This piece is unique in that it has both a physical side and a digital component that changes according to Beeple’s input, and will continue to change throughout the artist’s life. From innovative digital art to rare virtual collectibles, these collections have left the biggest impact in the NFT space and host some of the most expensive non-fungible tokens. This expensive artwork stands out among other NFTs as it is more than just a digital asset.
Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold [June 2022 Update]
- This expensive artwork shows an astronaut exploring places at different times, and it represents the artist’s determination to create artwork outside digital space.
- Deepak Thapliyal, CEO of a cloud blockchain infrastructure company Chain, purchased one of just nine alien avatars in the entire collection.
- This will give you a clear idea about the pricing of these NFTs.
- It looks like no other CryptoPunk we’ve seen before — and the fact that the purchaser paid so much for it could suggest they view far greater potential in it compared to the rest.
- For example, XCOPY’s NFT “A Coin for the Ferryman” sold for $6 million in November, even though it was only $139, or in crypto 0.5 ETH, when it was released in 2018.
- This token was purchased by Robert Leshner, founder of the Compound DeFi protocol who announced his move with a “Yeehaw” tweet as CryptoPunk #5577 featuring a cowboy hat.
- The tweet was sold through a platform called “Valuables”, which allows authors of tweets to mint them as NFTs and digitally sign them.
- Notably, the sale of TPunk #3442 for $10.5 million signifies the rapid growth and mainstream acceptance of NFTs within the art world and beyond.
Even after the 2021 NFT frenzy, 2022 saw no signs of seeing a slowdown in the interest for CryptoPunks with CryptoPunk #4156 selling for $7.7 million back in February. This token was purchased by Robert Leshner, founder of the Compound DeFi protocol who announced his move with a “Yeehaw” tweet as CryptoPunk #5577 featuring a cowboy hat. In fact, sales are on pace to surpass last year’s total and they’re on track to hitting a total $90 billion by the end of 2022 despite NFTs prices seeing a downturn as of late. This cousin of CryptoPunk, this Tpunk has become the 7th most expensive NFT ever sold.
- This collection is now one of the representatives of the NFT market, especially after it was widely advertised by different celebrities.
- “Human One” is the second most expensive artwork of Beeple, who is second in the ranking of artists with the highest NFT sales volume.
- That can happen by buying another Merge token and merging them, with the new mass being the sum of the two tokens’ mass.
- Aliens are some of the rarest on the Larva Lab’s collection—no wonder we have a second blue-faced character on our list.
- Like most NFTs, Human One is a hybrid design that combines physical and digital characteristics.
- This has breathed new life into digital stuff, making it valuable because it’s rare, one-of-a-kind, and pretty much impossible to fake.
- This surge in popularity and valuation reflects the broader acceptance and fascination with NFTs, signaling a robust market and an enduring cultural trend in the realm of digital assets.
Edward Snowden’s Stay Free NFT
Beeple embraced NFTs starting in 2020, and quickly found a lot of success in the space. His “Crossroad” animation, which features a grotesque depiction of former U.S. president Donald Trump, sold for $6.6 million. At the time of the sale in February 2021, Crossroad was the most expensive NFT ever auctioned. However, top-end CryptoPunks still reign supreme when it comes to PFP NFT collections and are a coveted status symbol in the crypto community. CryptoPunk #5822, which has the 8th rarest combination of traits in the collection, sold for a whopping $23.7 million in February 2022.
NFTs – Just Getting Started
Beeple has sold some of the most expensive NFTs of all time, with three pieces in the top 10. We’ve also seen multiple scams surrounding NFT and cryptocurrency projects, with influencers like Logan Paul coming under scrutiny after a documentary by Coffeezilla. During my period of writing this article and researching, I found the price of these NFTs to have a massive drop against the price that these were sold for. However, there are several other variables that influence the value of an NFT. This NFT was sold in December 2021 for 1,446 ETH and was won by @yfimaxi in an auction that lasted for six days and is now owned by an anonymous user. The Ross Ulbricht Genesis Collection is a collection of writings and ten artworks from his early childhood, to teenage and to a prisoner.
