N FT price leader

Why are expensive NFTs so popular?

In the “most expensive” category, we almost always find artistic NFTs, which is why NFT’s sales are estimated in billions of dollars. To grasp the size of this market, it is fundamental to draw up an inventory of the most expensive NFTs sold in the world.

1- The Merge – $91 800 000

Beeple’s artwork “Every day” was before the end of 2021 the most expensive NFT art sold, until the artist Pak decides otherwise. The artwork “The Merge” is an NFT sold for the outrageous sum of $ 91.8 Million via Nifty Gateway. However, the difference lies upon the fact that this NFT was not bought by one, but rather 29,983 people, so “the Merge” sold out being split into 312,686 coins distributed to buyers.

The First Five Thousand Days – $69 346 250

Artist: Mike Winkelmann aka Beeple

This Beeple’s artwork was the most expensive sold NFT-art until the end of 2021. “Everyday” NFT is a painting that collects all 5,000 images he drew over 5,000 days in a row. This unique piece was auctioned by the famous Christie house for the tidy sum of $69 million. This NFT was bought by Vignesh Sundaresan who forestalled Justin Sun, founder of Tron.

3- Clock – $52 740 000

Artist: Julian Assange and Pak

4- Human One – $28 985 000

“Human One” is the second most expensive artwork of Beeple, who is second in the ranking of artists with the highest NFT sales volume. Auctioned through Christie’s for $28.98 million, “Human One” is a life-size 3D NFT that features an individual sporting a spacesuit that changes color (bronze or silver) according to the artist’s wishes. Beeple told he will upgrade this artwork throughout its life, so that this piece of art remains dynamic and crosses time.

5- CryptoPunk #5822 – $23 700 000

Artists: Matt Hall and John Watkinson, Larva Labs’s directors

This NFT is the most expensive of the entire CryptoPunks collection of this studio. Cryptopunks are also popular because they convey a particular nostalgia of the 80s, pop, punk, super pixelated video games. In this collection of 10,000 cryptopunks, the rarest coins are those that have the most unique characteristics. Cryptopunks basically come in humanoid forms, and some of the rarest pieces are zombies, monkeys and aliens. Aliens cryptopunks are the most expensive in this case due to the fact that there are only 9 of them in the 10,000 collection.

This cryptopunk #5822 is one of the nine aliens and wears a blue bandana. Its value mainly comes from the fact that it is an alien.

6- CryptoPunk #7523 – $11 800 000

Previously the highest in price of the cryptopunks collection, the value of cryptopunk #7523 comes from the fact that it has extremely rare characteristics: it is the only crypto that wears a surgical mask, which is eminently reminiscent of the pandemic, and it is one of the 9 super rare aliens. And in art, the rarer and more unique, the more expensive it is.

7- CryptoPunk #4156 – $10 350 000

This cryptopunk is unique because it belongs to exclusives: it is one of the 24 cryptopunks monkeys, and this NFT is adorned with a blue bandana and is estimated to be worth $10.35 million. Fun fact about this NFT is its value jumped in just almost one month from $1.17 million to $10.35 million.

8- CryptoPunk # 7804 – $7 560 000

This is the third of the most expensive NFTs from Larva Labs if we use ether tokens. This cryptopunk is one of the 9 aliens punks, which hence explains its exponential value. It has been fleshed out with other characteristics that make it unique: he smokes a pipe, wears a beret and sunglasses, which makes him an extremely rare piece. In the collection of 10,000 cryptopunks, there are only 378 pipe smokers, 317 with shade variations and 254 wearing forward caps.

This auctioned work was purchased by Dylan Field, CEO of Figma, a software company.

9- CryptoPunk # 3100 – $7 510 000

It goes without saying that Larva Labs artworks are establishing themselves in the NFT-art market. Cryptopunk # 3100 is so expensive because it’s the only punk who wears a blindfold.

Sold at 7.51 million dollars, the buyer of this crypto put it up for sale for a staggering sum of 90.5 millions dollars, so 35,000 ether. If anyone bought it, this crypto would become the most expensive piece of digital art sold in the world.

10- Right-click and Save As guy – $7 090 000

The creations of London artist XCopy use a decomposed aesthetic similar to the works of the painter Basquiat, but in digital form. XCopy mixes in his artworks kinds of distortions and noises on the image, characteristics of bugs or computer failure. These NFTs are highly appreciated and are typically sold for several million dollars. This one sold a month ago via SuperRare for 1,600 ether, so $7.09 million, was purchased by Snoop Dogg’s NFT alias “Cozomo de Medici”.

11- Ringers #109 – $6 930 000

12- CryptoPunk # 8857 – $6 630 000

This cryptopunk is also one of the rarest in the collection, because it is a zombie, and zombies are almost as rare in Larva Labs cryptopunks collection as aliens and monkeys. As of now, we have no information on either the buyer or the seller is (the seller is not always the artist of an NFT, the seller can be the previous buyer).

13- Crossroard – $6 600 000

This Beeple’s NFT is his third most expensive. This cartoonish artistic piece of Donald Trump called “crossroad” highlights a succession of messages hostile to him. This very original artwork was designed to change depending on the outcome of the US presidential election. If the outgoing president had won the election, the final facet of the work would have featured Donald Trump wearing a crown on his head and going through flames.

