diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index d802e61..a1a9c11 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -118,8 +118,6 @@ exports.init = function (sbot, config) {
   var serveItems = createItemsHandler({
     sbot: sbot,
     defaultOpts: defaultOpts,
-    getMsg: getMsg,
-    getAbout: getAbout,
     addAuthorAbout: addAuthorAbout,
     renderItemGrid: renderItemGrid,
     wrapPage: wrapPage,
diff --git a/items.js b/items.js
index 0344eea..c0c00fb 100644
--- a/items.js
+++ b/items.js
@@ -9,6 +9,12 @@ var getFollows = require('./lib/follows')
 // kiosk feed ids: adding a kiosk means following it from the pub, and its items
 // appear here on the next cache miss. No code change, no edit to cust.ooo.
 //
+// ITEMS ONLY. A `nft: "give"` message is a change of custody, not a thing - it
+// has no photo of its own and describes an item already on the page, so showing
+// it here listed the same object twice. Custody is answered one level down: the
+// card links to the item's thread, where the mint and every hand-off since are
+// in order.
+//
 // Two facts about the data that this file depends on, both verified against the
 // live log and both easy to get wrong:
 //   * `custodisco` is the STRING "true", not a boolean.
@@ -45,14 +51,17 @@ function itemCaption (c) {
     .trim()
 }
 
-function isCustodisco (msg) {
+// Every custodisco message carries nft: "mint" or "give" - checked across all
+// 407 of them, none lacks the field - so matching "mint" is exact rather than
+// merely excluding gives.
+function isItem (msg) {
   var c = msg && msg.value && msg.value.content
-  return !!c && typeof c === 'object' && c.custodisco === 'true'
+  return !!c && typeof c === 'object' &&
+    c.custodisco === 'true' && c.nft === 'mint'
 }
 
 // ctx supplies the pieces that live in index.js's init closure:
-//   sbot, defaultOpts, getMsg, getAbout, addAuthorAbout, respond, toPull,
-//   renderItemGrid, wrapPage
+//   sbot, defaultOpts, addAuthorAbout, respond, toPull, renderItemGrid, wrapPage
 module.exports = function createItemsHandler (ctx) {
   var cache = null   // { at, msgs, feeds }
 
@@ -73,7 +82,7 @@ module.exports = function createItemsHandler (ctx) {
         pull(
           ctx.sbot.createLogStream({ reverse: true }),
           pull.filter(function (msg) {
-            return isCustodisco(msg) && authors[msg.value.author] === true
+            return isItem(msg) && authors[msg.value.author] === true
           }),
           pull.collect(function (err, msgs) {
             if (err) return cb(err)
@@ -81,10 +90,17 @@ module.exports = function createItemsHandler (ctx) {
             // whenever an old feed is backfilled. Sort so "newest first" and
             // the ?before cursor both mean the same thing.
             msgs.sort(function (a, b) { return b.value.timestamp - a.value.timestamp })
+            // Count the feeds that actually contributed an item, not the size
+            // of the follow set: the pub follows itself and publishes no items,
+            // so the follow set overstates it by one and would keep drifting
+            // as feeds are followed for other reasons.
+            var contributing = Object.create(null)
+            msgs.forEach(function (m) { contributing[m.value.author] = true })
+
             cache = {
               at: Date.now(),
               msgs: msgs,
-              feeds: Object.keys(authors).length
+              feeds: Object.keys(contributing).length
             }
             cb(null, cache)
           })
@@ -93,40 +109,11 @@ module.exports = function createItemsHandler (ctx) {
     })
   }
 
-  // A transfer carries no photo of its own, so borrow the parent item's and
-  // resolve the new steward's display name. Both lookups go through the LRU
-  // memos index.js already keeps.
-  function addTransferContext (msg, cb) {
+  function addItemContext (msg, cb) {
     var c = msg.value.content
-    if (c.nft !== 'give') {
-      msg.itemPhoto = itemPhoto(c)
-      msg.itemCaption = itemCaption(c)
-      return cb(null, msg)
-    }
-
-    var pending = 2
-    function done () {
-      if (--pending) return
-      cb(null, msg)
-    }
-
-    if (c.root) {
-      ctx.getMsg(c.root, function (err, root) {
-        var rc = root && root.value && root.value.content
-        if (rc) {
-          msg.itemPhoto = itemPhoto(rc)
-          msg.itemCaption = itemCaption(rc)
-        }
-        done()
-      })
-    } else done()
-
-    if (c.target) {
-      ctx.getAbout(c.target, function (err, about) {
-        if (about) msg.stewardAbout = about
-        done()
-      })
-    } else done()
+    msg.itemPhoto = itemPhoto(c)
+    msg.itemCaption = itemCaption(c)
+    cb(null, msg)
   }
 
