The Top 10 Most Expensive NFTs of All Time. After dominating 2021’s news cycles and cryptocurrency markets, interest in non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has waned. The need for NFTs will still be worth billions of dollars even though it will be more relaxed in 2023. Some NFTs continue to generate sales in the million-dollar range; for example, “Golden Key” by Yuga Labs made $1.6 million in February. Also included this year are the Bored Ape acquisition of $1.3 million and the CryptoPunk 5066 sale of $1.4 million. The then-highest price for an NFT was 800 ETH, or $23.7 million, in 2022 (CryptoPunk 5822).
10 Most Expensive NFTs: Our methodology requires us to restrict the all-time list of most costly NFTs to sales of single-edition NFTs rather than open-edition ones, so while you might see The Merge by Pak at the top of specific rankings, that is not the case for us. In a few days in December 2021, 28,983 collectors purchased 312,686 NFTs from The Merge, raising $91.8 million. Another open edition collection, “The Fungible,” which sold out in three days in April 2021 and brought in $16.8 million, would have included Pak as well. However, you shouldn’t feel sorry for Pak. The musician is still very much alive and kicking at number two. Are any of these going to sell for more than the top ten most expensive NFTs?
The 10 Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold
- Everyday: The First 5000 Days by Beeple – $69.3 million
- Clock by Pak – $52.7 million
- Human One by Beeple – $28.9 million
- CryptoPunk 5822 – $23.7 million
- CryptoPunk 7523 – $11.75 million
- TPunk 3442 – $10.5 million
- CryptoPunk 4156 – $10.26 million
- CryptoPunk 5577 – $7.7 million
- CryptoPunk 3100 – $7.58 million
- CryptoPunk 7804 – $7.57 million
Here’s more information about each of these pricey digital artworks:
1. Everyday: The First 5000 Days by Beeple
Beeple systematically assembled 5,000 distinct photos daily (hence the name “Everydays”) for more than thirteen years to form the NFT, a digital collage. In March 2021, it became the most costly NFT ever sold when it sold for $69.3 million at Christie’s auction house.
2. Clock by Pak
To generate money for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s legal defense, this NFT functions as a clock that counts down the days Assange has been jailed. The AssangeDAO group raised $52.7 million in November 2021 to purchase the watch.
3. Human One by Beeple
With Human One, Beeple takes the third slot on our list. This piece is unique in that it includes both a physical and a digital component that varies based on Beeple’s input and will continue to change for the rest of the artist’s life. In November 2021, Human One was sold for $28.9 million.
4. CryptoPunk 5822 by Larva Labs
One of the ten thousand new characters made in 2017 is the profile picture (PFP) NFT. Out of all the CryptoPunks, only nine have the unique “alien” punk identity that CryptoPunk 5822 possesses. February 2022 saw its sale for $23.7 million.
5. Cryptopunk 7523 by Larva Labs
In June 2021, in an auction hosted by Sotheby’s, another uncommon CryptoPunk avatar with the “alien” attribute fetched a high price of $11.75 million.
6. TPunk 3442 by TPunks
An assembly of 10,000 NFTs, TPunk (an abbreviation for “Tron Punk”) was born in 2021 and is celebrated as “the first NFT on Tron Blockchain.” In December 2021, the “Joker” TPunk—TPunk 3442—was sold to Justin Sun, inventor of Tron Blockchain, for $10.5 million.
7. CryptoPunk 4156 by Larva Labs
Once again, CryptoPunks’ “ape” PFP finds its way onto the list. Not only did the $10.26 million sale of CryptoPunk 4156 in December 2021 make news, but the fact that it was the digital representation of the investor formerly known as Punk4156—who later went by the moniker 4156—also helped.
8. CryptoPunk 5577 by Larva Labs
The infamous CrypoPunks have done it again. The unusual “ape” attribute and a cowboy hat were notable features of this one, which fetched $7.7 million in February 2022.
9. CryptoPunk 3100 by Larva Labs
Like the other exorbitantly priced CryptoPunks on the list, this one sold for $7.58 million in March 2021 and has unique “alien” qualities.
10. CryptoPunk 7804 by Larva Labs
This last item on the list also features the highly sought-after “alien” trait, in case you haven’t figured it out yet. March 2021 saw its sale for $7.57 million.