to one of seven levels — from the platform root down to individual physical items. Each level is a separate NFU, independently ownable. Supporters who donate at a level receive ownership of their chosen available position — along with a thank-you perk: a portion of every transfer fee from all NFU activity that flows beneath it, redistributed automatically by the XRPL protocol.
- The platform operates entirely on voluntary donations — the admin can activate any level without redistributing fees at all.
- Donations at every level (Founders, Regions, Countries, Districts, Categories) help bootstrap the network and signal genuine commitment to the community.
- The suggested donation also acts as an anti-spam deterrent — keeping the hierarchy purposeful and occupied only by those who intend to support and promote their territory or category.
- A donor's contribution signifies their determination to support, promote, and provide services to the platform, the community, and their own field of interest.
- As a thank-you perk, ownership of the claimed position is transferred to the donor — and with it, the right to receive the redistributed transfer-fee portion from all activity beneath that position. This is a protocol-level mechanism, not a payment made by the platform.
When any NFU sells, the XRPL protocol automatically credits the configured transfer fee to the issuing wallet. The platform then distributes from that wallet to every level owner in the chain above the sale — protocol-enforced collection, platform-distributed allocation.
Founder positions are minted alongside the platform root at Level 1. Each Founder NFU carries a weighted perk allocation from the platform-wide transfer-fee redistribution — Bronze (1×), Silver (2.5×), Gold (6×). As a thank-you perk, founders receive a portion of all redistributed fees from every region, country, category, and item globally. View available Founder positions →
Platform Root
The root of the entire hierarchy. All NFU transfer fees collected by the XRPL protocol are routed here first, then re-distributed in XRP to hierarchy owners and the founder pool. The platform root NFU is held by the platform operator and is not for sale.
Regions
Six geographic regions covering the entire world. Supporters who donate at region level — as a thank-you perk — receive a portion of every transaction's transfer fee from all countries, districts, categories, sub-categories, and item NFUs beneath that region. Globally the highest-volume position in the hierarchy.
Countries
Each country has one NFU. Support at country level and — as a thank-you perk — receive redistributed transfer fees from every NFU sale in that territory. Own the United Kingdom and receive XRP from every UK coin, stamp, watch, and militaria NFU transaction on any marketplace, automatically, via the XRPL protocol.
Unclaimed countries can be claimed directly from the Browse page without admin involvement.
Districts
Districts subdivide countries by postcode area (UK), state (US), province (CA/AU), or equivalent local area. Own a district to receive XRP from every NFU sale — category, sub-category, and item — listed in that local area. A more focused, lower-cost entry point than a full country.
Search for your district and claim it directly from the Browse page. Pre-loaded data covers UK, US, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Italy.
Categories
Categories define the type of collectible within a district. Donate at category level and — as a thank-you perk — receive redistributed transfer fees from every coin, sovereign, or banknote NFU sold in that area. Specialists and enthusiasts can claim categories aligned to their own field of interest.
Sub-categories
Sub-categories allow deep specialist focus — for example "British Gold Sovereigns Pre-1900" within "Coins & Currency". Supporters of niche sub-categories receive, as a thank-you perk, redistributed transfer fees from a concentrated, highly specific area of the market where items often command premium prices.
Individual Items
An L7 item NFU is a digital identity for a specific physical object — a Victorian penny, a signed first edition, a vintage watch. It stores the item's name, description, high-resolution images, condition grade, year, material, dimensions, authentication notes, and provenance history on IPFS — permanently and immutably.
A QR code linking directly to the item's on-chain record is baked into the cover image at creation — visible on any XRPL explorer (Bithomp, NFTmaster) without needing the platform.
Sellers set their own asking price in XRP. The XRPL's built-in escrow protects both buyer and seller — funds are held until the physical item is received and confirmed.
When any NFU at L7 or above changes hands, the XRP Ledger's built-in transfer fee mechanism automatically routes the configured percentage to the platform's issuing wallet. The platform then distributes this to every level owner in the chain above that item — L6 sub-category, L5 category, L4 district, L3 country, L2 region — and allocates a weighted portion to the founder pool. This happens for every NFU sale at any level on every venue: the platform, the XRPL DEX, NFTmaster, Bithomp, or any other marketplace. No admin action required.