DropCatch is auctioning off its latest catch at the drop, the domain Mine.com.
Registered in 2000 before it expired at Spaceship, Mine.com has attracted numerous bidders that bid hundreds of thousands of dollars for a chance to own it.
With three days left until the end of the auction, the highest bid sits at $412,500 dollars currently.
But there’s a twist!
Just like high stakes poker, any bidders that want to buy into the game they have to be certified by DropCatch.
Says the announcement:
High Value Auction — Due to the uniqueness of the auction Mine.com, we are requiring all bids over $500,000.00 USD to have special approval from DropCatch.com.
DO NOT WAIT until the last few hours.
Contact DropCatch as soon as possible to start this process if you are serious about participating in this auction.
That’s a great layer of protection for the auction’s legitimacy that’s anticipated to get close to seven figures.
What could Mine.com be used for?
Perhaps it could be used for a personal data privacy platform, empowering users to control and manage the data companies hold about them.
It could also suit a cryptocurrency or NFT venture, evoking the concept of digital mining.
Another fitting use could be for a personal storage or cloud backup service, with “mine” implying ownership and security.
It would also work well for a psychology or wellness app centered on self-discovery, or even as a brand for lifestyle or fashion emphasizing individuality!
Who owned Mine.com before it dropped?
Mine.com had been in the possession of German inventor, Rolf Herken, founder of ViewMagic, a Bay area start-up. Mr. Herken worked for Nvidia in the past and spun ViewMagic out from Mine.
There are several registered domains linked to Mine.com: Minens.com, MineInc.com, Mine-Inc.com, and Mine.berlin; most of them do not resolve, indicating a broader web hosting snafu.
The domain’s last recorded web site was captured last December by Archive.org.
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5 Responses to “Mine.com auction requires special certification from DropCatch”Leave a Reply
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I would question why and how the domain ended up at spaceship and then left to expire. Something doesn’t add up there and it smells like stolen if you ask me.
JZ – The domain was transferred to Spaceship in March 2024 and kept its DNS settings until it expired in February 2025. At that time, the DNS was changed by Spaceship, designating it as an expired domain. Whoever controlled the Spaceship account received plenty of notices to renew it.
I agree that something is strange. It seems that the registration was not extended by one year when the domain transferred to Spaceship, and why would the long-time German owner suddenly move it from his German registrar to Spaceship, which is still mostly known in the domaining community?
Even if I could afford to participate in this auction, I would stay away…
Michael – There are some red flags but the transfer to Spaceship took place on March 18, 2024 which renewed the domain for another year.
Spaceship was one year old at the time with plenty of marketing outreach beyond domainers .
Overall, I agree that the fact this domain belonged to a (hopefully) still alive individual who might contest its sale creates a “hot potato” scenario.
DomainGang
Yes, I guess it must have been extended when it transferred to Spaceship. But the whois record at DomainIQ seems to show (mistakenly I guess), that it was renewed while it was still at Cronon:
Domain Name: MINE.COM
Registry Domain ID: 18986435_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.cronon.net
Registrar URL: http://www.cronon.net
Updated Date: 2024-02-04T08:14:43Z
Creation Date: 2000-02-03T11:46:28Z
Registry Expiry Date: 2025-02-03T11:46:28Z
Registrar: Cronon GmbH
Registrar IANA ID: 141
Registrar Abuse Contact Email: abuse-domains@cronon.net
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +4930398020
Domain Status: ok https://icann.org/epp#ok
Name Server: NS1.MINENS.COM
Name Server: NS4.MINENS.COM
Name Server: NS6.MINENS.DE
DNSSEC: unsigned
URL of the ICANN Whois Inaccuracy Complaint Form: https://www.icann.org/wicf/