14- Ocean Front – $6 000 000

This other Beeple’s creation is emblematic and significant for the message it carries. It is an artwork that tends to portray the stakes of climate challenge facing the world. The tilted tree and the mushrooms standing above containers, all in the middle of an almost oily ocean, reminiscent of oil disasters, are meaningful in this time more than shaken by climate change. The owner of this symbolic artwork purchased for the tidy sum of 6 million dollars is the founder of Tron Foundation, Justin Sun. This sale’s profits were donated to a non-profit organization called the Open Earth Foundation which fights against global warming and climate change.

15- CryptoPunk # 5217 – $5 440 000

Also belonging to the 24 monkeys of the cryptopunks, this one sports a red cap and a golden necklace, which makes it quite different from other cryptopunks. It is all about the details. It was purchased in July for the sum of 5.44 million dollars.

16- World Wide Web Source Code – $5 430 000

Author: Tim Berners-Lee

The Word Wide Web (WWW) created in 1990 is based on an information-sharing resource that can facilitate communication between scientists and allow rapid access to information, regardless of where they are located.

Tim Berners-Lee therefore put the source code of his WWW platform up for sale in an NFT form, which of course questioned many people. This work sold for 5.43 million dollars and called “This Changes Everything” is primarily an artistic reproduction of the actual real source code. The code on the artwork contains errors and it is not technically the same source code.

17- CryptoPunk # 7252 – $5 330 000

This crypto is one of the only 9 aliens CryptoPunks, and has battle red eyes and hair, a golden earring, and a beard. First bought for the sum of 2.5 million dollars, this crypto was then in August 2021 resold by its owner for the sum of 5.33 million dollars, turned out to be a really nice investment.

18- A Coin for the Free Man – $5 300 000

This is another XCopy’s creation which was sold for 5.3 million dollars. This is as well one of the most expensive NFTs.

19- Stay Free – $5 270 000

Artist: Edward Snowden, an American computer scientist and whistleblower

This NFT is a textual portrayal of its own artist Edward Snowden in connection with the US Court of Appeals ruling on the NSA phone call tapes case.

This very symbolic and representative artwork defending freedom of speech in the United States was auctioned off by the artist himself and was purchased for the price of $ 5.27 million. Benefits from this auction went to the Freedom of the Press Foundation, a non-profit organization that fights for freedom of speech.

20- CryptoPunk # 2338 – $4 400 000

It goes without saying that CryptoPunks dominate the NFTs market. Established in 2017, CryptoPunks are the highest priced collection in the NFT market.

This Punk is one of the 88 zombies of the 10,000 cryptopunks collection. He is also one of the 4 zombies to have a hawk, which therefore makes him more expensive.

21- Jack Dorsey’s first tweet – $2 900 000

This NFT was submitted by Sina Estavi, an entrepreneur and CEO of Bridge Oracle, for the staggering sum of 2.5 million dollars and was ultimately purchased for 2.9 million dollars.

22- Rick and Morty collection – $2 300 000

Artist: Justin Roiland, Rick et Morty TV show’s author

This collection called “Smintons” by artist Justin Roiland is a caricature from the animated TV show The Simpsons.

A fraction of the profits linked to the sale of this expensive NFT helped supporting a philanthropic action: assist the homeless in Los Angeles city.

23- Lands on Axie Infinity – $1 600 000

24 – CryptoPunk # 6965 – $1 440 000

This punk is one of the 24 monkeys in the 10,000 CryptoPunks collection, and rarity means high price. This NFT was sold in February for 1.8 million dollars, so 800 ETH. Since it was put up for sale again, its price has climbed to 1,500 ETH, or just over 6 million dollars.

25- CryptoPunk # 2890 – $1 090 000

We find this punk rather in the 9 aliens category of the cryptopunks collection and this one is worth 1.09 million dollars. This is also one of the most expensive NFTs.

26- Dragon CryptoKitty – $1 080 000

Artist: Dapper Labs

Ringers #109 — $ 6,9 млн

CryptoPunk #5217 — $5,4 млн

От Криптопанков в нашем топе присутствует еще один NFT токен. Самые дорогие продажи в серии CryptoPunks приходятся не только на инопланетян. Популярностью также пользуются панки-обезьяны. Так #5217, в красной шапке, стал на сегодня четвертым по стоимости токеном из коллекции.

Right-Click and Save As Guy — 7. 09M

Right-click and Save As Guy is an NFT image auctioned on the decentralized marketplace Superrare, sold for 1,600 ETH worth 7.09 Million on December 10 to Comozo de Medici.

Interestingly enough, the buyer’s alias belongs to no other than hip hop legend and world-class celebrity – Snoop Dogg.

How Do NFTs Get Value?

Like any asset, the factors of supply and demand determine the value of an NFT. Typically, assessing an NFT’s value is much easier when it represents a real-world asset, like real estate or a physical piece of artwork. Nevertheless, most NFTs exist virtually – they are not backed by tangible assets.

