CryptoPunks’ unique attributes sell for six digits or more
CryptoPunks, created by Lava Labs, are famous for being of the OGs in the NFT space. The collection of punks consists of 10,000 algorithmically generated 4*24, 8-bit-style tokenized and pixelated art images.
Developed in 2017 as profile picture non-fungible tokens (PFP NFTs), the NFTs are the first-ever digital assets to replace profile pictures on social media channels—for crypto enthusiasts to boost status and show off their purchases.
Nevertheless, it took a while for crypto enthusiasts to latch onto the trend. CryptoPunks mainly took the industry by storm last year, resulting in numerous punks selling for six digits or more. The rarer the NFT designs and attributes, the most desirable.
Here is a list of the most expensive CryptoPunks and why:
CRYPTOPUNK #5822
The most expensive CryptoPunks to date is punk #5822.
Thapliyal, Chain’s CEO, forked out nearly $24 million to purchase the punk wearing a blue bandana. The CEO used leverage through CompoundFinance to buy the digital art.
Only nine copies of these NFTs exist. Thus, Thapliyal bought the rarest kind.
CRYPTOPUNK #7523
The second most expensive is punk #7523, otherwise known as “Covid Punk”. It is the only punk out there that wears a face mask—a critical attribute for driving the punk to such high value.
The digital asset was sold as part of Sotheby’s Natively Digital auction in June last year. Sillytuna was the lucky buyer, who later put it up for auction. Unlike most other sales, this one isn’t prominent on the blockchain.
CRYPTOPUNK #3100
The simplistic design of CryptoPunk #3100 didn’t affect a generous sale. Reasons being, only nine of these alien punks model a blue and white headband, making it all the more soared after.
The punk was originally bought for around $2k in July 2017. However, it went back up for auction in March last year, reaching a sale of a whopping $7.67 million.
A bunch of nine rare punks also sold in an auction at Christie’s for a surpassing $16.9 million around the same time.
Within just seven days, CryptoPunks racked up an NFT sales accounting for $115 million in March last year.
CRYPTOPUNK #7804
Punk #7804 is another super rare character and is one of nine alien punks in the collection. In March 2021, CryptoPunk #7804 also set a new record for the industry, selling for $7.56 million.
Like 254 other punks in the collection, it wears a forward-facing cap. However, unlike others, the alien character has a pipe poking out of its mouth, making it rarer than most.
The time of this sale was a milestone for the NFT space. Beeple took Larva Labs’ limelight, selling his “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” masterpiece for a whopping $69 million.
CRYPTOPUNK #5217
Punk #5217 is one of 24 punks to fetch a high price at auction. The ape sold for more than $5 million.
Alongside 419 other apes featured in the collection, the punk wears a knitted cap. However, this ape also wears a gold chain, which only 169 other punks are fortunate enough to wear.
Subscribe to the NFT Lately newsletter to receive news covering the latest NFT-related drops, releases, reviews and more.
