10. “CryptoPunk #7804” Creator: CryptoPunks, Value: $7.6 million

(Source: OpenSea)

CryptoPunks is one of the earliest NFTs in the world and also the pioneer of avatar NFTs. Their prices have skyrocketed over the years, and some, among all the 10,000 NFTs, have witnessed record-high transaction prices.

In 2017, Matt Hall and John Watkinson, co-founders of Larva Labs, created a program that could generate thousands of different, weird-looking characters. Initially, they thought these characters might be applied to mobile apps or games. However, the creation of CryptoPunks has actually changed the digital art market, which was still in its infancy then. As a model with a complete system, CryptoPunks deeply impact the public’s understanding of the concept of “ownership”.

CryptoPunks are a collection of 24X24, 8-bit-style irregular pixel images. There are 10,000 of them, each with its own unique, randomly-generated appearance and personality. The unique personalities are based on the different attributes of each punk, which differ in glasses, hats, hoodies, etc. There are 6,039 male characters and 3,840 female characters in total.

The #7804 is the sixth NFT in the CryptoPunk series. This alien punk is smoking a pipe and wearing a peaked cap and sunglasses. It looks like the American 5-Star General MacArthur.

The #7804 punk is owned by the CEO of the design software company Figma. He calls it “the Mona Lisa of digital art”. In March 2021, this NFT was sold at an astonishing price of $7.6 million.

The last transaction price of CryptoPunk #7804 was 4,200 ETH.

09. “CryptoPunk #3100” Creator: CryptoPunks, Value: $7.67 million

(Source: OpenSea)

This is another NFT in the CryptoPunk series.

3100 was sold when CryptoPunks became popular and a large number of users raced to purchase them. The transaction was filled precisely the next day after #7804 was sold, which broke the record set by #7804 with a transaction price of $7.67 million.

The last transaction price of CryptoPunk #3100 was 4,200 ETH.

08. “CryptoPunk #5577” Creator: CryptoPunks, Value: $7.67 million

(Source: OpenSea)

Even after the NFT craze in 2021, CryptoPunks could still create an amazing transaction price in 2022. In February 2022, #4156 was successfully sold for $7.7 million.

5577 is one of the 24 ape characters in the CryptoPunk series and wears a cowboy hat. It made another impressive transaction record in this series.

This transaction was initiated by Robert Leshner, founder of the DeFi protocol Compound. He tweeted “Yeehaw” after the transaction was successfully finished, as a way to express his feelings, which echoes the characteristics of the #5577 image.

The last transaction price of CryptoPunk #5577 was 2,501 ETH.

07. “CryptoPunk #4156” Creator: CryptoPunks, Value: $10.26 million

(Source: OpenSea)

4156 is also among the most expensive NFTs in the CryptoPunks series. It is an ape wearing a blue turban, previously owned by someone alias “Punk 4156,” who bought the NFT at $1.25 million in February 2021 and sold it for $10.26 million in December of the same year. The transaction brought him a healthy profit.

The last transaction price of CryptoPunk #4156 was 2,691 ETH.

06. “TPunk #3442” Creator: TPunks, Value: $10.5 million

(Source: OpenSea)

TPunks are the CryptoPunk-like NFTs on the Tron blockchain. Similar to CryptoPunks, TPunks have pixelated faces and different rarities. Among them, the rarest one is TPunk #3442, which was purchased by Tron CEO Justin Sun for 120 million TRX in August 2021, making it the most expensive NFT ever sold on the Tron blockchain. However, Sun did not keep the TPunk himself but donated it to APENFT immediately after purchasing it.

The last transaction price of TPunk #3442 was 120 million TRX.

05. “CryptoPunk #7523” Creator: CryptoPunks, Value: $11.75 million

(Source: sothebys.com)

Similarly, #7523 is an item in the CryptoPunk series. It set a new world auction record and remained the most expensive NFT in this series until the selling of CryptoPunk#5822.

The image of #7523 punk includes a very unique element - a medical mask, making it one of the rarest and the most expensive ones. It was sold for $11.75 million at Sotheby’s Auction House in June 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. This NFT could be sold for tens of millions of dollars because it is an ultra-rare alien - and also the only alien wearing a medical mask in the entire collection of CryptoPunks.