NFT collections differ in supply, and the units may display different features. However, other aspects affect the value of NFTs. For instance, capped series NFTs with specific applications appear to have more value. The project developers, artists, influencers, and community impact an NFT’s demand.

Generally speaking, an NFT’s value is significantly determined by its creators, utility, marketers, and its community. Although there are several examples of successful NFT projects, there are also thousands that haven’t managed to launch or hit new levels successfully.

CryptoPunk #3100 — $7,58 млн

Стоимость криптопанков зависит от редкости их атрибутов. Так, инопланетяне ценятся выше всего — их только 9 на всю коллекцию. CryptoPunk #3100 — инопланетянин с бело-синей повязкой на голове (что также встречается не часто). Благодаря “выигрышной” комбинации, этот панк и был продан за рекордную на момент совершения сделки сумму.

The Top 10 Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold (Updated September 2022)

Now that we have a better understanding of how NFTs attain value, let’s dive into the highest selling NFT in history. It is important to note that the prices cited in this article are based on the time of the sale.

CryptoPunk #3100 — $7. 57 Million

Rounding our Top 10 Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold list is CryptoPunk #3100, fetching $7.6 million during its sale on March 11, 2021.

#3100 is one of nine ‘Alien’ CryptoPunks that exist in the entire CryptoPunks collection, and forms the collection’s rarest punk type. It also features special attributes like a white and blue headband, of which only 450 out of 10,000 punks have – explaining its high value.

CryptoPunk #5577 — $7. 7 Million

Ranked ninth, CryptoPunk #5577 is testament to the fact that the NFT frenzy did not end in 2021. In February 2022, this piece sold for $7.7 million. Notably, the work was bought with leverage. CryptoPunk #5577 features the ‘Cowboy Hat’ attribute, and it was purchased by the founder of Compound Finance, Robert Leshner.

CryptoPunk #4156 — $10. 26 Million

CryptoPunk #4156 is the eighth most expensive NFT sold, and one of the most notable and recognizable CryptoPunks in the NFT space. Not only did renowed digital artist Beeple featured this punk in one of his art pieces, #4156 also proceeded to launch Nouns – another notable NFT project known for its unique release and astronomical prices.

CryptoPunk #4156 was sold on December 21, 2021, for a whopping 10.26 million dollars after some dispute with the creators over commercialization rights. The original owner of Punk #4156 had bought it for $1.25 million before selling it nine months later at a profit of almost tenfold.

TPunk #3442 — $10. 5 Million

CryptoPunk #7523 — $11. 75 million

Besides, CryptoPunk #7523 has other special accessories such as earrings (only 2559 punks have earrings) and a knitted cap (just 419 punks have knitted caps).

CryptoPunk #5822 — $23. 7 Million

CryptoPunk #5822 is the most expensive CryptoPunk NFT ever sold – the CEO of Chain, Deepak Thapliyal, purchased it for $23.7 million in February 2022. Also an ‘Alien’ CryptoPunk, it fetched a high amount because it forms the collection’s rarest Punk Type being only one of nine only punks in the entire 10,000 collection. Moreover, #5822 is among just 333 punks with a bandana.

HUMAN ONE — $28. 9 Million

This is the first real-world artwork of Beeple – a 3D moving sculpture with four screens. It shows an infinite film of an astronaut exploring places at different times. HUMAN ONE NFT reveals the creator’s artistic determination outside the digital space. It is thought that the inspiration behind it originates from tests merging several televisions into several shapes and patterns.

It’s important to note that this piece changes with time. While Beeple lacks the ownership rights of HUMAN ONE, he remotely accesses and updates it regularly. The piece received a bid of $25 million at Christie’s auction in November 2021, which accumulated to $28.9 million when fees were included.

Clock — $52. 7 Million

Assange is still in prison on charges of spying on the US government, primarily through the WikiLeaks website he started. The piece is basically a clock showing the days since Assange was imprisoned.

The Clock NFT sold for $52.7 million (16,953 ETH) in February 2022 to AssangeDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) created to manage the sale. Apart from designing The Clock, the creators also permitted people to develop a series of NFTs with censored messages for free. The earnings from the series are channeled to pro-freedom organizations the creators choose.

The First 5000 Days — $69. 3 Million

The Merge — $91. 8 Million

The Merge is a virtual artwork designed by an unknown artist nicknamed Pak. It was auctioned on December 6, 2021, for $91.8 million on the Nifty Gateway marketplace. The Merge was divided into 312,686 pieces and circulated to 28,983 investors; in other words, this NFT was a collection of works people could purchase.

The Merge comprises three big white masses containing a black background. The more mass investors acquired, the bigger their mass would become. Besides, the piece has an inbuilt scarcity mechanism, which ensures its token supply declines with time. Each transferred Merge token unites with the token of the recipient address, leading to more mass value and one token.

UkraineDAO PartyBid — $6. 7 Million

An NFT representing the Ukrainian flag was auctioned for $6.75 million in March 2022. The earnings were channeled to Come Back Alive, an entity responsible for giving provisions to Ukrainian citizens and the military.

