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This post, walks through the key decisions behind the token distribution, explains how the retrodrop was designed, addresses what actually happened, and shares what's next for $COMMON.
Since the launch of $COMMON, the community has raised thoughtful questions ranging from how the initial retrodrop was structured to what unfolded during its execution. In this post, we'll walk through the key decisions behind the token distribution, explain how the retrodrop was designed, address what actually happened, and share what's coming next.
TL;DR:
- 54% of $COMMON goes to the community over 5 years
- 10% is being distributed in Year 1 alone
- The first retrodrop (1.5% of supply) was just the beginning
- We caught and stopped Sybil attackers, returning 84M $COMMON to real contributors
- More rewards coming throughout the year—keep contributing
Community Ownership: 54% of $COMMON Goes to Contributors
One of Common's core beliefs is that communities should own the platforms they help grow. That's why over 54% of the total $COMMON token supply is allocated to the community over the next 5 years.
At launch, 47% of the total supply was immediately reserved for the community. That number will grow to 54% as more tokens are rolled out through governance and future distribution events.
Here's how that initial 47% was broken down:
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Why Year 1 Is Loaded
Rather than a one-time retrodrop, we're focused on sustained, long-term rewards for active contributors. 10% of total supply is being distributed to the community in Year 1 alone:
- 4.2% retroactive rewards
- 5.6% from the incentives pool (40% of 13.9%)
- Ongoing contests, quests, and participation rewards
Bottom line: Creating longterm alignment by rewarding ongoing contributions beat one off airdrops
Designing the First Retrodrop
The initial retrodrop of 1.5% of total supply (150M $COMMON) was designed to:
- Reward early builders and contributors
- Empower stakeholders who helped build the foundation
- Establish an ongoing di stribution model that values real participation
150M $COMMON was successfully distributed. Unclaimed tokens rolled back into future rewards.
Vesting Schedules: Community First
All stakeholders (team, investors, community) have vesting schedules. The community's vesting ends first, giving contributors direct governance influence sooner than any other group.
Trust Levels: Anti-Sybil, Pro-Contributor
To protect the integrity of the drop, we used Trust Level Multipliers:
- Reward consistent engagement
- Prevent bot farms
- Reflect real credibility over time
Your allocation depended on your contributions, not wallet count. Trust Levels didn't change the pool size—just how it was split among real contributors.
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How the Retrodrop Was Split
- 83% went to new contributors who joined via Aura Season 1, Aura Season 2, and the community NFT
- 17% went to historical supporters who've been with Common since 2018
Why the split? The community brought in high-quality new contributors in 2025, and we wanted to recognize both newcomers and long-time supporters.
Protecting Your $COMMON
During the retrodrop, we identified large-scale Sybil activity—bots and duplicate wallets farming engagement.
What we did:
- Reclaimed $COMMON before Sybil attackers could claim it
- Redistributed 84M $COMMON to legitimate contributors via a second drop
Result: Real contributors got what they earned.
What's Next?
This is just the start. Year 1 still has:
- 8.5% of total supply + reclaimed tokens ready for distribution
- More contests, quests, and participation rewards throughout the year
Keep showing up. Keep contributing. That's how we build the future of coordination, together and onchain.
Final Takeaways
- 54% of $COMMON will go to the community over 5 years
- 10% of that is being distributed in Year 1
- The retrodrop was just the beginning
- The retrodrop prioritized fairness, security, and long-term alignment
- More rewards are coming
So keep participating, contributing, and showing up for your community. That's how we'll build the future of coordination together and onchain.
