The NFT wave of 2021 saw digital art selling for eye-watering numbers.

Let's take a look at some of these record breaking sales.

The 10 Most Expensive NFT Sales

Last week, on July 12th, in what many are calling a ‘Crypto Winter,’ CryptoPunk #4464 sold for 2,500 ETH or roughly $2.6 Million USD. CryptoPunks, a 10,000 NFT collection launched in June of 2017, are among the oldest and rarest NFT collections. This monster NFT sale got us thinking:

What are the most expensive NFT sales of all time?

1. “Everydays: the First 5,000 Days” - $69.3 Million

Beeple - EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS

Beeple’s most expensive piece to date was sold at auction by Christie’s in March of 2021 for $69.3 Million.

This piece is a collage of the first 5,000 pieces in Beeple’s ‘Everydays’ series, a series in which he created a digital piece of art everyday from May 1st, 2007 - January 7th, 2021. This sale gave Beeple an eye-popping payout and put the term NFT into headlines everywhere.

2. “Clock” - $52.7 million

A dynamic NFT created by artist Pak, “Clock” displays the number of days WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sits in a prison cell. The piece was sold to a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) called AssangeDAO which was formed to raise money for Assange’s legal defense.

They ultimately raised and paid 16,593 ETH for the piece. Pak then donated the ETH to aid in Assange’s legal defense. Of the top 10, this is the only NFT sold to a DAO.

3. “HUMAN ONE” - $28.9 million

Beeple’s piece “HUMAN ONE” is the story of the first human born in the Metaverse. The piece is both a physical sculpture and a NFT.

The physical sculpture is over 7 feet tall, constantly moving, and features four screens displaying a dynamic 16K video that changes depending on the time of day.

The piece went to auction in November of 2021 and sold for $28.9 million or 4,700 ETH. Beeple continues to update and modify the piece remotely.

4. “CryptoPunk #5822” - $23.7 million

One of only nine CryptoPunks with the ‘Alien’ trait, CryptoPunk 5822 sold for a jaw-dropping 8000 ETH in February of 2022. By USD value, this is the highest CryptoPunk sale by more than double.

5. “CryptoPunk #7523” - $11.7 million

Another of the nine rare CryptoPunk ‘Aliens,’ Punk #7523 also has a mask - which made it all too timely when it went to auction with Sothebys in June of 2021. The NFT was sold for 4,700 ETH - a record at the time.

6. “CryptoPunk #4156” - $10.26 million

One of only 24 ‘Ape’ CryptoPunks, Punk #4156 was sold for 2,500 ETH in December of 2021. At the time, the ETH amount was valued at $10.26 million USD.

The sale was also notable in that Twitter User and Influencer @Punk4156 had built a following under his PFP’s name. After frustration with CryptoPunks' Copyright policy, he sold the NFT that had launched his brand - and changed his profile picture.

Punk #4156 was later resold for 2,691 ETH on July 15, 2022 - then valued at around $3.3 million USD.

7. “CryptoPunk #5577” - $7.7 million

Another rare ‘Ape’ CryptoPunk, Punk #5577 was sold for 2,501 ETH in February of 2022, then valued at around $7.7 million USD.

8. TIE: “CryptoPunk #3100” & “CryptoPunk #7804” - $7.56 million

March 11, 2021 was a good day to own a CryptoPunk. Both Punk #3100 & Punk #7804 have the ultra rare ‘Alien’ trait and both went for 4,200 ETH on the very same day.

9. “Ringers #109” - $7.12 Million

The most expensive sale of the curated Art Blocks project, Ringers #109 is part of a 1,000 piece collection by artist Dmitri Cherniak. Cherniak was playing with the idea of wrapping a string around a set of pegs.

Each piece in the collection features a variation in peg count, string size, color, and more. Ringers #109 was sold for 2,100 ETH in October of 2021.

10. “Right-click and Save As Guy” - $7 million

XCOPY’s most famous work, “Right-click and Save As Guy”, references the oft used gibe about NFTs - that one can just ‘right-click and save as’ instead of spending exorbitant amounts of money on it.

XCOPY’s work is a favorite among NFT collectors and this animated 1-of-1 was sold to one of the most well-known NFT collectors: Cozomo De’ Medici.

Conclusion

The NFT industry continues to increase in adoption and utility every day. As this ecosystems continues to expand, there may be many more chart-topping NFT sales in the future!

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