UkraineDAO managed the auction, a fundraising campaign steered by Russian art collective Pussy Riot and NFT studio Trippy Labs. The winning bid was placed by a pool of 3,271 contributors through PartyBid.

The relevance of the bid and the unique mechanism of PartyBid definitely enabled the NFT to gain a high valuation. The sale further set a precedent for fundraising methods to incentivize even great prices potentially. While this piece doesn’t make it to the top 10 most expensive NFTs sold, it is an honorable mention of its special fundraising goal and the crowdfunded auction.

«Ocean Front» от Beeple — $6 млн

Работа посвящена проблеме изменения климата и защите окружающей среды. Это мрачный антиутопичный пейзаж, в центре которого изображены старые грузовые контейнеры и произрастающее из них дерево.

Как и некоторые другие самые дорогие NFT токены из этой подборки, картина была продана весной 2021 года. Beeple обещал передать вырученные средства на благотворительность.

9 – This Changed Everything — $5

The NFT comes with several perks for the owner, like a letter written by Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, an English computer scientist and the inventor of the internet, a digital poster of the code written by him, and time-stamped documents recording the history of the internet in its early days.

Первый твит Джека Дорси — $2,9 млн

В качестве заключения скажем, что NFT картинки c токенами только набирают популярность. Самые дорогие из них, по оценкам экспертов, в 2022 году могут перешагнуть цену в 100 миллионов долларов.

Replicator от Mad Dog Jones — $4,1 млн

“Репликатор” — самовоспроизводящийся NFT. Всего токен состоит из 7 поколений. Первое должно создать 6 уникальных изображений — по одному в месяц. Каждое следующее поколение будет производить на одно изображение меньше. Все версии арта будет объединять образ принтера, установленного в одном из офисов Лос-Анджелеса. Таким образом, самые дорогие nft токены — это не просто фото или картины. Это цифровые произведения искусства, живущие “своей жизнью”.

The First 5000 Days” от Beeple — $69,3 млн

До недавнего времени именно эта картина считалась рекордсменом по стоимости NFT. Токен от художника Beeple представляет собой коллаж из 5000 разобранных по цветам фотографий, которые автор делал ежедневно на протяжении 13 лет. Работа была продана на аукционе Christie’s в апреле 2021 пользователю Metakovan.

Вопрос-ответ

Самый дорогой токен NTF – картинка Everydays: The First 5000 Days была куплена на аукционе Christie’s и перепродана за 69 млн. долларов.

Какая самая дорогая NFT картина?

Все тот же цифровой арт – Everydays: The First 5000 Days. Являет собой коллаж из 5 тысяч работ художника под псевдонимом Beeple.

Какой самый дорогой NFT-токен коллекции Криптопанк?

Cryptopunk номер 3100 был продан за 4,2 тысячи Эфира, или 7,58 миллионов долларов на момент совершения сделки.

Широкие массы услышали о технологии NFT на пике хайпа в 2021 году, когда СМИ начали трубить о многомиллионных сделках по покупке-продаже невзаимозаменяемых токенов. Впрочем, сама технология NFT была придумана и создана в далеком 2017-м.

NFT продаются на топовых аукционах (в т.ч. и на Sothbey’s) наравне с величайшими произведениями традиционного искусства. А суммы сделок по продаже уникальных токенов исчисляются 6-значными цифрами.

Для сравнения: за весь 2020 год объем торгов NFT составил 95$ млн., всего за полгода 2021-го, сумма сделок по покупке-продаже невзаимозаменяемых токенов превысила прошлогодние показатели в 26 раз, и составила 2,5 миллиарда долларов!

Сегодня свои NFT выпускают все: звезды спорта, музыканты, режиссеры, актеры и художники цифровой графики, само собой разумеется. Мы составили список самых дорогих токенов NFT по состоянию на сегодняшний день. Для большего интереса – отсортировали их в обратном порядке.

1 – The Merge — $91

These pieces could be stockpiled to make a bigger mass and sell it on the secondary market. By the end of the sale, a total of $91.8 million was spent, making it the most expensive NFT sold to date.

5 – Larva Labs, CryptoPunk #3100 — $7. 58M

CryptoPunk #3100 is part of the 9 Alien Punks series, and it’s slightly above CryptoPunk #7804 as one of the most expensive Alien Punks sold to date. #3100 is an Alien wearing a blue and white headband.

It’s worth noting that only 406 of the 10,000 CryptoPunks have a headband. It was first released in 2017 and rose to prominence with a $2 million bid in March 2021, eventually selling for $7.58 million that same month. The NFT is currently for sale for 35000 ETH, which is around $100 million at the time of writing.

As one of the pioneers in the NFT ecosystem, CryptoPunks seem to now be synonymous with NFTs and become a cornerstone to the Web3 subcultures. From rounding up the list of the Top 10 Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold, it is interesting to note that CryptoPunks dominate the rankings, with five from the collection making it to the top 10.

The total sale value of all five CryptoPunks in this top 10 list is US$60.8 million, which is almost 20% of the total sale value of all 10 most expensive NFTs ever sold.

