A lengthy introduction to NFTs is probably unnecessary at this point. They have taken the blockchain world by storm and are a profitable way to share and collect art with collectors worldwide. NFTs are non-fungible tokens that are distinctive, and each one is unique. They can come in a variety of forms like music, tickets, artwork, memes, and game currency and objects. These virtual assets have sold for incredibly large sums of money. Read on for the most expensive NFT releases ever sold (so far).
1. The Merge – $91.3 million
Sold by anonymous artist Pak, “The Merge” sold for an astonishing $91.3 million on Nifty Gateway. The piece is a unique fragmented art concept where it was sold in pieces that formed the completed artwork when pieced together.
The #mass pieces purchased by the collectors were 266,445 pieces that sold for $575 each on December 4, 2021. The sale of the piece set a record for the most expensive art sold by a living artist.
2. The First 5000 Days – $69.3 million
The First 5000 Days was created by artist Mike “Beeple” Winkelman and was sold in February 2021 through Christie’s auction house for $69.3 million. The artwork features a collage of 5,000 individual NFTs that Beeple created every day over a 5000-day period. The work has been marked as one of the most important chapters in NFT history as it paved the way for NFT art to be recognized in the mainstream.
3. Clock – $52.7 million
In a collaborative creative effort, Pak and Julian Assange created the NFT “Clock” as an actual clock that counts the days that Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, has been imprisoned on espionage charges against the United States. The NFT was created to fund Assange’s legal defense since he was imprisoned in May 2019. “Clock” was sold for $52.7 million by AssangeDAO, a collection of over 10,000 people who pooled their money together to support Assange.
4. HUMAN ONE – $29.9 million
Another masterpiece created by Beeple, Human One is a generative hybrid sculpture piece that changes over time. The dynamic art features an astronaut walking across four 16k resolution screens surrounded by polished aluminum metal, and mahogany wood with dual media servers that display endless videos that correspond with the NFT. Beeple may not own the sculpture any longer, but he retains remote access to be able to change the art. The artwork was sold at Christie’s auction house on December 9, 2021.
5. CryptoPunk #5822 – $23.7
Sold on February 12, 2022, CrypoPunk NFTs have consistently sold in the millions, and CryptoPunk #5822, one of the rarest CryptoPunks out there, sold for a shocking $23.7 million price tag. Created by Larva Labs are, CryptoPunks are pixelated images of uniquely generated characters, and no two are exactly alike.
NFTs are powerful and profitable assets that have continued to grow since the NFT’s popularity exploded in 2020. With the space continuing to grow, this list of the most expensive NFTs ever sold will change. If you are looking to get in on the latest NFT drops to try and purchase your own NFT, check out the NFT Hype Drops list of the upcoming NFT collections to keep an eye on.