Crypto Predictions Newsletter
There is only one series, with a total of 10,000 NFTs that feature their very own unique expressions, colors, and even clothing! Furthermore, some of these collectible tokens were sold for over $1 million each, making them some of the most sought-after digital assets. However, based on our observations, the key factor behind NFTs’ popularity and value lies in their uniqueness and scarcity. The attention of investors has been significantly drawn to this space, especially when considering high-profile sales. The first-ever tweet was minted and sold for a whopping $3 million — although it didn’t even crack our list — showing just how valuable certain NFTs can be due to their rarity. One major factor that affects an NFT’s worth is its ownership history, since it records every transaction within its blockchain.
- “Clock” was an actual clock that depicted the number of days Assange had been in prison.
- CryptoPunk #5217 is yet another top sale from the famous collection, and a stagerring price for an item that was handed out for free when the project began back in 2017.
- Additionally, people assign value to any items they consider collectible or culturally significant.
- Beeple embraced NFTs starting in 2020, and quickly found a lot of success in the space.
- The NFT is a collection of animated artwork set to an original score by Grimes.
CryptoPunk and Beeple NFTs Featured at Sotheby’s Digital Art Day Sale
The number sounds massive and you’d to surprised to know that this was not the only NFT that was sold in millions. The whole thing consists of three, planet-like objects, basically masses that grow when someone buys their units. As many as 28,893 investors chipped in for the entire amount to share one NFT as a result. Furthermore, utility, rarity, tangibility, social proof, interoperability, ownership history, speculation, and many more factors impact an NFT’s value. Certain businesses can also benefit from NFTs when talking about market efficiency.
Have We Seen the Peak of The NFT Prices?
Each piece has its unique story, creator, and significance, reflecting the diverse and dynamic nature of the NFT space. As the digital asset market continues to evolve and AI enters, you will see many generative NFT art collections, but the above expensive artworks serve as milestones for the future of NFTs. The world of digital The Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold art has seen astonishing NFT sales, with artists like Pak and Beeple leading the charge in creating highly valuable digital artwork. The Merge, The First 5000 Days, Clock, HUMAN ONE, and CryptoPunk #5822 represent the pinnacle of this new form of art and are the most expensive NFT sales in this digital collectibles world.
#8 The Switch by Pak – $1.4 Million
BAYC (Bored Ape Yacht Club) is one of the most successful NFT collections of all time, and still commands a significant floor price. At the moment, the cheapest BAYC NFT available for sale will set you back a whopping 76 ETH (about $92,000 at the time of writing). NFT investors borrowed the term “blue chip” from the stock markets to refer to collections like CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club.
The Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold
It’s possible that the expensive NFT sales worth millions of dollars will never be topped, but is it really that bad? NFTs are still paving the way for new forms of artistic expression and empowering creators to reach wider audiences. I’m incredibly excited to witness the continued growth and development of this innovative market, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the world of digital art and NFTs.
#12. CryptoPunk #8857 – $6.64 million
Hashmask #9939 has been named ‘sex’ by its creator, which makes about as much sense as anything else to do with the project. Since launching in 2012, Bankless Times is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and informational content within the alternative finance industry. Our news coverage spans the whole crypto-sphere so you’ll always stay up to date — be it on cryptocurrencies, NFTs, ICOs, Fintech, or Blockchain. And while we are on the topic of CryptoPunks, number 7523 was auctioned off for $11.7 million, more than twice what the above Crypto ape brought in.
- The second most expensive NFT refers to the digital asset that holds the second-highest value among all non-fungible tokens sold.
- There is also a cryptocurrency called ApeCoin which is designed to serve as a currency in the BAYC ecosystem.
- The BAYC collection follows the blueprint created by CryptoPunks, in which an algorithm generates thousands of unique avatars and adorns them with traits of varying rarities.
- This CryptoPunk was sold in June 2021 at Sotheby’s auction Natively Digital.
- NFTs continue to bring revolutionary new means of digital art ownership.
- NFTs first came to prominence with the advent of the blockchain technology and the launch of Ethereum.
- When coupled with the limited-edition Alien skin, CryptoPunk #7523 is one of the most emblematic and costly digital creations that presently exist.
- This elegant red rose on a black background is one of Kevin Abosch’s most expensive masterpieces.
