7 out of the 10 most expensive NFTs sold are CryptoPunks—who are the curators of the remaining 3?
Considering the most expensive NFTs sold garnered up to more than six digitals alone, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are basically digital gold.
The digital assets became a hot purchase in 2020-2021. Like all new, trending things, many stars jumped on the bandwagon, like Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Lindsay Lohan and more.
So, let’s check out the top 10 most expensive NFTs sold to this day from lowest to highest:
10. CryptoPunk #7804: $7.56 Million (4200 ETH)
About the sale:
On March 11, 2021—alongside CryptoPunk #3100—Punk #7804 sold for a whopping $7.56 million (4200 ETH) alone, setting a new record in the industry.
What makes the NFT desirable:
Like many other CryptoPunks, Punk #7804 has rare traits, like being one of only nine of these aliens to ever be created. Similar to 254 other punks in the collection, it models a forward-facing cap. However, unlike other punks, it’s also smoking a pipe, which makes it rare, therefore more desirable, than most.
9. CryptoPunk #3100: $7.57 Million (4200 ETH)
About the sale:
CryptoPunk #3100 sold for $7.57 million (4200 ETH) on March 11, 2021—shortly after someone purchased Punk #7804 for a little less.
What makes the NFT desirable:
This NFT marks as being one of the 10,000 Punks released for free back in 2017. Following this, the collection became extremely popular amongst NFT art collectors, with most selling for around $1 million. CryptoPunk #3100 sold for $7.6 million due to being one of nine alien avatars ever released wearing a blue and white headband.
8. CryptoPunk #5577: $7.7 Million (2501 ETH)
About the sale:
Yeeehaw—this punk rocking a cowboy hat was purchased for $7.7 million in February 2022 by the CEO of Compound Finance, Robert Leshner.
What makes the NFT desirable:
Rather than being an alien, this Punk is one of 24 apes out of the collection. Moreso, it is one of 142 that wears a cowboy hat, making it a soared-after purchase.
7. CryptoPunk #4156: $10.2 Million (2500 ETH)
About the sale:
This bandana-wearing ape sold for $10.2 million on December 9, 2021.
What makes the NFT desirable:
The sale of this Punk NFT marks one of the most famous NFT trades for a Punk in 2021. The reason includ CryptoPunk #4156 was involved with issues regarding Larva Labs’ copyright policies, which led to the prices of Punks declining at the end of the year.
4. TPunk #3442: $10.5 Million (120 Million TRX)
About the sale:
TRON founder, Justin Sun, purchased this rare Tpunk, which looks much like the Joker, in August 2021. The buyer also actively bided on Beeple’s Everdays: The First 5,000 Days but was outbid by $250,000 at the very end of the auction.
What makes the NFT desirable:
The unique thing about this digital asset is that it is unique by representing the Joker. Moreover, it is a Tpunk, which is the top-tier collection out of the bunch of CryptoPunks.
5. CryptoPunk #7523: $11.7 Million (4700 ETH)
About the sale:
CryptoPunk #7523 was sold in June at Sotheby’s Natively Digital auction last year. The company lucky enough to win the auction, Sillytuna, later out it up for auction again, although not on the blockchain. The sale was seen as a big win for the NFT ecosystem regarding the push toward the mainstream adoption of NFTs.
What makes the NFT desirable:
This punk is the highest selling Punk in 2021 due to wearing a facemask representing Covid like no others within the collection.
4. CryptoPunk #5822: $23.7 Million (8000 ETH)
About the sale:
CryptoPunk #5822 is the priciest CryptoPunk to date. Chain’s CEO, Thapliyal, spent nearly $24 million to buy this punk modelling a blue bandana on February 12, 2022.
What makes the NFT desirable:
Regarding being one of the only nine aliens in the collection wearing a bandana, like CryptoPunk #4156 (but an alien rather than an ape), the likeliness of selling for a high price was pretty much guaranteed.
3. Beeple, Human One: $28.9 Million (4700 ETH)
About the sale:
On November 9, 2021, someone one the bid for Beeple’s HUMAN ONE as part of Christie’s 21st Century Evening Sale for $28.9 million.
What makes the NFT desirable:
The NFT is the first-ever digital asset of Beeple’s that also come with a physical piece of artwork-an electronic sculpture. The sale came not long after Beeple’s ever-so-famous sale for “Everydays: The First 5000 Days“, which can also be found on this list, so keep scrolling!
2. Julian Assange and Pak, Clock: $52.7 Million (16953 ETH)
About the sale:
Julian Assange and Pak’s Clock NFT hit the second-most expensive single non-fungible token sold in February 2022. AssangeDAO, a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) whose mission is to free the WikiLeaks founder, purchased the digital asset.
What makes the NFT desirable:
The Clock NFT consists of a timer that counts the number of days Assange has spent in prison. The publisher and editor of WikiLeaks is facing extradition to the US and 175 years in jail for spying.
1. Beeple, Everydays: The First 5000 Days – $69.3 Million (38525 ETH)
About the sale:
Last year in 2021, Singapore-based programmer Vignesh Sundaresan, who goes by the name MetaKovan, acquired Beeple’s Everydays: The First 5000 Days for a whopping 32,329 ETH ($69.3 million) at the world-renowned British auction house Christie’s.
What makes the NFT desirable:
The digital art is a large, square image file of 21,069 by 21,069 pixels. It represents a digital mosaic consisting of images Beeple has been creating since May 1, 2007. Therefore, the NFT is basically a digital sketchbook. And, like most sketchbooks, you can see the artwork excel as you get closer to the present.
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