At fifth position, CryptoPunk #5822 is the most expensive CryptoPunk ever sold. It is one of nine ‘Alien’ CryptoPunks that exist in the entire CryptoPunks collection, and forms the collection’s rarest Punk Type. CEO of Chain, Deepak Thapliyal, purchased it at approximately US$23.7 million in February 2022.

CryptoPunk #4156 is the eighth most expensive NFT sold, and also one of the most notable CryptoPunks in the NFT space – previously featured by renowned digital artist Beeple and associated with the launch of another significant NFT project, Nouns. #4156 was sold in December 2021, for US$10.26 million.

Ranked ninth, CryptoPunk #5577 features the ‘Cowboy Hat’ attribute and was sold in February 2022, for US$7.7 million. CryptoPunk #3100 comes close, rounding the Top 10 Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold list at 10th place, fetching US$7.57 million in March 2021.

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Josiah Makori

Sale details: Stay Free, created by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, sold to PleasrDAO for $5.4 million in April 2021. Proceeds from the sale went to the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

Why it’s valuable: An endeavor launched toward the beginning of the 2021 NFT boom, the NFT predates similar efforts to aid influential prisoners (like Ross Ulbricht and Julian Assange, who are also featured on this list) in their fights for freedom.

The token itself is represented visually by Snowden’s iconic Platon portrait comprised of the court documents associated with the landmark decision ruling the National Security Agency’s mass surveillance violated the law.

Dmitri Cherniak, Ringers #879

Sale details: Ringers #879, known affectionately as the “goose ringer,” is a single NFT from Dmitri Cherniak’s groundbreaking generative project that sold for just short of $6 million in August 2021. The buyer was Three Arrows Capital, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency investment firm.

Beeple, Ocean Front

Proceeds from the sale were donated to the Open Earth Foundation.

Why it’s valuable: The piece, which is part of Beeple’s valuable “Everydays” series, featured the caption “together we can solve this,” in reference to the climate crisis. The NFT came as part of The Carbon Drop collection launched by Nifty Gateway in collaboration with the Open Earth Foundation. Inspired by the conversation surrounding NFT’s impact on the environment, the collection included eight unique “carbon negative” NFTs in an effort to compensate for the underlying emissions from minting.

XCOPY, A Coin for the Ferryman

Why it’s valuable: Similar to his other high-value pieces, A Coin for the Ferryman can be traced back to the beginning of the enigmatic creator’s career as a crypto-artist. Originally sold for $139 in 2018, the piece wouldn’t change wallets again till November 2021, only days before the price of Ether reached an all-time high. As crypto prices continued to rise, the high-profile sale of A Coin for the Ferryman created speculation and renewed belief in the long-term value of 1/1 NFTs.

Ross Ulbricht, FreeRoss

Sale details: Ross Ulbricht’s first ever NFT, FreeRoss, fetched a whopping $6.12 million after being on auction for six days at the beginning of December 2021. Released as part of the Ross Ulbricht Genesis NFT Collection, proceeds from the sale went not only to efforts to free Ulbricht from prison, but also toward creating a donor-advised fund called Art4Giving. The fund is dedicated to relieving the suffering of the incarcerated and their families.

XCOPY, All Time High in the City

Sale details: XCOPY’s All Time High in the City sold for 1,630 ETH in January 2022 to rarecollector3000 just a few months after initially selling for 1,000 ETH. The animated artwork, which was minted in 2018, depicts the ferryman of the underworld transporting a man across the river Styx.

Why it’s valuable: Known for dark, abstract, and dystopian illustrations, the London-based XCOPY often uses motion, flickering, or glitching effects in his pieces. His style has become a staple of the NFT ecosystem, with countless artists and projects imitating his animated pieces in creations of their own.

6 million (4400 ETH)

Beeple’s Crossroad sold for $66,666 to influential collector Pablo Fraile. Only four months later, it found a new home with faceless collector anonymous10.

Why it’s valuable: Before NFTs had received any truly significant mainstream news coverage, Crossroad became a meme surrounding the 2020 presidential race. It was created as a reflection of the political tension in the United States, and Beeple says he had multiple versions of the piece ready, depending on who won the presidency.

63 million (2000 ETH)

Sale details: CryptoPunk #8857 sold for $6.63 million on September 11, 2021. The sale came as part of a string of buys that happened throughout the summer and fall of 2021.

Why it’s valuable: Zombie CryptoPunks are some of the most famous NFTs to date. Why? For starters, they come from one of the earliest NFT collections, CryptoPunks. Additionally, there are only 88 zombie CryptoPunks in existence.

The enormous price tag was also triggered by a legendary single-day sale in which prominent NFT collector Keyboard Monkey bought a zombie Punk and sold it less than 24 hours later for a profit of nearly one million dollars. It was what many would call the height of zombie NFT trading. Around this time in the zombie Punk market, we even saw the birth of prominent investor Cozomo de’ Medici with the purchase of CryptoPunk #3831.

XCOPY, Right-click and Save As Guy

Sale details: XCOPY’s Right-click and Save As Guy sold to Cozomo de’ Medici for $7 million on December 9, 2021.