It was purchased by Deepak Thapliyal, who happens to be the CEO of Chain. After acquiring this rare figure, he tweeted an image of it after his purchase and almost set the world record for the highest-selling NFT at the time. Buyers could purchase tokens from the artwork starting at US$299, with the price increasing by US$25 every six hours during the sale period. By the end, the tokens in aggregate sold for a total of US$91.8 million, with 28,983 collectors snapping up 312,686 total units of mass, or non-fungible token (NFT). This digital artwork was spectacular because it was divided into 312,686 individual pieces held by 28,983 investors and collectors alike. Thus, it is fair to say that this is one of the most expensive NFT sales ever, marking an astounding sum of $91.8 Million.
Conclusion: Most Expensive NFTs
For others, it’s a scam, a novelty more appreciated by tech bros than by “serious” art critics. Whatever the truth is, their high demand and infamy must be noted. In addition, HUMAN ONE has a smart contract that is specifically coded into it, allowing Beeple to maintain remote control over what should be displayed. Unlike other NFT creations, HUMAN ONE is an ever-working digital work of art that is worth paying a high price for. Merge NFT consists of three large white masses located on a black background, and the more mass investors buy, the larger their mass becomes.
Instead, in-game items such as skins, characters, and other items are being sold. DLC assets can now be purchased in millions of copies, while an NFT asset is usually unique and exclusive to a single consumer. In October 2017, another old NFT project on Ethereum was launched. Called Cryptokitties, the blockchain-based game allowed users to trade virtual cats, some of which were going for up to $100k. As the popularity of the game grew, some of the virtual cats with higher rarity scores were even traded for millions of dollars, which made headlines across major outlets. In 2017, with the growing popularity of Ethereum, the first NFTs were launched on the Ethereum blockchain.
If the sale happens, CryptoPunk #310 will be the most expensive CryptoPuk NFT and the third most expensive NFT of all time. A user named “SillyTuna” sold the NFT to an unknown buyer on a US-based broker platform Sotheby’s. This NFT was sold on November 9, 2021, at Christie’s to Ryan Zurrer, a well-known name in the Web3 space. Not all the images are computer drawn, some of his hand-drawn work is also included in the compilation.
It encourages the consumer or rather the collective consumer to project his or her interpretation of value into the artwork. If the Beeple collage and CryptoPunks sagas haven’t awakened your sense of the surreal, then perhaps this next NFT will. Jack Dorsey, the luxuriantly-bearded founder of Twitter, is currently in the process of auctioning off his first-ever tweet as an NFT. And the winning bid so far stands at $2.5 million with five days left to go.
The First 5000 Days
The value is not based solely on the craftsmanship or materials, but on the prestige, the heritage, and the sentiment an enthusiast feels when they own a Himalaya Birkin. Therefore, Mr. Jones cannot claim ownership of Mrs. Wilson’s house and vice-versa. This time, the Ape Punk puts on a blue bandana and is probably worth more than many small-medium companies we’ve seen. CryptoPunk $7523 was acquired for $11.7 million by DraftKings shareholder Shalom Meckenzie. Belonging to the Alien series, it has somewhat different inclusions than its #7804 and #3100 siblings.
What is DeFi NFT: The Ultimate Guide 2024
As part of the 24-piece Ape Punk collection, this NFT is considered especially rare and sought after these days. What’s more, it is one of only 142 to feature the iconic cowboy hat style. While the NFT space has become quite saturated, a select few have taken the lion’s share and become worth millions of dollars. Here, we cover five of the most expensive NFTs to date, according to their sale price, and their impact on the digital collection space.
In November 2021, it sold for $28.9 million at Christie’s, a world-leading auction house founded in 1766. Human One stands out from other NFTs in this list as it includes a physical object—a video sculpture. What’s interesting about this NFT artwork is that each token was created to combine with other pieces in an owner’s crypto wallet. Each NFT merges with the token in one’s wallet, forming a single token with a unique mass value.
Ulbricht was given 2 life sentences for creating the famous silk road dark web marketplace, and the DAO supports efforts to free him. Purchased using funds donated to the AssangeDAO, the sale resulted from over 10,000 people banding together. Backers of the AssangeDAO fundraise to secure the freedom of Julian Assange. Another special thing about this NFT is how it can generate new NFTs on its own. According to the creator, Micah Dowbak, the process will continue over the course of one year.
