Investors and collectors of large sums of money continue to pour their money into non-fungible tokens, from cat memes to pixelated apes to popular NFT collectibles like the Boring Ape Yacht Club, and many more — we mean It’s a lot — punk-like incarnation.
In fact, despite the recent decline in NFT prices, sales are expected to surpass last year’s total, reaching $90 billion by the end of 2022.
But what is really driving the market, and what makes people willing to buy NFTs for tens of millions of dollars? What do you get when you browse the list of the top 10 most expensive NFTs sold so far?
10 Most Expensive NFTs
1. Consolidation – $91.8 million
2. First 5000 days – $69.3 million
Record after record, last year’s NFT art world really screwed it up. Pushing the market to its peak was digital artist Mike “Beeple” Winkelmann, who sold 5,000 collages a day for over 13 years, titled “Everydays: The First 5000 Days,” at Christie’s first auction It was sold at the meeting and became a household name. Digital Art Auction March 2021. The NFT was sold to Singapore-based crypto investor Vignesh Sundaresan, also known as MetaKovan, who is also the founder of the Metapurse NFT project.
As Christie’s describes it, “Single works are loosely arranged in chronological order: zoomed in to reveal pictures in sequence abstract, fantastic, grotesque or absurd, deeply personal or representative of current events. Recurring themes include society’s obsession and fear of technology; The quest and resentment of wealth; and the recent political upheaval in the United States.” In addition to being the second most expensive NFT sold to date, Everydays is also the fourth most expensive work ever sold at auction by a living artist.
3. The Clock — $52.7 million
The third most expensive NFT of all time stands out from the rest of this list because it is a token dedicated to social causes. The non-fungible coin, called “Clock,” is a joint creation of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and Parker, and depicts a digital counter of the days Assange was held at Belmarsh Prison in London, where he was held waiting Extradited to the United States on multiple espionage charges.
It was created to raise funds for Assange’s defense and was auctioned in February 2022 for the equivalent of $52.7 million to AssangeDAO, a decentralized organization (DAO) with over 10.000 Assange supporters ), which was formed for crowdfunding. The Clock NFT is part of a larger collection of NFTs called Censored, which contains more than 29,000 tokenized messages from buyers of the project. They can be viewed on OpenSea. Proceeds from this NFT series went to pro-freedom organizations of Assange and Pak’s choice, including the Wau Holland Foundation, which supports Assange’s defense. This is not the first time such an NFT initiative has been auctioned, as last year NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden raised $5.4 million by selling an NFT featuring his own face made from pages of a US appeals court judgment.
4. Humanity One – $28.9 million
Again on my list is Beeple, who seems to have a talent for making millions of NFTs – HUMAN ONE is no exception. The non-fungible token sold for a whopping $28.9 million at last year’s Christie’s auction. The auctioneer called the artwork “a successful follow-up to the artist’s infamous EVERYDAYS: The First 5000 Days,” and it’s not hard to see why. HUMAN ONE is a dynamic video sculpture with a corresponding dynamic NFT, called “the first 5000 Days” by Beeple. The first human portrait born in the Metaverse. The artwork is a mix of physical and digital technology, projecting astronauts in a seemingly forever changing landscape on the four walls of its 4ft by 4ft box. In addition, HUMAN ONE has a dedicated Smart contracts are coded in, which allows Beeple to remotely control what is being displayed. So, unlike other NTFs, HUMAN ONE is a digital artwork that is always “in progress” and worth the high price.
5. CryptoPunk – $-$-5822 – $23.7 million
There are some NFT collectibles that have achieved cult-like status, and CryptoPunks certainly top the list of the most popular coins, selling at record-breaking prices time and time again. Launched in 2017 by Larva Labs, the project is inspired by the London punk scene, the cyberpunk movement and electronic music artists such as Daft Punk. The most expensive CryptoPunk list (and fifth on the most valuable NFT list) is CryptoPunk #5822. The token sold for around $23.7 million in February of this year, and the price tag seems to have a good reason; CryptoPunk #5822 is part of the rarest alien version in the series, available in 10,000 units Only 9 of punks exist. On top of that, this token is one of 333 other tokens with headscarves. NFT was acquired by Chain CEO Deepak Thapliyal. Given its rarity, we can expect it to remain one of the most expensive NFTs.
6. Alien Cryptopunk – $-$-7523 – $11.75 million
Alien CryptoPunk is a rare commodity in the crypto world, which is why Alien Cryptopunk #7523 is the sixth most expensive NFT ever. One of only 9 Alien punks minted by Larva Labs, complete with exclusive accessories such as: earrings (2459 punks have this), knitted hat (419 punks have this) and medical mask (175 punks have this) ). CryptoPunk known as “Covid Alien” #7523 was acquired by Shalom Meckenzie, the largest shareholder in DraftKings.
7. TPunk – $-$-3442 – $10.5 million
We’ve seen why alien punks are so valuable, but there’s a different breed that’s also caught investors’ attention – TPunks. They are considered the CryptoPunks version of Tron. This one is particularly similar to the Joker, and while TPunk NFTs usually don’t sell much, TPunk #3442 was sold by Tron co-founder and cryptocurrency tycoon Justin Sun for $10.5 million in an auction held last year. Sun) acquisition. However, instead of keeping the token, he donated it to the APENFT market.
8. CryptoPunk – $-$-4156 – $10.26 million
Making this one of the highest NFT sales to date is – yes, you guessed it – another punk. This time it’s CryptoPunk #4156, which sold for $10.26 million last year. The auction comes as a pseudonym collector Punk4156 is disappointed with the NFT project and the way Larva Labs has handled communications, licensing guidance and community engagement. However, 4156 remains in the NFT space after gaining popularity as a thought leader and launching Nouns, an NFT project that is building open source IP.
9. CryptoPunk – $-$-5577 – $7.7 million
10. CryptoPunk – $-$-31 million – $7.6 million
Last but not least, CryptoPunk #3100. So far, we already know that CryptoPunks hold a special place in the hearts of NFT collectors and art lovers around the world, and the tenth most expensive NFT ever sold is CryptoPunk, which also happens to be one of the rare alien incarnations One, wearing a white and blue headband. Only 450 other punks have headbands, which makes CryptoPunk #3100 even rarer.