Why it’s valuable: The legend of XCOPY’s “Right-click and Save As Guy” goes back far beyond the days of our current NFT ecosystem. It was minted years ago, on December 6, 2018. The iconic piece helped signal a shift in public perception about NFTs when it was featured on BBC World News, shortly after Beeple’s landmark Everydays auction. As this famous NFT art had only changed hands twice before this latest sale — first for $90 (1 ETH) and then for $174,195 (99 ETH) — de’ Medici’s buy marked more than a 3,500 percent increase in the value of the artwork.

Dmitri Cherniak, Ringers #109

56 million (4200 ETH)

Sale details: CryptoPunk #7804 was one of two major alien Punk sales to happen on March 11, 2021. Purchased for the equivalent of $7.5 million at the time, the 4,200 ETH price tag would amount to nearly $17 million at 2021 year-end.

Why it’s valuable: Punk #7804 has some rare traits, including being one of only nine aliens in existence. But the significance of this purchase goes far beyond the price. Almost immediately after the Punk changed hands, we witnessed the birth of NFT collector and social media influencer Peruggia (who has been heavily speculated to be the alternate account of prominent investor Robert Leshner).

57 million (4200 ETH)

Sale details: The second major Punk sale to happen on March 11, 2021, was CryptoPunk #3100. This also happened to be the last on-chain alien Punk sale of 2021. We wouldn’t see another change hands till the Sotheby’s auction of CryptoPunk #7523 (also on this list).

Why it’s valuable: CryptoPunk #3100 is one of nine aliens in existence, making it an obviously influential and rare Punk. Similar to #8857 though, no one came forward to give this high-profile NFT a personality via social media.

7 million (2501 ETH)

Sale details: This cowboy-hat-wearing punk sold in February 2022 for 2,500 ETH. It is believed to have been purchased by Robert Leshner, CEO of Compound Finance, who Tweeted an enthusiastic “Yeehaw” after the sale.

Why it’s valuable: It’s one of 24 Ape punks, and one of 142 with cowboy hats. As Ape Punks have continued to rise in popularity among the Bored Ape-dominated NFT market, it’s unlikely we’ll see many high-profile trades like #5577 for some time.

$10. 2 million (2500 ETH)

Sale details: On December 9, 2021, CryptoPunk #4156 sold for $10.2 million.

Why it’s valuable: Although CryptoPunk #4156 wasn’t the highest selling NFT from the CryptoPunk family, it was undoubtedly the most famous NFT trade for a Punk in 2021. That’s because bandana ape #4156 had become synonymous with the personality of prominent NFT influencer and builder Punk4156. As a result, when the sales happened, it felt like the end of an era.

$10. 5 million (120 million TRX)

Sale details: This rare “Joker” Tpunk was purchased by TRON founder Justin Sun in August 2021. Sun is well-versed in the NFT space. He was an active bidder on Beeple’s Everydays: the First 5,000 Days, but he was outbid by $250,000 at the last minute.

$11. 7 million (4700 ETH)

Known to many as the “COVID Alien” due to its prominent facemask trait, CryptoPunk #7523 was the largest punk sale of 2021.

Why it’s valuable: The original minter of #7523, Straybits, and the Punk’s second-ever collector, Sillytuna (who supplied it for auction), are both prominent parts of the NFT community. As a result, the sale was seen as a huge win for the NFT ecosystem and also as a major push towards mainstream NFT adoption.

$23. 7 million (8000 ETH)

Sale details: The most expensive CryptoPunk ever sold is punk #5822. The alien-style punk featuring a blue bandana sold for $23 million on February 12, 2022 — more than double the cost of the next highest-grossing punk.

The buyer is the

CEO of Chain, Deepak Thapliyal. He tweeted an image of his punk after the purchase. It came close to being the highest selling NFT at the time of sale, but it missed the mark by just a few million.

Why it’s valuable: Because it’s one of only nine aliens in the collection, it was bound to sell at a high price.

$28. 9 million (4700 ETH)

Beeple’s HUMAN ONE sold for $28.9 million on November 9, 2021. It was auctioned off as part of Christie’s 21st Century Evening Sale.

Julian Assange and Pak, Clock

Sale details: In February of 2022, Julian Assange and Pak’s Clock NFT became the second-most expensive single NFT ever sold. The NFT depicts a timer that counts the number of days Assange has spent in prison. It was curated as part of Pak and Assange’s Censored collection, which also featured a dynamic open edition.

The First 5000 Days – $69. 3 million (38525 ETH)

The most famous NFT sale (and the most expensive NFT sale to date) was Beeple’s Everydays: The First 5000 Days for $69.3 million.

Why it’s valuable: Not only was this the most expensive NFT sale ever, but the event created a snowball effect throughout mainstream media, and brought the term “NFT” into households around the world. Before Christie’s decided to take a chance on NFTs via its Online Auction, the act of minting, collecting, and trading NFTs was seen as niche at best. But after Beeple secured the biggest bag in all of NFTs, it was clear — even to Saturday Night Live

— that the time of NFTs had arrived.