   return function serveItems (req, res, query) {
@@ -151,7 +138,7 @@ module.exports = function createItemsHandler (ctx) {
       pull(
         pull.values(page),
         paramap(ctx.addAuthorAbout, 8),
-        paramap(addTransferContext, 8),
+        paramap(addItemContext, 8),
         pull(
           ctx.renderItemGrid(ctx.defaultOpts, {
             total: data.msgs.length,
@@ -172,4 +159,4 @@ module.exports = function createItemsHandler (ctx) {
 
 module.exports.itemPhoto = itemPhoto
 module.exports.itemCaption = itemCaption
-module.exports.isCustodisco = isCustodisco
+module.exports.isItem = isItem
diff --git a/render.js b/render.js
index 1bf4a3e..d6e7ea1 100644
--- a/render.js
+++ b/render.js
@@ -392,18 +392,6 @@ var styles = `
       text-align: center;
     }
     .item-photo-missing::after { content: "photo not fetched yet"; }
-    .item-card-give .item-photo { opacity: 0.55; }
-    .item-badge {
-      position: absolute;
-      left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0;
-      padding: 6px 8px;
-      background-color: rgba(33, 37, 41, 0.82);
-      color: #f1f3f5;
-      font-size: 13px;
-      white-space: nowrap;
-      overflow: hidden;
-      text-overflow: ellipsis;
-    }
     .item-meta { padding: 10px 12px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 3px; }
     .item-caption {
       line-height: 1.35em;
@@ -721,8 +709,9 @@ function renderShowAll(showAll, url) {
 // The custo item grid (/items)
 //
 // Cards, not articles: this is a collection of things, and a single-column feed
-// of 300 photos reads like a mailing list rather than an archive. A transfer
-// borrows the photo of the item it transfers, so the grid stays regular.
+// of 300 photos reads like a mailing list rather than an archive. Items only -
+// who holds an item is answered by its thread, one click in, not by an overlay
+// on the grid.
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 function renderItemGrid(opts, meta) {
@@ -734,7 +723,7 @@ function renderItemGrid(opts, meta) {
 }
 
 function itemsHeader(opts, meta) {
-  var counted = meta.total === 1 ? '1 item' : meta.total + ' items and transfers'
+  var counted = meta.total === 1 ? '1 item' : meta.total + ' items'
   var feeds = meta.feeds === 1 ? '1 feed' : meta.feeds + ' feeds'
   return h('header.items-header',
            h('h1', 'custo items'),
@@ -758,11 +747,6 @@ function itemsFooter(opts, meta) {
 
 function renderItemCard(opts, msg) {
   var c = msg.value.content
-  var isGive = c.nft === 'give'
-
-  // A transfer links to the item it transfers, not to itself: the thread page
-  // shows the mint and every hand-off since, which is the interesting view.
-  var target = isGive && c.root ? c.root : msg.key
 
   var media
   if (msg.itemPhoto) {
@@ -779,15 +763,12 @@ function renderItemCard(opts, msg) {
     media = h('div.item-photo.item-photo-missing')
   }
 
-  var badge = isGive
-    ? h('span.item-badge', '\u2192 ' + stewardName(msg, c))
-    : ''
+  var caption = msg.itemCaption || itemFallbackCaption(c)
 
-  var caption = msg.itemCaption || (isGive ? 'an item' : itemFallbackCaption(c))
-
-  return h('a.item-card' + (isGive ? '.item-card-give' : ''),
-           { href: opts.base + encodeURIComponent(target) },
-           h('div.item-media', media, badge),
+  // Links to the item's own thread: the mint, and every hand-off since.
+  return h('a.item-card',
+           { href: opts.base + encodeURIComponent(msg.key) },
+           h('div.item-media', media),
            h('div.item-meta',
              h('span.item-caption', caption),
              h('span.item-by', msg.author && msg.author.name),
@@ -795,11 +776,6 @@ function renderItemCard(opts, msg) {
           ).outerHTML
 }
 
-function stewardName(msg, c) {
-  if (msg.stewardAbout && msg.stewardAbout.name) return msg.stewardAbout.name
-  return String(c.target || 'someone').substr(0, 10) + '\u2026'
-}
-
 function itemFallbackCaption(c) {
   return String(c.text || '').replace(/\s+/g, ' ').trim().substr(0, 140) || 'untitled'
 }