The highest auction price of CryptoPunk #7523 was $11.75 million.

04. “CryptoPunk #5822” Creator: CryptoPunks, Value: $23.79 million

(Source: OpenSea)

CryptoPunks, as the first batch of well-known NFT projects, hold the most transaction records in the “Top 10 Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold” list. And #5822 is the one with the highest value by far in this series, representing one of the first NFT series ever generated. It was purchased by Deepak Thapliyal, CEO of blockchain startup “Chain” in February 2022. #5822 is one of the rarest alien punk. There are only 9 aliens in the entire CryptoPunks collection.

The last transaction price of CryptoPunk #5822 was 8,000 ETH.

Finally, we come to introduce the top three most expensive NFTs. Many of you must have heard about them. Unlike CryptoPunks, which is a specific series of NFTs, the top three NFTs are, to a greater extent, works of art. Enthusiasts have given them more than just commercial value, making them extremely expensive and incomparable with ordinary NFTs.

03. “HUMAN ONE” Creator: Beeple, Value: $28.985 million

(Source: christies.com)

“HUMAN ONE” is one of the digital artworks by American graphic designer Beeple (Mike Winkelmann). This is a hybrid digital and physical artwork, and also Beeple’s first creation that combines digital elements with physical items. It is full of futuristic and technological elements.

Beeple is a highly influential creator in the field of NFT art. This NFT was auctioned off at a Christie’s auction in November 2021 for $28.985 million. The reason for such a high transaction price is closely related to Beeple’s other NFT work called “Everydays: The First 5000 Days”. Many regards “HUMAN ONE” as a follow-up and further deconstruction of “Everydays: The First 5000 Days”.

“HUMAN ONE” is a kinetic video sculpture with a corresponding dynamic NFT. It is made up of countless video images with 4 LED screens, recording an astronaut walking through various regions at different times of the day. It is a demonstration of Beeple’s artistic ambitions beyond the digital realm.

As of now, the highest auction price of HUMAN ONE is $28.985 million.

02. “Clock” Creator: Pak & Julian Assange, Value: $52.7 million

(Source: cryptonews.com)

“Clock” is a dynamic timer used to count the number of days that Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, has been imprisoned. Assange was embroiled in a highly controversial case and faces extradition from the UK to the US and 175 years in prison on multiple espionage charges. This case has sparked huge controversies all over the world. “Clock” was created in this background to show the protest against such unfair justice.

This NFT was co-curated by digital artist Pak and Assange himself. The final auction proceeds were used to fund Assange’s legal defense. In February 2022, AssangegDAO won the bid for Clock at a price of 16,953 ETH through crowdfunding.

In addition to the ETH used to buy Clock, AssangeDAO still holds 17,422 ETH originally raised to purchase the NFT.

As of now, the highest auction price of Clock is $52.7 million.

01. “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” Creator: Beeple, Value: $69.3 million

(Source: OpenSea)

“Everydays: The First 5000 Days” is another masterpiece by Beeple. It has now become one of the most commonly talked about parts during people’s conversations about the NFT explosion from 2020 to 2021. Beeple has been uploading new picture works on Instagram every day for 13 years since 2007, until he put all these works together into a picture and presented it to the world in the form of NFT.

At present, this NFT has been regarded as the best representative work by Beeple in the NFT artwork field. The characteristics of the work itself perfectly fit with the era it is in, which is why it was auctioned off for such an ultra-high price. In February 2021, this NFT was sold for $69.3 million to NFT investor Metakovan through Christie’s auction house.

As of now, the highest auction price of Everydays: The First 5000 Days is $52.7 million.

Conclusion

In this article, we showed you 10 of the most expensive NFTs by far. Most of these transactions took place during 2020 and 2021 when the NFT market bloomed. There is still a lot of room for the NFT market to grow. With more application scenarios of NFTs emerging, there will surely be more typical NFT transactions in the future. The development of NFTs will become an important reference for us to assess the entire industry.