Honorable mentions for the most expensive NFT sales

UkraineDAO PartyBid: $6.7 million (2258 ETH)

In February 2022, Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova, Trippy Labs, and members from the influential PleasrDAO came together to form UkraineDAO with the goal of raising funds for those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After days of collecting donations, Tolokonnikova initiated a PartyBid — which is essentially a way to crowdfund capital to purchase an NFT on auction — to purchase a 1/1 NFT of the Ukrainian flag. A total of 3,271 bidders raised around 2,258 ETH (just under $6.7 million). The timeliness of the auction and the unique mechanics of PartyBid undoubtedly helped the Ukraine flag NFT to sell high, and set a precedent for similar mechanisms to potentially incentivize even bigger sales. Although the NFT outsold number 20 on this list, it is included here as an honorable mention because of the unique situation surrounding the sale, as well as the fact that the purchase was crowdfunded.

Additionally, while these pieces didn’t make our list of the biggest NFT sales, they still sold at impressive prices.

Mad Dog Jones’ piece, REPLICATOR sold for $4.1 million in April 2021. According to the artist: “REPLICATOR is the story of a machine through time. It is a reflection on forms of past groundbreaking innovation and serves as a metaphor for modern technology’s continuum. I’m interested to see how collectors will respond as the work evolves and the NFTs in their possession continue to create new generations.”

This list wouldn’t be complete without some Bored Apes. Ape #8817 raked in $3.4

million at a Sotheby’s Metaverse auction in October 2021. The Ape sports a wool turtleneck, rainbow spinner hat, and silver hoop earrings.

Bored Ape #3739 sold for $2.9 million in September 2021. The Ape is a six-trait gold fur ape with a sea captain’s hat, a black t-shirt, and laser eyes. Based on these traits, Bored Ape #3749 is the 27th rarest ape, according to Rarity Tools.

FEWOCiOUS’ piece, Nice to meet you, I’m Mr. MiSUNDERSTOOD, sold for $2.8 million in 2021. The digital piece was in MP4 format. However, the winning bidder also received a lifesize physical sculpture of the same title.

The third most expensive NFT sale BAYC sale is #8585, a trippy rainbow ape that sold for nearly $2.7 million on Opeasea. The Ape has an elaborate crown, red heart-shaped sunglasses, and is posed biting its lips.

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated. A previous version listed Tpunk #3443. This has been updated to the correct number, Tpunk #3442

The Merge – $91. 8 млн

Этот NFT токен — самая дорогая картина не только в цифровом мире. “Слияние” — самое дорогое произведение ныне живущего художника в принципе. Строго говоря, The Merge — это не единый NFT. Произведение поделено на части — “массы”, которыми владеют 28 983 коллекционера. Торги за право владения частью картины были проведены со 2 по 4 декабря 2021 года. По их завершении “массы” в кошельках владельцев сливались в единый токен. Покупатель, который приобрел наибольшее количество “масс” стал обладателем “Альфа Массы”.

CryptoPunk #7523 — $11,75 млн

Самый дорогой nft токен криптопанк на данный момент. Коллекция CryptoPunks запущена в 2017 году командой Larva Labs. Всего существует 10000 криптопанков с уникальным дизайном. Изначально они раздавались бесплатно. Сегодня же некоторые экземпляры стоят миллионы долларов. CryptoPunk #7523 — это инопланетянин с голубой кожей, в красной шапке и защитной маске.

«Crossroad» от Beeple — $6,6 млн

Очередной токен от Beeple. На этот раз — с политическим подтекстом. Картина посвящена выборам президента США 2020. В исписанной оскорблениями фигуре угадываются черты Дональда Трампа, которому не удалось переизбраться на второй срок. Работа была куплена на бирже Nifty Gateway 25 февраля 2021. Как утверждает сам Beeple, если бы результаты выборов были иными, автоматически изменилось бы и содержание NFT.

7 – Art Blocks, Ringers #109 — $6. 93M

Ringers #109 was sold for 2,100 ETH worth $6.93 million in October 2021, according to Dappradar.

Самые дорогие коллекции токенов NFT

Выше, в ТОП-списке самых дорогих токенов NFT нам не раз встречались невзаимозаменяемые токены серии Криптопанк.

Коллекция из 10 тысяч изображений в стиле пиксель-арт была создана в 2017-м году студией дизайна Larva Labs забавы ради. Сегодня нам интересна эта коллекция по двум причинам:

Примечательно, что в свое время NFT Cryptopank можно было получить совершенно бесплатно. Популярность картинок, а вместе с ней и их цена начали стремительно расти после выхода публикации в журнале Mashable. Коллекционеры перепродавали токены по все большей цене. По итогам августа 2021-го, объем торгов токенами Cryptopunk составил $86 млн.

Каждая из 10 тыс. картинок серии – уникальна. Отличаются токены изображенными на них персонажами и аксессуарами. Это напрямую влияет на стоимость актива. Так, инопланетяне (их всего 9 в коллекции) ценятся выше людей.

Камень EtherRock

Коллекция с очень похожей на предыдущую историей. Серия ничем не примечательных картинок была создана в 2017-м. Коллекция включает в себя 100 изображений. Изображения являют собой рисунок одного и того же камня, отличающиеся цветом/оттенком. Стоимость каждого токена лежит в пределах от $96 тыс. до 1,9 миллиардов долларов.

Кому нужен рисунок камня? Тем не менее, в августе 2021 нашлись покупатели, которые приобрели NFT из коллекции EtherRock за 45 и 33 ETH, что на тот момент – эквивалент $103 и $135 тысяч. В том же месяце к ним присоединился и глава сообщества TRON. Джастин Сан приобрел NFT-картинку EtherRock за 187ETH, а это более 600 тысяч долларов.

Bored Ape Yacht Club

Токены коллекции Bored Ape Yacht Club не раздавали бесплатно. Авторы проекта провели публичные продажи 10 тысяч своих NFT-токенов, на чем заработали $96 млн. При этом, каждому покупателю было выдано зелье, которое позволяет получить дополнительный токен. Выглядит это следующим образом:

Среди известных покупателей токенов серии Bored Ape Yacht Club – баскетболист НБА Стефен Карри. Купленное изображение в качестве аватарки теперь украшает его Твитер. За  это удовольствие звезда спорта заплатил 180 тыс. долларов.

На сегодняшний день, самый дорогой NFT из коллекции Bored Ape Yacht Club продается по цене 999.9ETH или $3,1 млрд. Найдется ли на него покупатель – большой вопрос. В ту же очередь, все возможно в этом безумном мире.

3 – Beeple, Human One — $29. 98M

The Human One is a dynamic, life-generative sculpture created by Beeple. It consists of an astronaut wandering across shifting environments and can change depending on the artist — Beeple has promised to “update” the Human One during his lifetime so the art will never remain static.

The concept attracted numerous investors at Christie’s, but it was crypto billionaire Ryan Zurrer who snapped it up for $29,985,000 on December 9, 2021.

10 – Save Thousands of Lives — $4

Save Thousands of Lives is an NFT created by Noora Health, an organization that saves the lives of at-risk patients in South Asia. The artwork was sold for 1337 ETH, worth $4.5 million in May 2021. The profits were allocated to the organization’s program aimed at saving newborns’ lives instead.

Right-click and Save As guy от Xcopy — $7. 09 млн

4 – Larva Labs, CryptoPunk #7523 — $11. 75M

On June 2021, London’s auction house Sotheby’s saw CryptoPunk #7523, also dubbed “Covid Alien,” sold for $11.75 million, making it the most expensive CryptoPunk sold to date. The NFT belonged to a series of rare aliens, which consisted of 9 “Alien Punks.”

A Coin for the Ferryman от Xcopy — $6. 01 млн

“Монета для лодочника” — одна из первых работ перспективного художника, созданная им в 2018 году. Схожа по стилю с Right-click and Save As guy. Картина была продана в ноябре 2021 года и сразу вошла в десятку самых дорогих nft токенов, проданных за год.

2 – The First 5000 Days

Everydays: The First 5000 Days is an NFT artwork created by Michael Winkelmann, a digital artist known as Beeple. The artwork was auctioned at Christie’s with an initial bid of roughly $100 made by traditional customers.

But the bigger bids came shortly by crypto enthusiasts. Beeple was well-known in the crypto art community with six-digit sales like Crossroads, so it only took an hour for the piece to skyrocket to more than $1 million, with the final result being $69 million for the piece completed on the 21st of February 2021.

The First 5000 Days is an important artwork in the NFT community as it paved the way for mainstream audiences to explore on-fungible assets.

Fun fact: the art piece was bought by MetaKovan —the pseudonymous founder of Metapurse, an NFT investment fund. He wants everyone to download and copy the expensive artwork he bought. Why? Because he believes in free information.

«Stay Free» от Эдварда Сноудена — $5,5 млн

Скандально известный бывший агент АНБ и ЦРУ Эдвард Сноуден выставил свой NFT на площадке Foundation в апреле 2021. Работа представляет собой сканы страниц из постановления американского суда, объявляющего незаконной деятельность Агентства Национальной Безопасности. Сквозь строчки на бумаге проступает портрет самого Сноудена. Вырученные за токен средства были переданы в фонд Freedom of the Press Foundation, директором которого является Сноуден.

Human One от Beeple — $28. 9 млн

Третье место также принадлежит криптоартеру под ником Beeple. Произведение “Человек Один” состоит из токена с 3d изображением космонавта и физической оболочки — куба из четырех видеоэкранов размером 4×4 фута. NFT является динамическим. Бипл имеет доступ к нему и периодически меняет детали картины, проектируемой на экранах. Таким образом, токенезированое искусство выходит на новый, перформативный уровень.

8 – Beeple, Crossroad — $6

Crossroad is an animated NFT created by Mike Winkelmann, better known for his artistic pseudonym Beeple. It features the former US President Donald Trump laying on a field while bystanders ignore him.

It was sold for $6.6 million in February 2021 on Nifty Gateway, but the sale execution was made on the secondary market.

CryptoPunk #7804 — $7,57 млн

Панк, совсем немного уступивший в стоимости своему “собрату” — и только потому, что был продан на день позже, когда курс криптовалюты Эфириум по отношению к доллару изменился. Отличительные черты номера 7804 — курительная трубка, кепка и солнцезащитные очки. Многим пользователям персонаж напоминает Шерлока Холмса.